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= MILAN CORTINA 2026 =
From Lane One
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) said last week that her working group on the Olympic program is creating a set of metrics to help evaluate the place of sports in the Olympic and Winter Games.
At Sunday’s media briefing in Milan, IOC Sports Director Pierre Ducrey (SUI) explained further, in the context of the future of the Nordic Combined, for which women were controversially not added for the 2026 Winter Games. Ducrey explained:
“When it comes to Nordic Combined, I think we look at it in a way that these [2026] Games will provide us a lot of information.
“When we assess a sport, not necessarily Nordic Combined – any sport – what do we look for?
“We look for universality, we look for spread of excellence at the top, we look for is this sport being watched – in the Games, outside the Games – there are a lot of elements being used, which again, are not specific to Nordic Combined. We apply the exact same criteria to all sports.
“It just turns out that this particular discipline has had challenges in the past. I think it’s been communicated , both on the men’s and women’s side, so we just want to make sure that we take a very good look – in detail – at how much the sport has moved forward since we made the decision for 2026.
“When we decided on the women for 2026, you know in ‘21 there had only been one World Championship, with a lower number of athletes. Now the sport has evolved further, so we want to make sure we take all the criteria I just mentioned and inform those that have to make the decision.”
Coventry’s prior comments and Ducrey’s raise the issue of sports that have been in the lower tiers of popularity according to the IOC’s measurements in recent Games. For the 2016-2020 Games, these included canoeing, equestrian, fencing, handball, hockey, sailing, taekwondo, triathlon and wrestling, along with modern pentathlon and the new (as of 2016) sports of golf and rugby sevens.
IOC member Karl Stoss (AUT), who is leading the Olympic Program working group, was clear during his IOC Session presentation, “we will not be able to make everyone happy,” and added, “our responsibility is clear: to ensure the Olympic sports program is balanced, relevant and forward-looking and sustainable.”
Ducrey gave a little more perspective on what Stoss meant.
~ Rich Perelman
● Rosen Report ● A full review of a wild day in Short Track, and a bad day for American star Corinne Stoddard, among others, on soft ice on Tuesday.
● Rosen Report II ● An emotional Short Program for American skater Maxim Naumov, remembering his parents while qualifying for the Olympic final.
● Also on TSX ● In its massive spending bill signed into law last week, the U.S. government authorized funds for transportation assistance for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Games. It even had funding for the World Anti-Doping Agency, but with strings attached!
● Milan Cortina 2026 ● The organizing committee said in the morning news briefing that it sold 56,000 tickets across nine venues on Monday.
Spokesman Luca Casassa explained that the problem of some medals and ribbons becoming detached at the top has been taken up with the Italian Mint – which made them – and anyone with an issue can turn them in for a quick repair and return.
¶
The International Olympic Committee decided that Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych will not be allowed under the political neutrality rules to wear a special helmet which commemorates those lost during the Russian invasion of the country with pictures of about 20 individuals, but will be allowed – as an exception – to wear a black armband instead.
Heraskevych has worn the helmet during training and promoted it on his social channels, but will not be able to wear in competition. Said IOC spokesman Mark Adams (GBR): “We feel this is a good compromise in the situation,” maintaining a “safe space” in the competitions.
¶
Milan Cortina 2026 food and beverage director Elisabetta Salvadori explained that the dining halls of the Olympic Villages include 600 seats in Milan, 400 in Cortina and 400 in Predazzo, preparing about 4,500 meals a day in Milan and about 4,000 in Cortina and 3,000 in Predazzo. The ice hockey players eat the most and the lines are longest – surprise? – at the pasta and pizza stations!
● Il Tempo Olimpici ● Some sunshine is expected for Milan on Wednesday (11th), with temperatures up to 55 F for the high and a 41 F low, with the warming trend continuing through Friday.
In Cortina, winds are expected to be light, with overcast conditions and a high of 43 F. Temps will dive to 25 F overnight, with some light snow moving in late.
