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= MILAN CORTINA 2026 =
From Lane One
The Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games are rushing to the close and will finish on Sunday. The worries about no snow have been unfounded; multiple competitions have been re-scheduled due to heavy snow in the Alps.
The venues that could not be finished were, at least enough to hold the competitions. And the hand wringing about a lack of interest turned out to be for nothing. The Games have not been a sell-out, but the organizing committee has met and surpassed its goal of 1.3 million tickets sold days before the close.
Italy, of course, has the most ticket buyers, but reports have consistently shown the U.S. as the top foreign ticket buyers, as much as 35% of the foreign sales, according to the early reports.
This is fairly amazing, considering the constant harping by media at the Games on U.S. political divisions. Yet, for the women’s hockey final on Thursday, attendance was reported at 11,171 at the new Santagiulia Arena – a full house – with the camera pans showed American and Canadian fans all over the place.
That kind of support says a lot about the Olympic Games, and about sport. And it has helped the American team – the largest at the Games at 232 athletes – which has won 27 medals despite some stunning disappointments, and nine golds.
The 27 medals is one short of the record for the most U.S. medals at a Games outside of North America: the U.S. won 34 in Salt Lake City in 2002 and 37 in Vancouver (CAN) in 2010. The golds record is 10 from 2002 and that could be eclipsed.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee believed that its team performance would be improved from 2022 and it has been, despite the upsets. And to reach 30 medals would be an outstanding achievement. One thing they can count on is support in the stands from fellow Americans.
~ Rich Perelman
● Rosen Report ● Correspondent Karen Rosen made the trek from Milan to the mountains, and back again. Her report on this spread-out Games, part of the challenge and the charm of the 2026 Winter Games is here.
● Il Tempo Olimpici ● The Milan forecast for Friday calls for sunny skies for a change and a balmy 63 F for the high, with a low of 39 F. Winds are projected at 8 miles per hour. Saturday is also supposed to be sunny.
In Cortina, mostly cloudy skies are expected, with a high of 31 F and a low of 21 F. Winds are moderate at 7 miles per hour and the chance of rain is only 20%. A touch of snow is possible on Saturday.
● Scoreboard ● The U.S. had a good day and surged into second place for total medals at the Games, with three days to go:
● 34: Norway (16-8-10)
● 27: United States (9-12-6)
● 26: Italy (9-5-12)
● 24: Japan (5-7-12)
● 21: Germany (5-8-8)
● 19: France
● 18: Austria
● 16: Netherlands
● 15: Sweden
● 15: Canada
Italy already has a record for the most medals ever (and most wins) at a Winter Games and the U.S. has surpassed its medal totals from Beijing 2022 (25) and PyeongChang 2018 (23). The Americans won 28 medals at Sochi 2014 (after the Russian doping disqualifications), the most ever for a Games outside of North America.
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 14 days, the top 12:
● 419.5: Norway
● 357.5: United States
● 327.5: Italy
● 261: Germany
● 260.5: France
● 242.5: Austria
● 237.5: Japan
● 210: Canada
● 194.5: Switzerland
● 192: Netherlands
● 163: Sweden
● 148: China
In terms of place winners from 1-8, Norway and the U.S. each have 75, followed by Italy (66), Austria (55), France (54) and Germany (53).
● Television ● Sports Media Watch reported:
“Through Tuesday, NBC’s ‘primetime’ coverage of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics is averaging a combined 23.8 million viewers across a live afternoon window and primetime replay – a figure that combines a mix of preliminary and final Nielsen data with streaming viewership measured by Adobe Analytics — up 86% from the same point of the Beijing Winter Olympics four years ago (12.8M).”
● Milan Cortina 2026 update ● The organizing committee said 89,000 tickets were sold on Wednesday, meaning the total is well past 1.3 million so far.
