Martina Valcepina

Olympic medallist Martina Valcepina is an Italian short-track speed-skater who has represented her country at three Winter Olympics. In 2010 she was the youngest member of the Italian Olympic team at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, and four years later she clinched the bronze medal in the women’s 3000m relay at the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. In 2018 Valcepina and the Italian team reached the final of the 3000m relay taking home a silver medal.

Born in Sondalo, Italy, Valcepina was a sporty child who enjoyed athletics and swimming. She was encouraged to try short track speed skating when she was six years old by her sister Alessia, and joined a school in Bormio that helped her skating develop. Valcepina moved quickly through the ranks of the sport, and was only 17 years old when she travelled to Vancouver as the youngest member of the Italian Olympic team. After suffering disappointment in the individual 500m when she fell in the early stages of the race, Valcepina reached the semi-final of the 3000m relay. In 2012 she clinched two gold medals at the World Junior Championships and finished 4th individually in the 500 metres at the 2012 World Championships.

Four years after the Vancouver games, Valcepina competed in the 2014 Sochi Olympics with teammates Elena Viviani, Arianna Fontana and Lucia Peretti and came home with a bronze medal in the 3000m relay. She took two years away from the sport to start a family between 2014 and 2016, but returned with a new focus in 2018 when she climbed the Olympic podium once again, this time winning Silver for Italy in the 3000m relay alongside teammates Lucia Peretti, Arianna Fontana and Cecilia Maffei.