● Scoreboard ● A big day for Norway moved them into the lead in the overall medal table, through 27 of 116 events:
● 12: Norway (6-2-4)
● 11: Italy (2-2-7)
● 8: Japan (2-2-4)
● 7: United States (2-3-2)
● 6: Germany (3-2-1)
● 6: Sweden (3-2-1)
● 5: Switzerland
● 5: Austria
● 3: France
● 3: Canada
The U.S. had a five-medal day, but no golds (0-3-2).
A better indication of team performance has to go beyond three places, so The Sports Examiner returns our eight-place scoring, using the NCAA track & field format of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 to score each event. After three days, the top 12:
● 141: Norway
● 124: Italy
● 89.5: Austria
● 87.5: United States
● 74: Germany
● 69.5: Switzerland
● 68.5: Japan
● 64: Sweden
● 49: France
● 43: Canada
● 31: Netherlands
● 29: China
● 29: Czech Republic
The Italians have put up an impressive 25 place winners (1-8) in just the first three days of medal competitions.
● Television ● Criticism of television announcers is nothing new; commentary on what is said on television inspired a site called “Awful Announcing” – focusing on U.S. television – way back in 2006!
But the performance of RaiSport director Paolo Petrecca at the Milan Cortina opening ceremony on Friday might be a new low. Among the gaffes, he identified Italian actress Matilda De Angelis as American star Mariah Carey, said IOC chief Coventry was the daughter of Italian President Sergio Mattarella and failed to recognize most of the hugely-popular men’s and women’s world champion volleyball teams who carried the Olympic Torch in the stadium and marched it outside for its eventual lighting at the Arco della Pace.
He had opened the telecast as being from the Stadio Olimpico – which is in Rome – instead of the San Siro, the iconic Milan stadium.
It was so bad that RaiSport pulled Petrecca from the closing ceremony announce team and the RaiSport staff issued a statement on Monday that included:
“From today at 5 p.m. and until the end of the Games – we read in a note – we are withdrawing our signature from services, connections and commentaries while we wait for the company to finally become aware of the damage that the director has caused: to the viewers who pay the license fee, to Rai as a company and to the entire editorial staff who are working as always with passion on this great event.”
The RaiSport union’s statement included:
“Dear colleagues, for three days we have all been embarrassed, no one excluded, and through no fault of our own. It’s time to make our voices heard because we are facing the worst performance ever by RaiSport during one of the most anticipated events of all time, the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. …
“This is not a political issue , as some would have us believe, but a question of respect and dignity for public service. Starting today at 5 p.m., we have requested that a union statement be read on all Olympic news programs and on the Mattina Olimpica and Notti Olimpiche programs.”
And it ended explaining that after the end of the Games, “we will implement the three-day strike mandate that the editorial staff voted for after the director’s editorial plan was twice rejected.”
Awful announcing, indeed. De Angelis made fun of the “mix-up” with Carey, writing on her Instagram page, “Please, call me Mariah.”
● Figure Skating ● U.S. skater Amber Glenn came to a resolution concerning using “The Return” by Canadian singer Seb McKinnon (CLANN), explaining in a statement:
“The issue of music rights can be complex and confusing. Seems like there was a hiccup in that whole process. I’m glad we cleared things up with Seb and I look forward to collaborating with him.”
Glenn had been using the song in routines for about two years, but McKinnon found out about it only in the context of the Winter Games and publicly questioned the use of his music without his direct consent.
A handful of usage incidents have come up for Olympic skaters, including Spain’s Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate and Russian “neutral” Petr Gumennik.
¶
Another hiccup was during the Team Event medal ceremony, where the podium was covered by a non-skid material rather than a soft cover, and the teams came out in their skates, without covers.
So, there were incidents of minor damage to some skates, with the organizing committee stating:
“During the Figure Skating Team Event medal ceremony, the anti-slip surface of the podium caused some damage to the athletes’ skates.
“To minimise the impact of the damage to athletes’ preparations and in agreement with [International Skating Union], Milano Cortina 2026 has made a skate-sharpening service available and offered an additional training session to the impacted National Olympic Committees. We also understand that some [National Olympic Committees] have offered their services to the impacted athletes from other countries in a true example of the Olympic spirit.”