● International Olympic Committee ● The evolving nature of the IOC’s Olympic sponsorship program was discussed on Wednesday morning, by Anne-Sophie Voumard (SUI), Managing Director of the IOC Television & Marketing Services group.
Asked about the expanding presence of TOP sponsors in product-placement situations – such as Proctor & Gamble’s Puffs facial tissues placed in the post-competition area in figure skating – she explained:
“We continue to look with every one of our partners: what are the opportunities for those partners to be organically be present and supporting us in the Games.
“It has been a very dynamic program. I would say it has been the most successful sports marketing program in the world and it needs to continue to evolve. You know, we have partners who have been here for almost 100 years, and we have partners – by the last time we were here in Italy [2006] – were companies that were not even created. So, it shows the agility of the program.”
She also noted that while there were 15 partners for the Paris 2024 Games and 11 now:
“We don’t have a [required] fixed number of partners. We want to make sure we bring the companies that actually help, that are aligned with our values, also that help us deliver great Games, and we will be looking always for those kinds of partnerships around the globe that complement, actually, that program.
“It’s also a balance that we have to be found, with also the number of partners that the organizing committees, or the categories that the organizing committees can then have in their program, and also the National Olympic Committees. So, it’s really balance to be found and we feel, really, I would say, in a good place with respect to the conversations we are having at the moment.”
● Alpine Skiing ● Following her dominating Slalom gold, American star Mikaela Shiffrin took to Instagram to share her thoughts, including:
“I won!
“I got there, in the face of fear and adrenaline and the potential for criticism and backlash from people who know nothing and don’t even try to understand.
“I won.
“I stood in the start gate, and looked out at the mountain and the course ahead and my heartbeat nearly fell out of my butt. Still, when the countdown started, I pushed. I pushed to chase, I pushed to earn. I pushed to dare and to dream. I pushed to believe.
“I won.
“I questioned all that I’ve learned in life, multiple times this week. I questioned what kind of grit I have in my heart and I wondered if I should be doing this at all. I questioned my toughness and tenacity. I questioned it all. And then I left those questions behind, and stepped into the arena anyway.
“I won.”
Shiffrin won Olympic golds in 2014 and 2018, but missed in 2022 and had finished out of the medals in the women’s Team Combined and the Giant Slalom, before her dominant Slalom triumph.
= RESULTS: THURSDAY, 19 FEBRUARY =
(6 finals across 5 sports & disciplines)
● Figure Skating: Women’s Singles
The Short Program left Japanese skaters in first, second and fourth, all to skate in the fourth group.
At the end of the second group of four, American Amber Glenn – in 13th – got to skate and landed an impressive, clean triple Axel to start. She moved elegantly on the ice, executed a three-element sequence perfectly in the middle of the routine, then had to put a hand down on her last jumping pass, a triple Loop. She was happy and the crowd roared; she said “so close” on the ice as she took in the cheers. She was rewarded at 147.52, a seasonal best that thrilled her and … put her into first place at 214.91, with 12 skaters remaining.
Fellow American Isabeau Levito, eighth after the Short Program, suffered a fall on a triple Flip on her first jumping pass, but was otherwise solid and athletic and received a big cheer in the hall. But the error hurt and she scored 131.96 and 202.80 in total, standing sixth.
And at the end of three groups, with six skaters to go, Glenn was still in front.
Russian “neutral” Adeliia Petrosian, 18, was fifth in the Short but fell on her first jumping pass on a quad Toe attempt, and toned her program down a little and gained momentum as she went. The performance was impressive and demonstrates that Russian skaters are still to be reckoned with. She scored 141.64 and a 214.53 total, and with four skaters left, Glenn was still on top.
Japan’s Mone Chiba, 20, came next and skated with technical grace and elegance, smiling with joy as she left the ice. She scored 143.88 and took the lead at 217.88.
World Champion Alysa Liu of the U.S. was next, and wowed the crowd to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” and “One of a Kind,” with an expressive and brilliant program. She was thrilled with it, jumping into the arms of her coaches and scored a seasonal best 150.20 and took the lead at 226.79, a lifetime best at just the right time.
