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American speed skater Mia Manganello won a bronze medal in the women’s mass start on Saturday at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium in her final race.
Manganello, 36, made an effort in the last lap to get on the podium. Netherlands’ Marjike Groenewoud won gold, while Canada’s Ivanie Blondin narrowly edged out Manganello to win silver.
For Manganello, it was his first individual medal in three Olympic participations. She won a bronze medal in the women’s team pursuit at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
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Mia Manganello of the USA celebrates winning the bronze medal in the women’s mass start speed skating final race at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, February 21, 2026. (Ben Curtis/AP Photo)
However, Manganello’s path to the podium has not been linear. The Crestview, Florida, native competed in two U.S. Olympic speedskating events at the Vancouver Games in 2010, but did not make the team.
He then changed sports and became a professional cyclist. After six years, she returned to speed skating in 2016, making the US team for the Pyeongchang Games and winning the aforementioned bronze medal in the women’s team pursuit.
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Mia Manganello of the USA celebrates winning the bronze medal on the podium in the mass start speed skating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, February 21, 2026. (Luca Bruno/AP Photo)
At the 2022 Beijing Games, Manganello finished fourth in the women’s mass start, narrowly missing the podium. In 2025, Manganello won his first mass start race at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup.
In his last Olympic race, he took home bronze.
Manganello’s bronze medal is the first American women’s medal in speed skating at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
Mia Manganello of the USA, left, is congratulated by teammate Greta Myers after winning the bronze medal in the women’s mass start speed skating final race at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, Feb. 21, 2026. (Bernat Armangué/AP Photo)
There was another American in the race, Greta Myers, who finished 12th. Myers and Manganello hugged after the race.
Manganello’s bronze medal gave the United States 31 medals for the Olympics, breaking a tie with Italy for second most medals. Norway has the most medals in total with 40.