● French Alps 2030 ● It was reported that chief executive Cyril Linette will be dismissed by organizing committee chief Edgar Grospiron, with a meeting of the Executive Board on Tuesday evening. A national governmental committee hearing from the organizers is scheduled for 25 February.
= RESULTS: TUESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY =
(9 finals across 8 sports & disciplines)
Charles Dickens immortally wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” as the opening line of his 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities. That’s what happened to Team USA on Tuesday, in a wild swing of emotions throughout a chaotic of triumph and despair. Check it out.
● Alpine Skiing: Women’s Team Combined
A shocker. An absolute shocker. Olympic Downhill champion Breezy Johnson of the U.S. led off with a leading mark of 1:36.49 and handed off to the greatest Slalom skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin. Same as at the 2025 World Championships, where the pair won gold.
This time, she had trouble and finished 15th in the Slalom segment and left the American pair in fourth place and out of the medals. Said Shiffrin:
“I’m careful not to make excuses but it comes from a lot of different variables.
“It is a sport of fine margins and a lot of variables. This kind of thing happens more often than not in training where it’s like I don’t quite feel comfortable enough and there’s a certain amount of luck when it goes right.
“But there’s also a feeling that I’m going to work to achieve for the Slalom race coming up.”
Meanwhile, Austria’s Ariane Raedler was a surprise second in the Downhill and even with a 10th-place Slalom finish for Katharina Huber, they won the event with a combined time of 2:21.66. Likewise, German Kira Weidle-Winkelmann was sixth in the Downhill, but new star Emma Aicher won the Slalom and they grabbed the silver in 2:21.71.
The second American team of Jackie Wiles (fourth in the Downhill) and Paula Moltzan figured to be in the medal mix and Moltzan’s fourth in the Slalom brought them the bronze in 2:21.97. The Austrian pair of Cornelia Huetter and Katharina Truppe were expected to compete for gold, but finished fifth and 13th and ended up fifth. It didn’t happen only to Shiffrin.
The other American teams included Keely Cashman and A.J. Hurt in 15th overall (2:24.90) and Isabella Wright did not finish the Downhill.
● Biathlon: Men’s Individual
Norway’s new star, Johan-Olav Botn, a three-time winner on the World Cup circuit in only his second season, shot clean and won his first Olympic medal in his first Olympic race in 51:31.5.
That was 14.8 seconds up on France’s Eric Perrot, the 2025 World Champion, who crucially missed a shot on the second segment and took silver in 51:46.3.
They were both well ahead of the rest of the field, with Norway’s Sturla Holm Lagreid – the 2021 World Champion – taking bronze in 52:19.8 (1), with the next-closest competitor more than 48 seconds behind. Defending champ Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA) was eighth.
Botn signaled to the sky at the line, remembering teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who passed in December in a hotel in Lavaze (ITA). The U.S. had Campbell Wright in 27th (56:53.9/2), Paul Schommer in 44th (58:00.4/1), Maxime Germain in 67th (1:00:44.9/3) and Sean Doherty in 80th (1:02:16.8/6).
● Cross Country Skiing: Men’s and Women’s Sprint
Another shocker. But not for Norway’s all-conquering Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who won his second gold of the Games in 3:39.74, his third straight win in the Winter Games! No one has ever done that before and Norwegians have now won five of the seven men’s Sprints ever held.
What came after was hard to believe: American Ben Ogden, who had been second in the qualifying, won his quarterfinal and was a close third in his semi. In the final, he was the only real competitor for Klaebo and finished second in 3:40.61 for his first Olympic medal!
Ogden, 25, had won a total of two FIS World Cup medals in his career – both bronzes – and none this season. Now, he’s the second American man to ever win an Olympic cross country medal, after Bill Koch’s 30 km silver way back in 1976! What?
Norway picked up the bronze with Oskar Vike at 3:46.55.
The women’s Classical Sprint climaxed a Swedish progression on the podium. Stina Nilsson won in 2018, then Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist went 1-2 in 2022. This time it was a sweep, with Linn Svahn – a World Cup winner this year – winning in 4:03.05, ahead of Sundling (4:04.64) and Dahlqvist (4:07.88). It’s the first-ever medals sweep in this event, men or women.
