Milano Cortina 2026: Zueva Karaliova kick off their 2026 Olympic campaigns

Marina Zueva finished 15th in the 3000m event. Hanna Karaliova placed 34th in skiathlon.

At the Milan Speed Skating Stadium, the Belarusian skater completed the distance in 4:07.09. Zueva’s best result in the 2025/2026 season prior to the 2026 Olympics was 8th place in the 3000m at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Hamar, Norway. She also clocked the 10th-fastest time in the world (3:59.88) over the same distance at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Salt Lake City.

The Olympic champion in the event was Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida with a time of 3:54.28 (an Olympic record).

Following the 3000m race, speed skater Marina Zueva commented on her Olympic performance.

“Frankly, I’m not happy with my result. I liked how everything felt on the ice over the past few days, the times I was clocking in training. But today, I couldn’t run the time I was aiming for. Maybe the fact that I was quite nervous played a role; there were a lot of spectators.”

The Belarusian athlete noted she was also rooting for and is genuinely happy for Francesca Lollobrigida.

“She won, and I feel everything inside is still shaking. I feel very emotional right now. I’ll try to pull myself together as much as possible for the next distance and show what I’m capable of.

My time was 4:07. I was paired with Nadezhda Morozova from Kazakhstan. Nadezhda and I train together, and I knew she would start very fast. She is a stronger athlete than I am. Nadezhda comes from sprinting. So I knew the start would be fast. She is better at shorter distances, while I am the opposite - better at longer ones. I wanted to stay with her, but I was too far behind. I should have kept closer.

The Games have begun. We must continue to do our work and stay focused.

I was happy that I received the neutral status. It really surprised me and gave me a lot of motivation. I trained hard. Then, qualifying for the Olympics also felt incredible because my results in long-distance events had improved so much. During the first two World Cups at altitude, I knew I would qualify because I was posting pretty good times. Now, I’m focusing on the 5000m.

I adapted to the ice rink here pretty much right away, from the very first practice. I liked everything about it. I didn’t even really judge the ice or the conditions from the standpoint of whether it felt uncomfortable or inconvenient to me. It is what it is... and the ice is quite fast, good ice.”

Hanna Karaliova placed 34th in the skiathlon at the Olympic Games in Italy.

On the Olympic ski track in Tesero, the Belarusian athlete completed 10km of the classic technique and 10km of freestyle skiing, finishing six minutes behind the winner from Sweden. A total of 70 athletes started the race.

“The race turned out to be very dynamic. Overall, I really enjoyed the atmosphere: there were lots of spectators all along the track, creating lively corridors. The support was great. The conditions on the track were quite challenging. It had been raining for several days in a row, and at +6°C the track is really slushy. You have to ski through it, which is very dangerous and tough on the downhills.

Overall, I'm satisfied with my performance under these conditions, even though I don’t enjoy racing on such a track.”

The next event for Hanna Karaliova is sprint on 10 February.

Press service of the Belarusian NOC
Photos by the Belarusian NOC