The cauldrons are lit in Milan and Cortina

Long-track speed-skating legend Enrico Fabris hands off the torch to ski racer Alberto Tomba and alpine skier Deborah Compagnoni, who then light the cauldron in Milan together.

Fabris won three medals at Italy’s last Olympics, Torino 2006: gold in team pursuit, gold in the 1,500 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres. 

Not only was he the first Italian to win a medal in long track speed skating, he was the most successful Italian athlete at those Games. (He also has multiple world championship and European championship medals, but never quite reached the Olympic peak of Torino again.)

Compagnoni won three gold medals and one silver in three alpine skiing disciplines — super-G, giant slalom and slalom — over three Winter Games (1992, 1994 and 1998).

Tomba dominated men’s slalom and giant slalom in the late 80s and early 90s, claiming three gold medals and two silver over three Winter Olympics (1988, 1992 and 1994).

Alpine ski racer Sofia Goggia lit the Cortina cauldron. She became Italy’s first Olympic women’s downhill champion when she won at PyeongChang 2018.Â