American Julia Kern made the final and finished sixth in 4:43.41. Jessie Diggins, more of a distance racer now, and still suffering from bruised ribs from her fall earlier, was eliminated in her quarterfinal.
● Curling: Mixed Doubles
Sweden’s brother-sister team of Isabella and Rasmus Wrana were the last ones to make it into the playoffs in Cortina, but they stood highest on the podium with a final-end win over Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of the U.S., 6-5.
The U.S. had a 1-0 lead after the first end and the Swedes came back with two in the second. It was 4-3 for Sweden at the end of six and then the Americans struck – as they did in the semis – with two points to take a 5-4 lead into the final end.
But the Wranas were keen to respond and Isabella’s final shot scored two in the eighth and got the gold, 6-5. It was Sweden’s first gold in the event and the first medal for the U.S., the 2023 World Champions.
Defending champions Italy won the bronze over Britain, 5-3, as Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosauer scored single points in the first, third, sixth and eighth ends. They are the second two-time medalists in the event.
● Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Slopestyle
Norway’s Birk Ruud came in as the favorite, after winning the Worlds golds in Slopestyle in 2023 and 2025, after winning the Big Air gold at the Beijing 2022 Games.
He wasted no time putting the pressure on the rest of the field, sailing out to an 86.28 score on his first run and daring anyone else to beat him. No one could.
In fact, only three skiers managed scores in the 80s. Switzerland’s 2021 World Champion, Andri Ragettli, was second after the first round at 78.65, but American Alex Hall – the defending champion – fired up to second place at 85.75 in the second round, with Ragettli still in third.
Rudd wasn’t close on his second run, scoring 45.08, but in the third round, New Zealand star Luca Harrington, the 2025 World Champion in Big Air, moved up to third at 85.15. Hall went for broke but could not execute and scored only 8.03. Ruud had to sweat out six more riders, but then flew down his final run in celebration.
It’s Norway’s second win in this event in four times it has been held at the Games; the U.S. has won the other two and Americans have won medal all four times (and seven of the 12 awarded all-time).
Americans Konnor Ralph (66.76) and Mac Forehand (55.93) finished ninth and 11th.
● Luge: Women’s Singles
Germany had won this event seven straight times in Olympic competition, and that didn’t change in Cortina.
Julia Taubitz, the 2021 and 2025 World Champion, set the track record at 52.550 on her second run and entered day two as the leader by 0.61 over teammate Merle Fraebel. Taubitz left absolutely no doubt and won the third and fourth runs and was a dominant winner in 3:30.625.
Behind her was more chaos. Fraebel had a horrible third run, ranking 20th and even with a second-place final run, finished at 3:32.172 and opened the door for others. Latvia’s Elina Bots – who won no World Cup medals this season, but already a surprise third on the first day – didn’t miss her chance and ranked fourth and sixth on her two runs and won silver in 3:31.543, 0.918 seconds behind Taubitz.
Italy had a shot at bronze with Verena Hofer starting the day in fourth place, and she ran well, placing fifth and seventh on her two runs for a 3:31.645 total. But American Ashley Farquharson – in her second Games – was on fire on Tuesday, running third overall on her third run to move into bronze medal position. And a fourth-place finish on her last run meant she won the bronze in 3:31.582. She said later:
“I feel amazing. This feels unbelievable. I still feel a little bit like I’m dreaming,”
“It was the first time that I felt competitive at the Olympics, so it was a lot of managing my emotions and making sure that I was ready to perform at exactly the right time. I feel like I did a very good job. And I really, really put my game face on and threw down. When I came into the outrun and I saw the [number] one, I knew that I [was] guaranteed a medal. It seriously felt like I was dreaming. It did not feel real.”
This was only the second U.S. medal ever in this event, after Erin Hamlin’s bronze in Sochi in 2014. It was the first ever for Latvia! And, eight in a row for Germany.
The U.S. also finished 12th with Emily Fischnaller (3:33.035) and 14th with Summer Britcher (3:33.553).
● Short Track: Mixed Relay
Chaos was the right word to describe this event in Milan as the Short Track program got going.
