(Photo credit: REUTERS/Yara Nardi)

MILAN -- Arianna Fontana became her country's most decorated Olympian when she led Italy to silver in the women's 3,000 meters short track relay at the Winter Games on Wednesday.

It was the 14th Olympic medal of Fontana's career, eclipsing the record of fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti who won 13 medals between 1936 and 1960.

South Korea took gold and Canada bronze. It was the first short track gold of the Games for the Koreans, the most successful nation in the discipline at the Olympics.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was in the Milano Ice Skating Arena to witness Fontana make history.

The way was cleared for Italy to take a medal when a Dutch skater fell midway through the race, effectively turning it into a three-team contest.

Fontana, 35, has now won three medals at the Milan Cortina Games. She made her Olympic debut as a teenager when Italy hosted the Turin Games in 2006, picking up the first medal of her career in the women's relay.

She had the honor of carrying the Italian flag at the Opening Ceremony in the San Siro stadium this month but her relations with teammates and sports officials have been tense at times.

TENSE RELATIONSHIP

In 2019, Fontana accused two teammates of deliberately causing her to fall during a training session. The skaters were cleared after a lengthy disciplinary process.

She hinted she might switch allegiance to the United States in 2023 after a breakdown in relations with her national federation.

Fontana had missed out on her first chance to break the record on Monday, finishing fourth in the women's 1000 meters, race, after being barged by Chinese rival Gong Li during the final.

After that race she said she had a 'bitter taste in her mouth,' adding, that she would not allow the quest for the 14th medal to distract her.

'I'll try to turn this anger into extra fuel to add to the fire,' she said.

Fontana comes from the small town of Berbenno, around two hours' drive north of Milan, where the local bars are papered with signed photos of her.

Married to her coach, the Italian-American former skater Anthony Lobello, she speaks fluent English and has spent long periods training abroad.

--Reuters, special to Field Level Media