Milano Cortina Olympics 2026

By: Molly Silvon

Now that the Olympics have come to an end, with the Paralympics still to look forward to, there is no better time to look back at the triumphs of this winter’s Games. The 2026 Winter Olympics were held in Northern Italy this year, with events taking place in Milano, Cortina, Anterselva, Tesero, Bormio, Livigno, Predazzo, and Verona. The opening ceremony was held on February 6th in Milano, and the Closing Ceremony was held on February 22nd in Verona. From the start, American athletes excelled across the board. 

USA Medal Highlights

1. Alpine Skiing:

   1. Breezy Johnson (Women’s Downhill) and Mikaela Shiffrin (Women’s Slalom) won gold. 

   2. Ryan Cochran-Siegle won silver in Men’s Super G. 

   3. In the combined team event, the women’s team placed third, taking home bronze. 

2. Bobsledding:

   1. Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Armbruster Humphries earned gold and bronze, respectively. 

3. Cross-Country Skiing:

   1. Jessie Diggins won silver in the Women’s 10km Interval Start Free event. 

   2. Ben Ogden was awarded silver in the Men's Sprint Classic. 

   3. The Men’s sprint free team placed second overall. 

4. The mixed doubles curling team won silver. 

5. Figure Skating:

   1. Alysa Liu won gold for the women's single event. 

   2. Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned silver in Ice Dance. 

   3. In the overall team event, Team USA earned gold.

6. Freestyle Skiing:

   1. Elizabeth Lemley won gold, and Jaelin Kauf won silver in Women's Moguls.

   2. In Women’s Dual Moguls, Jaelin Kauf was awarded silver, and Elizabeth Lemley was awarded bronze.

   3. Alex Hall won a silver medal for Men's Freeski Slopestyle, and Mac Forehand won silver for Men's Freeski Big Air. 

7. Team USA took home gold in Women's Ice Hockey. 

8. Women's Luge: 

   1. Ashley Farquharson was awarded bronze. 

9. Chloe Kim won silver for Women's Snowboard Halfpipe, and Jake Canter got bronze in Men's Snowboard Slopestyle. 

10. Speed Skating: 

    1. Jordan Stolz won gold in Men’s speed skating in both the 500m and 1000m contests. He also came away with silver in the Men's 1500m contest. 

    2. In the overall team pursuit, Team USA earned silver.

Women's Hockey

The USA Women's Ice Hockey team was dominant throughout the tournament. They only allowed two goals in seven games, and the team was undefeated, beating opponents 5-1, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 6-0, and 5-0, before facing Canada in the gold medal match. The teams went head-to-head in a tightly contested matchup before the U.S. secured a 2-1 overtime victory. 

Mixed Curling

Team USA managed silver in the first-ever year of mixed curling at the Olympics. Corey Thiesse and Korey Dropkin upset Italy’s reigning champions in the semifinal round. However, despite an early lead, the team fell to Sweden in the final, earning silver. In addition to the silver medal, this marked the first time an American woman had been awarded an Olympic medal in curling.

Men's Figure Skating

One of the most highly anticipated aspects of this year's Olympics was the performances of American figure skater Ilia Malinin. Malinin is known for landing quadruple axels (4½ rotations in the air) and is the only person who has landed the skill in competition. Because of this feat, he is often referred to as the “Quad God.” Malinin is also famous for including backflips in his routines, which were banned until recently. His short program, which earned second place as part of the team event, helped lift the Americans to a team gold. Unfortunately, he was not able to place in the individual competition after falling twice during his routine. 

Women's Figure Skating

Another big topic in the figure skating realm is the return of Alysa Liu. Liu is known for her masculine street style, a big difference from a lot of her competitors. As a teenager, she competed for the US team in 2022 at the Beijing Olympics and won nationals twice. However, at 16, she stepped away from skating completely to live a more normal life and focus on her mental health. Two years later, Liu decided to come back to the sport, this time in control of all aspects of her training, competition, and lifestyle. This year, she won two gold medals, a testament to the importance of standing up for yourself. 

Overall, Team USA performed extremely well in the Winter Olympics this year, and there is no doubt they will continue this momentum into the Paralympic which begins on March 6th.