Winter Olympics Wrapped

The Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics were full of records smashed and memorable moments. With almost 3,000 athletes competing in 16 different events, this year’s Olympic Games had something for everyone. Keep reading for a recap of some of Milano-Cortina’s most memorable events.

Lindsey Vonn, 41 year old American Alpine skier, became the oldest alpine skier to race at the Winter Olympics. Despite her successful Olympic career, Vonn had to be airlifted off the slopes after a debilitating crash during the women’s downhill. Thirteen seconds into her run, the three-time Olympic medalist caught a gate with her right arm, sending her tumbling down the slope. Despite competing just days after rupturing her ACL on January 30, 2026, Vonn says she had no regrets and that “my ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever”.

Another Alpine skier, 31 year old American, Breezy Johnson crashed during the super-G final, being one of over a dozen skiers who did not finish the race. Regardless, she advanced to compete in women’s downhill, joining Lindsey Vonn as the only American women in history to score gold in the event. Alongside this landmark career success, she was met at the finish line by her boyfriend, Connor Watkins, who proposed just after her run. Johnson later stated, “There’s nothing better than doing well and having somebody to share it with”.

In slalom, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen secured a last minute win with just a 0.58 second lead in giant slalom. Braathen not only won Brazil’s first-ever medal at the Winter Games, but also the first-ever gold for the entire continent of South America.

America’s figure skating gold medalist Alyssa Liu won her first Olympics after coming back from an almost two year hiatus. She had retired at just 16 years old because of severe burnout, but, in 2024, she returned to figure skating on her own terms, setting boundaries that allowed her the freedom she wanted from the sport.

In team figure skating, Ilia Malinin, 21 year old American figure skater nicknamed the “Quad God” became the first and only skater to successfully land a quadruple axel (4.5 rotations). However, he has become better known for performing a backflip during the same event. Despite the attention Malinin has gotten for landing his flip, he isn’t the first Olympian to do so. In the 1998 Olympics, French figure skater Surya Bonaly was deducted for attempting the move, which was banned at the time, presumably for being too dangerous.

In a more scandalous moment of the games, team Canada’s Marc Kennedy was accused of cheating in curling by Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson. Kennedy was supposedly seen “double-touching” the curling stone (illegally touching the rock after release). While footage seemed to support his claim, Marc Kennedy denied allegations, causing a dispute between the teams. 

Lastly, on the final day of the Olympic games, the United States won gold in hockey against Canada, an intense matchup that went into overtime, with Jack Hughes scoring the winning goal. The game became the most watched event of this year’s Olympics, garnering over 16.1 million viewers across North America.

Overall, this year’s Olympic games were the most watched Winter Olympics of all time and one of the more successful for the United States, whose athletes racked up 33 medals (12 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze) across  eleven events. Make sure to tune into the Paralympics starting March 6th for more!