Calgary – A total of 13 athletes, six women and seven men, will represent Italy on the Canadian ice at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, which will host the third seasonal leg of the World Cup in speed skating between Friday, January 24 and Sunday, January 26. The Italian athletes competing are Giorgia Aiello, Francesca Lollobrigida, Alice Marletti, Veronica Luciani, Laura Lorenzato, Serena Pergher, Davide Ghiotto, Daniele Di Stefano, Francesco Betti, David Bosa, Andrea Giovannini, Riccardo Lorello, and Michele Malfatti. All eyes are on Ghiotto, who recently earned fourth place at the European Allround Championships in Heerenveen and has already secured two podium finishes this season in the World Cup: a victory and second place in the 5,000 meters at Nagano (Japan) and Beijing (China), respectively. In Canada, the Vicenza-born champion will compete in the longer 10,000 meters, an event where he is the current world champion and where he set an unofficial world record (12'26"30) at the International Race in Inzell, Germany, last October during his training. Di Stefano, second and third in the first two mass start events of the season held in Asia in late November and early December, also aims to continue his positive trend. (9colonne)