American star Corinne Stoddard fell in the quarterfinals, but managed to tag teammate Kristen Santos-Griswold and the U.S. qualified into the semis. In the first semi, home favorite Italy, powered by six-time Olympian Arianna Fontana, won in 2:37.482, but Dutch star Xandra Velzeboer crashed and they ended up third in 2:53.319 and into the non-medal B final.
Semi two had Canada, another favorite, who won in 2:39.607. But Stoddard crashed again, possibly due to what the skaters said was soft ice, and the Americans were fourth in 2:53.341, and into the B final.
Italy, with Fontana, Elisa Confortola, Pietro Sighel and Thomas Nadalini, won the expected tight final from Canada, 2:39.019 to 2:39.258, giving Fontana a third career Olympic gold and her 12th career medal (3-4-5), the most ever in Short Track. Olympic super-statistician Dr. Bill Mallon noted that the 12 medals moves to equal-4th all-time on the Winter Olympic medal standings and third among women, with only Marit Bjorgen (NOR: 15) and Ireen Wust (NED: 13) ahead of her. And Short Track is only getting started.
The Dutch felt the worst of all, winning the B final in an Olympic Record of 2:35.537, which would have won the gold. The U.S. finished fourth (2:57.160) with Andrew Heo, Brandon Kim, Santos-Griswold and Julie Letai replacing the despondent Stoddard.
● Ski Jumping: Mixed Team (107 m hill)
This was the second time this event has been in the Games, first in 2022 in Beijing, with Slovenia – with Peter Prevc on the team – winning over Russia and Canada.
This time, the Slovenian team had younger members of the Prevc family on the hill in Predazzo in Domen and Nika and they did not disappoint. Teamed with veteran Anze Lanisek and Nika Vodan, the Slovenians were balanced, made no mistakes and piled up 1,069.2 points to win easily over 2025 World Champions Norway (1,038.3) and Japan (1,034.0). Lanisek was especially impressive, the only one to score more than 140 points on both of his jumps: 140.7 and 142.0, top score of the day.
The U.S. team of Annika Belshaw, Jason Colby, Paige Jones and Tate Frantz made the final – a nice achievement – and finished seventh with 932.9 points.
Elsewhere:
● Figure Skating: The men’s Short Program brought two-time World Champion Ilia Malinin of the U.S. back to the ice, and after ranking second in the Short during the Team Event, he left no doubt, scoring a sensational 108.16 points – his second best of the season – to lead Beijing 2022 runner-up Yuma Kagiyama (JPN: 103.07) and France’s 2024 Worlds bronzer, Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA: 102.55).
Italy’s Daniel Grassl was a distant fourth at 93.46, and the U.S. also qualified Andrew Torgashev (8th: 88.94) and Maxim Naumov (14th: 85.65) to the final.
Malinin’s program included a quad Flip and quad Lutz-Triple Toe Loop combo and all of his elements received strong execution scores. Yes, he also threw in an outrageous backflip. He remains the favorite for the gold in a couple of days.
● Ice Hockey: The U.S. and Canada met in group play, and the Americans – who won all four games in the Rivalry Series in 2025 by a combined score of 24-7 – started fast with a goal from Caroline Harvey at 3:45 of the first period, followed by a Harvey assist in a goal at 17:18 for Hannah Bilka. A strong effort held Canada to just four shots, while the U.S. had 11.
More of the same in the second, as a quick Canadian penalty led to a power-play goal for Kirsten Simms just 1:18 into the period for a 3-0 edge. It was 4-0 at the 13:00 mark with another goal for Bilka and the U.S. ended the period with an 11-6 shots edge.
The final period saw a fifth U.S. goal, from Laila Edwards at 11:53 of the period for the 5-0 final, with the Americans out-shooting Canada, 33-20. The U.S. will win the group at 3-0; Canada has a game to play against Finland on the 12th.
It’s the biggest win for the U.S. against Canada since its 10-4 victory on 10 December 2025 in Edmonton and its first shutout against them since a 1-0 overtime win in the group stage of the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
= PREVIEWS: WEDNESDAY, 11 FEBRUARY =
(8 events in 7 sports & disciplines)
● Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super-G
He may have finished “only” fourth in the Downhill, but have no doubt that Swiss star Marco Odermatt is the Super-G favorite. He’s the 2025 World Champion. He’s won the seasonal World Cup title three seasons in a row. He has two Super-G wins on the FIS World Cup circuit this season.
