Italy is having its best Winter Olympics of all time at a pace that crushes its 1994 medal count

MILAN — It’s official: Host nation Italy is having its best Winter Olympics of all time.

Italy picked up four medals in quick succession on Sunday — two golds, a silver and a bronze — to reach 22 and surpass its previous best medal haul of 20, set more than 30 years ago at the Lillehammer Games in 1994.

And there are still seven days left of competition at the Milan Cortina Games.

Italy's cross-country team set the day off with bronze in the men's 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay, and then came a flurry of three medals in less than an hour.

Federica Brignone won an incredible second gold medal with a victory in the giant slalom, barely a month after returning to racing following a horrific injury last year.

Half an hour later, Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva finished second in the mixed team snowboard cross to pick up Italy’s 21st medal. Shortly after that, Lisa Vittozzi won gold in the 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race.

“We are witnessing something historic, for our talented and extraordinary athletes,” local organizing committee president Giovanni Malagò said. "But this success makes us so happy also because we are reaping the fruits of years and years of hard work.”

The total is more than the target of 19 medals set by Italian Olympic Committee president Luciano Buonfiglio before the Games began.

The breakdown so far? Eight gold medals, four silver and 10 bronze.

In Lillehammer, Italy finished fourth in the final medal table — behind Russia, host nation Norway and Germany. At Milan Cortina, the Italians have consistently been in the top two, trailing Norway (24 medals) early on Sunday.

At the last Winter Olympics, in Beijing, Italy won 17 medals. It fared worse the last time it hosted the Games, collecting 11 in Turin in 2006.

The signs that Italy could do something special at its home games were there right from Day 3, when it had a record-breaking day on home snow and ice with a haul of six medals, the most the nation had ever won in a single day at the Winter Olympics.

“What an incredible day: Six medals in 24 hours at the Winter Olympics will go down in history,” Malagò said. “And what’s also incredible is the multidisciplinary nature of the medals. We have become a country that is capable of being competitive in sports where we have never been.

“That is fundamental in the Olympic program and in the final medal table. … I have always been of the opinion that the strength of a country can be seen in how many medals in different sports you manage to earn, not necessarily the number of golds.”

The stories behind some of the medals have added to the feel-good moment sweeping the country.

The 35-year-old Brignone skied through the pain to win gold in the women’s super-G on Thursday, following a year spent largely in rehab after breaking multiple bones in her leg.

Arianna Fontana, the most decorated short track speedskater of all time, won her 12th and 13th medals, equaling fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti’s record for most Olympic medals by an Italian athlete — a mark that has stood since 1960.

“We’re getting to see the Italian team do incredibly well. … I’ve been very fortunate to have gotten to witness Federica’s and Arianna’s golds, which were just incredible,” International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said on Friday. “Their stories of resilience and fight and everything good in humanity was really showcased.

“Both athletes I have so much respect for … Arianna is now the most decorated Italian athlete, summer or winter Olympian. And to do that at home, it’s so cool. I’m so excited for her. And you could feel in the stadium yesterday, last night, just the passion and the love and the respect.”