As the Olympic Torch covered the final stages of its 12,000km journey toward the San Siro Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, two icons of Italian skating had the honour of carrying the flame. Italian legends - Short Track skater Hugo Herrnhof and Speed Skater Ippolito Sanfratello - walked through the athletes’ Olympic Village, passing the torch between them in a symbolic meeting of generations of Olympic success.

Olympic legend Short Track Skater Hugo Herrnhof holding the Torch at the Olympic Village during the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 © ISU

Herrnhof was a member of Italy’s historic men’s 5000m relay team - alongside Maurizio Carnino, Orazio Fagone and Mirko Vuillermin - that captured the nation’s first-ever Olympic Short Track gold medal at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Games. Sanfratello added to Italy’s Olympic legacy with gold in the Team Pursuit at Torino 2006.

Italian Olympic legends - Short Track skater Hugo Herrnhof and Speed Skater Ippolito Sanfratello - holding the Torches at the Olympic Village during the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 © ISU

Having helped the flame on its way to the Olympic spotlight, Herrnhof will have another significant role to play in the Winter Games overseeing the delivery of the Short Track competitions at the Milano Ice Skating Arena as ISU Short Track Event Director. 

“Being selected as an Olympic Torch bearer for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games is a profound honor and a deeply symbolic moment for me,” said Herrnhof. “Thirty-two years after winning my Olympic gold medal, carrying the Torch feels like a celebration of that achievement and of the journey that followed. It gave a heartbeat to my sporting soul, connecting my career as a Short Track athlete with my current role at the ISU. In this short walk, I felt the legacy of the five rings come alive. Our Short Track athletes are ready, and I wish them every success at these Olympic Games”, Herrnhof said.

Olympic legend Short Track Skater Hugo Herrnhof holding the Torch at the Olympic Village during the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 © ISU

Following a distinguished competitive career, highlighted by a World Championship gold medal in 1988, Herrnhof transitioned seamlessly into sports leadership. He served as Sports Manager for Speed Skating and Short Track at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games before joining the ISU in September 2006 as part of the Speed Skating and Short Track Sports Directorate. In 2015, he was appointed ISU Short Track Event Manager and later became Event Director in 2021. His extensive knowledge and experience enable the ISU to deliver on its pledge to place athletes at the heart of its ongoing transformation.

Now, over three decades after making Olympic history on the ice, Herrnhof continues to shape the sport’s future - carrying both the Olympic flame and the legacy of Italian Short Track skating forward.