But he is not invincible. Teammate Franjo von Allmen, the Downhill winner, has three World Cup medals this season. Downhill runner-up Giovanni Franzoni (ITA) also has a World Cup win, as does Austria’s Vincent Kreichmayr, who just shared a Team Combined silver with Odermatt’s Swiss pair. Austrian teammates Raphael Haaser (2025 Worlds silver), Stefan Babinsky and Marco Schwarz all have World Cup medals this season.
If you’re looking for a surprise, your candidates could be Norway’s Fredrik Moeller or Czech Jan Zabystran or Swiss Alexis Monney, each one-time medalists during the World Cup season.
American hopes are on Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who surprised with an Olympic silver in Beijing in 2022.
● Biathlon: Women’s Individual (15 km)
France ruled women’s biathlon in 2025, winning three of the five World Championships races, including Julia Simon’s impressive win by almost 40 seconds in the Individual Race, plus a third-place finish for Lou Jeanmonnot, who broke open the Olympic Mixed Relay for France on Sunday, with Simon on anchor.
They have to start as medal favorites, but in the sole edition during the IBU World Cup season, it was veteran Italian star Dorothea Wierer, 35, who won it; she’s also the 2020 World Champion in this event. Same for teammate Lisa Vittozzi, the 2023 Worlds bronze winner and 2024 World Champion in this race.
Sweden has Hanna Oeberg, who won this event at the 2018 PyeongChang Games but has been better at the shorter distances more recently. And what about Finland’s emerging stars Suvi Minkkinen and Sonja Leinamo?
Lots of contenders, but all eyes will be on what is expected to come down to a France vs. Italy showdown. In the Olympic history of the event, France has one total medal and Italy has none.
● Figure Skating: Ice Dance
This event is expected to be a fight between World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. and the French paid of ex-Canadian Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, the Beijing 2022 Olympic champion with former partner Gabriella Papadakis, and a five-time World Champion.
A flawless routine gave the French a small 90.18 to 89.72 lead after the Rhythm Dance, so the Free Dance will be the decider. Chock and Bates and Cizeron have dominated the event for more than a decade:
Papadakis/Cizeron:
● Worlds gold in 2015-16-18-19-22
● Worlds silver in 2017
Chock/Bates:
● Worlds gold in 2023-24-25
● Worlds silver in 2015
● Worlds bronze in 2016-22
Beyond the top two are familiar Worlds medal winners, starting with Canada’s sassy Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Worlds bronzers in 2023 and silver winners in 2024 and 2025, and Italy’s elegant Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, silver medalists in 2023 and bronze in 2024. They are third (86.18 for the Canadians) and fifth (84.28 for the Italians) heading into the Free Dance.
In between and with a clear shot at a medal are Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (84.28), who won the 2025 Worlds bronze. In sixth are Americans Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, who could envision a medal with a brilliant performance … and some mistakes by those ahad of them. This should be great.
● Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Moguls
There will be a familiar look to this event, with 2018 Olympic champion Perrine Laffont (FRA) also the 2025 World Champion. Australia’s 2022 Olympic winner, Jakara Anthony, however, has to be the favorite after dominating the FIS World Cup this season, winning three of four events.
The U.S. will have a big say, with Jaelin Kauf back after an Olympic silver in 2022, and Tess Johnson (2), Olivia Giaccio (4) and Elizabeth Lemley (1) all winning World Cup medals this season.
Not to be overlooked as the silver and bronze winners from the 2025 Worlds, Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka and Canadian Ashley Schwinghammer. But they will have their hands full with Anthony, Laffont and the Americans.
● Luge: Men’s and Women’s Doubles
The women’s Doubles will debut in Cortina, but as with the men, the winners will likely speak German.
During the FIL World Cup season, 2022 and 2023 World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER) dueled with Austria’s 2024 and 2025 Worlds winners Selina Egle and Lara Kipp, with each winning three times.
