Milano Cortina Winter Olympics: VAR chaos for 'unhappy skaters' as Italy's Pietro Sighel finishes BACKWARDS - 'Oh my word!'

Italy's Pietro Sighel again finished a race facing backwards at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. But this time, it was less controversial. Sighel was nearly wiped off his feet as part of a two-man wipeout in the second of the men's 500m heats on Monday, but in a brilliant show of improvisation, pivoted to stay on his skates and qualify for the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Short track speed skating has proven during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics that it is a must-watch event.

The chaos is unmatched. And even by its own special standards, Monday's heats in the men's 500m were enthralling viewing.

There is so much on the line, but the margin for error is minuscule. And for two skaters, their hopes were cruelly crushed in a wild coming-together. For another, his Milano Cortina dream continued in miraculous fashion.

Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026

Huge crashes, history made and record missed - how wild 500m finals unfolded

18/02/2026 at 23:48

In the second heat, comprising Italy's Pietro Sighel, Kazakhstan's Abzal Azhgaliyev, Latvia's Reinis Berzins and Turkey's Furkan Akar, was poised beautifully as the four were relatively neck and neck at the final turn.

But the heat took a chaotic turn when Berzins, looking to make an advance on the inside, completely lost his footing, and went crashing into the field.

"Oh my word! What on earth happened there," TNT Sports commentator Rob Hatch said.

'Oh no!' - Disaster as cameraman felled during chaotic speed skating semi-final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Within seconds, Azhgaliyev - who had looked set to finish fourth and exit the event - crossed the line first in a photo finish. Berzins and Akar were left in a crumpled mess, sliding across the finish line while down on the ice.

And perhaps the most remarkably, Sighel crossed the line second - somehow staying on his feet after having his left foot clipped in the crash, which pivoted him around to finish the race backwards.

Hatch attempted to make sense of the chaos which had unfolded at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

"There will be a video review on a couple of counts for this one. There are some unhappy skaters there. Who is at fault here? They’re all over the place.

"There’s a touch on the helmet from Furkan Akar, but behind he gets taken out. Good luck to the VAR here."

• Team GB men's curling medal hopes dented after defeat to Norway
• Is this the most BRUTAL way to lose an Olympic gold medal?

Sighel's brilliant backwards finish came just a little under a week after he was pulled into question for doing the same thing - that time, optionally - when powering Italy to mixed team relay gold.

He explained after the team victory that he finished backwards "for the home crowd" and that "it wasn't a disrespectful gesture towards my opponents".

But this time, Hatch noted how fortunate he was to stay on his feet.

"Sighel stays on his skates by a miracle, and if last Monday he crossed the line backwards, pointing to his mates, this time he did it just about standing up," he said.

VAR ran the rule over the incident, and adjudged that Akar would be penalised for not giving way as the skaters entered the final straight. Berzins, meanwhile, was not given an advancement despite the ruling, with the pair exiting the 500m event.

And there was yet more drama in the seventh heat, when a three-man wipe-out saw Jens van 't Wout cross the line on his own. The fallen trio got back to their feet and finished more than eight seconds behind the Dutch leader.

Sighel and Azhgaliyev will take back to the ice for the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

American skater wipes out two racers in short track crash carnage

Video credit: TNT Sports

---

Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.

Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026

'A bit of an arm there' - American skater wipes out two rivals in short track crash

16/02/2026 at 19:36