Francisca Henriques wins historic silver in speed skating marathon

Francisca Henriques won a historic silver medal in the women's speed skating marathon at the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games. The 19-year-old Madeiran skater completed the 42.195-kilometer course in 1:23:15.674, finishing just 0.046 seconds behind Italy's Melissa Gatti. This achievement marks the first Portuguese medal in speed skating at the Mediterranean Games, a sport making its debut in the competition program.

Portuguese skater Jéssica Rodrigues finished in fourth place, narrowly missing the podium by 0.820 seconds behind the winner and slightly more than half a second from the bronze medal. Rodrigues, a former junior world champion in ice speed skating, competed in the marathon following a recent elbow surgery due to an accident in June. The performance brings Portugal's total podium count at the games to 17.