Italian speedskater Pietro Sighel may have accidentally turned into one of the biggest villains at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
Sighel was part of the gold medal-winning Italian team in the Olympic short track speed skating mixed team relay, anchoring the final leg of the event at Milan’s ice skating arena. Italy had taken the lead around halfway through the race and led up until the end, at which point Sighel decided to perform a rather cocky celebration.
Seconds after Sighel crossed the finish line first, he turned his back and looked at the losing skaters while raising his arms in the air in triumph.
What resulted was an all-time iconic photo of Sighel’s gold medal-clinching skate:
E abbiamo LA foto dell'Olimpiade, possiamo chiudere qui. pic.twitter.com/AlzkelK3aB
— Telegrammi di Tennis (@TelDiTen) February 10, 2026
Here's another look at it:
"I did it for the home crowd; it wasn't a disrespectful gesture toward my opponents," Sighel said of his celebration afterward.
While one can understand how excited Sighel was to win gold in his home country, it still looks like a pretty arrogant move from all angles as he appeared to taunt his oncoming rivals. In any case, it’s definitely one of the memorable photos of the Winter Games so far.
Tuesday’s event marked Sighel’s third Olympic medal and first gold, having previously won bronze in the men’s relay and silver in the mixed relay in the 2022 Beijing Games. Sighel’s team included Arianna Fontana—Italy's most decorated Winter Olympian—as well as Elisa Confortola and Thomas Nadalini. Italy beat out Canada and Belgium in the final, who finished second and third respectively.
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
- United States Mixed Curling Team Suffers Late Loss to Sweden, Settles for Silver
- Olympian Confesses to Cheating on Girlfriend in Bizarre Interview After Winning Bronze
- Mikaela Shiffrin Shares Heartfelt Message After Not Medaling in Team Combined Event
- Canadian Men’s Hockey Team Delighted to See Team USA Speedskating Team Crash in Person
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Italian Speedskater Had the Most Hilariously Arrogant Celebration After Winning Gold.
