A group of seasoned speed skaters, including Francesca Lollobrigida, Ted-Jan Bloemen, Jorrit Bergsma, Brittany Bowe, Mia Manganello, and Martina Sáblíková, plan to conclude their competitive careers following the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
According to ISU Skating, the upcoming Olympic Games will mark the final appearances on the ice for several notable athletes who have shaped the sport over recent years. After the 2022 Beijing Olympics, several legends retired, and now new athletes are reaching the end of their journey.
Francesca Lollobrigida, who began her career transitioning from inline skating to long-track speed skating, will celebrate her 35th birthday during the event. A specialist in Mass Start races, she has earned multiple World Cup victories and Olympic medals. After giving birth to her son following the Beijing Games, Lollobrigida returned to competition and secured her first World Championship title in 2025 by winning the 5000m at Hamar. She noted the significance of competing again in Italy after first watching the Olympics there in 2006.
Ted-Jan Bloemen and Jorrit Bergsma, both long-distance specialists in their late 30s and early 40s, have also announced their retirement plans. Both have won Olympic gold medals in the 10,000m event, Bloemen in 2018 and Bergsma in 2014. At the Milan Games, Bergsma intends to compete in the 5000m, 10,000m, and Mass Start events, while Bloemen will focus on the 5000m and 10,000m. Both athletes are fathers and look forward to sharing the Olympic experience with their young children.
American skaters Brittany Bowe and Mia Manganello will retire after the 2026 season. Bowe, a multiple World Champion and current 1000m World Record holder, aims to add Olympic medals to her record, having previously earned two bronzes. Manganello, a Mass Start specialist, won her first World Cup Trophy in her final season and expressed mixed feelings about retiring, noting the challenges women often face in balancing sports careers and family.
Martina Sáblíková of the Czech Republic will compete in her sixth Olympic Games in 2026, making her the most experienced athlete in long-track speed skating at these Games. With a career spanning two decades, Sáblíková has won multiple Olympic medals, including golds in the 3000m and 5000m events.