Just behind them has been Germany’s Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina, bronze winners at the 2025 Worlds, who medaled in six of seven races this season. Not to be counted out, however, is the American pair of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby, the 2024 Worlds bronze winners, and home favorites Andrea Votter and Marion Oberhofer, World Cup medal winners this season.
The men’s Doubles is about who can prevent Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt from a fourth straight Olympic gold! They won three World Cup races this season and … they were the last three prior to the Games!
They have no room for mistakes, however, and will be challenged by Latvia’s Martins Bots and Roberts Plume, the 2025 Worlds silver winners, and German Toni Eggert, five times the World Champion with Sascha Benecken, but now with Florian Muller and twice World Cup medalists this season.
Austria has two medal-contender sleds, with Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schopf (four World Cup medals) and Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl; Steu won Olympic bronze with Lorenz Koller in 2022.
The U.S. has two competitive sleds, starting with World Cup winners in Lake Placid, Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa and veterans Zach Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander, who won a silver in Park City.
● Nordic Combined: Individual Normal Hill (107 m)
Under pressure to put on a good show that preferably would have three different countries win the three medals, this starts with jumping off the 107 m hill and follows with a 10.0 km cross-country skiing race, using a staggered start based on the jumping standings.
Defending champion Vinzenz Geiger (GER) is back, but is perhaps one of four favorites. During the World Cup season, seasonal leader Johannes Lamparter (AUT), Geiger, Norway’s Einar Oftebro and younger brother Jens Oftebro all won races in this format, with Lamparter winning twice.
They could take up all the medals, but Austrian brothers Steffen and Thomas Rettenegger and Germany’s Julian Schmid cannot be counted out. A German has won this race thrice in a row and four of the last five; Norway’s last win came in 1998 (!) and an Austrian has never won.
● Speed Skating: Men’s 1,000 m
The Dutch have won this race three times in a row in Olympic competition – including the still-dangerous Kjeld Nuis in 2018 – but the question is about American ace Jordan Stolz. In his second Games at age 21, he was the 500-1,000-1,500 m World Champion in 2023 and 2024, but was under the weather in 2025 and went 2-3-2 in those three races,
So, three years and 9-for-9 in Worlds medals, but Stolz is looking for gold now and is the favorite. He won all five races at this distance during the World Cup season and at times looked not just unbeatable, but unapproachable. Stolz has the world record of 1:05.37 set in the thin air of Kearns, Utah’s Olympic Oval in 2024 and that’s not likely to fall, but Stolz seems to have no limits when he is at his best.
Challengers? Yes, starting with the Dutch and 2025 World Champion Joep Wennemars and silver medalist Jenning De Boo, whose best event is the 500 m. Same for Poland’s Damian Zurek, second in three World Cups in the fall.
Fellow American Cooper Mcleod is an outside medal threat on his best day and German Finn Sonnekalb should not be a surprise if he shows up as a medal threat.
= INTEL REPORT =
● REMEMBERING ● Sad to report that long-time Olympic-sport executive Keith Ferguson, 67, passed away on 3 February 2026, from complications related to heart surgery
Ferguson’s introduction to the Olympic Movement was with the organizing committee for the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival in Oklahoma City. He was with the U.S. Olympic Committee as its Director of Bid Administration and International Events from 1989-2005 and later the chief executive of USA Climbing from 2008-12 and USA Taekwondo from 2016-17.
He spent 10 years with RFD TV in Tennessee and Texas as Executive Vice President, developing their sports programming.
● ATHLETICS ● USA Track & Field announced that the 2026 national championships will be held in New York, at Icahn Stadium at Randall’s Island Park from 23-26 July.
It’s the first time since 1991 for the USATF meet in New York, at this site, which seats 5,000. It will be the first time since 2019 that the meet will not be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, which had hosted five in a row.
● SWIMMING ● SwimSwam.com reported that “USA Swimming will not send a team to the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. A spokesperson said that the decision came down to Junior Team resource allocation and prioritization.”
The pool competitions in Dakar (SEN) are slated for 1-6 November, for athletes aged 14-17, also conflicting with the U.S. school schedules for the fall.
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