The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics have just ended. The emotions were intense at these games, with new broken records and major losses. Let’s recap all the highs and lows this Winter Olympics gave this year.
Let’s start off with one of the biggest defeats in the Games, but also one of the most emotional. Ilia Malinin, a U.S. Men’s figure skater – also known as the Quad God for his ability to do the quadruple axel, arrived in Milan expecting to win gold. Malinin is the only person in history who has been able to complete a quad axel in competition, making him a clear Olympic favorite. He won gold for the U.S. team event, and ended the men’s freeskate short program in first place. However, Malinin ended up falling twice and bailing on some of his most signature moves, which landed him in 8th place. He has not lost a competition in three years, so this was a shocker for everyone watching.
On the other hand, with Malinin ending up in 8th place, that meant that Mikhail Shaidorov, a Kazakhstani men’s figure skater, won gold in the men’s freeskate competition. Shaidorov ended the men’s freeskate short program in 5th place with a score of 198.64, over 15 points off of Malinin. Shaidorov had the only clean skate, landing his spot in first place. This was a huge moment for Shaidorov and Kazakhstan, due to the fact that this was the first gold medal for Kazakhstan in 32 years, and their first gold medal in figure skating.
On the topic of figure skating, the woman’s freeskate program was one to remember. Alysa Liu, a women’s U.S. figure skater, won gold in the women’s freeskate after recently returning to figure skating. Liu previously retired at 16, prioritizing her mental health and wellness. She decided to come back – even after her coach tried to talk her out of it – and she concluded that she would be in charge. She controlled her routine, her schedule, and what she ate. She went out onto the ice and put on her best performance, not aiming for a medal but the experience, and she landed in first place. Liu is the first U.S. women’s figure skater to win a gold medal since 2002.
Another story from the Games is the tragic Lindsey Vonn crash. Lindsey Vonn is a U.S. alpine ski racer – and a pretty good one at that. Vonn has suffered many other crashes and injuries in her career prior to this, with some being a fractured ankle, left tibial plateau fracture, broken humerus, and torn ACL. 13 seconds into her first event, Vonn suffered a horrific crash during the downhill race. Her arm hooked around one of the gates, which sent her off balance and plummeting into the snow. She suffered extensive injuries in her leg, a few of which are a tibial fracture, a tibial plateau fracture, a fractured fibular head, and a broken ankle. She has since been released from the hospital and expected to make a recovery.
If anyone has been following the Olympics, they have most likely heard of this next one. This story has become a viral meme on Tiktok, Instagram, and X. During the men’s curling match between Canada and Sweden, Oskar Eriksson, a Swedish men’s curler, accused Marc Kennedy, a Canadian men’s curler, of cheating during their game. Kennedy was accused of touching the stone again after it was released, which is illegal in the game. Kennedy denied it, and reportedly used offensive language against Eriksson. Team Canada still took home the gold for men’s curling.
There is another moment that has also gone viral during these Winter Olympics. Sturla Holm Laegreid, a Norwegian biathlete, has gained traction on social media for announcing to the world that he cheated on his girlfriend, right after winning a bronze medal. He talks about how he made a big mistake and has been struggling with the consequences. “I had the gold medal in life, and I am sure there are many people who will see things differently, but I only have eyes for her,” said Laegreid in an interview with Norway’s state broadcaster, NRK.
On a more positive note, many world records were broken throughout these Games. One of these being by Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo – also known as ‘King Klaebo’. Klaebo, a Norwegian cross-country skier, broke the record for the most gold medals won by an athlete at a single Winter Olympic games. He won six gold medals in all six of his events at this year’s Olympics. He now has won the most gold medals in Winter Olympic history, and the second most gold medals in all of Olympic history, with 11 gold medals.
Additionally, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen became the first South American athlete of any sport or gender to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Pinheiro Braathen is a Brazilian ski racer, although he was originally a racer for Norway. He won gold in the giant slalom event, scoring a time of 2 minutes and 25 seconds – beating the Swiss ski racer Marco Odermatt by 0.58 seconds. This was a very emotional moment for Pinheiro Braathen and Brazil.
Arguably, one of the most important and most watched sports of the Olympics is hockey. As many know, the U.S. was the reigning champion of the Winter Olympics in hockey this year.
The U.S. women’s hockey team won 2-1 against Canada. They went into overtime, with the winning goal made by Megan Keller. This was a very intense game between the two teams, especially because Canada is a known rival of the U.S. Caroline Harvey was named the Most Valuable Player and the best defender. Also, Laila Edwards made history by being the first and only Black woman to play a game and score a goal on the U.S. women’s hockey team.
The U.S. men’s hockey team also beat Canada 2-1 in an overtime game. The winning goal was scored by Jack Hughes, a New Jersey Devils hockey player. Hughes was struck in the face by a hockey stick, causing a chipped tooth, however he still stayed in the game and won it for the U.S. hockey team. This was the first time the U.S. has won a gold medal in men’s ice hockey since 1980. The last time the men’s ice hockey team won gold was when the U.S. defeated the Soviet Union in what they called a “Miracle on Ice.” It was a big day for hockey fans around the world.
A whirlwind of events occurred at this year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics. However, their journeys aren’t over. We will hopefully see most of these athletes return – some continuing their legacy and some making their comebacks – at the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. We will also be seeing some new faces at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. These Games have left a lasting legacy on many other games to come.