A hard act to follow, but Japan had three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto on the ice next. She glided powerfully on the ice, executed her jumping sequences slightly out of order, and performed with great artistry. The cheers were loud, but she was not satisfied as she came off, in what she says will be her final season. She scored 147.67 and 224.90 overall, good for second.
That brought 17-year-old Short Program lead Ami Nakai on, fourth at the Japanese nationals and now skating for the Olympic gold. She hit her opening triple Axel and executed a difficult technical program with athleticism and some flair. There were some technical errors and her score of 140.45 gave her a total of 219.16 and the bronze medal.
That means Liu won the gold at 226.79 over Sakamoto (224.90) and Nakai (219.16) with Glenn an amazing fifth. It was the first U.S. medal since Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006 and the first win since Sara Hughes in 2002. She is the eighth American women’s gold medalist, at 20, after “retiring” in 2022 and then coming back in 2024. Amazing.
● Ice Hockey: Women’s final
Canada came in as the defending champions, but the U.S. had won the last five matches against them by a combined 29-7 score.
The first period was defensive, with only eight Canadian shots and six for the U.S. and no goals. Canada did end the period with a penalty and the U.S. started with 1:45 on the power play.
But it backfired as a Canadian clearance led to a 2-on-2 break and Kristen O’Neill scored off a cross-ice pass from Laura Stacey for the 1-0 lead just 54 seconds into the period. The rest of the period was tightly played, with no penalties and no more scoring. Canada had some good chances on the U.S.’s Aerin Frankel, but the Canadian defense was excellent in front of Anne-Renee Desbiens and rush after rush for the Americans came to naught.
The third period continued with a packed-in Canadian defense and the U.S. desperately looking for the equalizer. The Canadians stayed strong and the U.S. had to pull Frankel with 2:23 to go.
That led to a U.S. set-up with a smash from Laila Edwards from straightaway near the blue line, that was on-line and tipped in front of goal by Hilary Knight for the score at 2:04 to go for the 1-1 tie. With that goal, Edwards became the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Olympic women’s history.
Canada had only one penalty in the game and a 29-28 shots edge, but it was not to be decided in regulation. A 3×3, sudden-death overtime followed, with back-and-forth action, but a long lead pass from Taylor Heise to Megan Keller put her in position on the left side of the ice. She rolled to the center, went through defender Claire Thompson and sent a low shot that got past Frankel’s right leg pad and into the goal for the gold-medal, 2-1, winner at 4:07.
It’s the third U.S. gold in women’s hockey, after 1998 and 2018. Canada and the U.S. have now met seven times in the Olympic final, with Canada holding a 4-3 edge. Canada played its best game of the tournament, but it was not quite enough; the U.S. ended with a 33-31 shots edge for the game.
The bronze-medal match with Switzerland and Sweden was a low-scoring affair, tied 1-1 and also needing overtime. Finally, Swiss forward Alina Muller scored at 9:09 for the 2-1 win and the second-ever medal for Switzerland.
● Nordic Combined: Team Sprint Large Hill (141 m) + 2 x 7.5 km
It was snowy in Tesoro for the first running of this event in the Winter Games, but the competition was hot. Germany’s Johannes Rydzek and Vinzenz Geiger led the jumping and started skiing first, with a 13-second margin over Norway’s Andreas Skoglund and two-time gold winner Jens Oftebro.
Eventually, in difficult conditions that saw Geiger crash and fall back, it came down to Oftebro and Finland’s Eero Hirvonen fighting it out to the line, with Oftebro winning his third Olympic gold and sweeping the events at 41:18.0, with Ilkka Herola and Hirvonen second by just 0.5.
Austria, with Steffen Rettenegger and Johannes Lamparter, finished a clear third in 41:40.3, with Italy well back in fourth (42:21.5). The U.S. pair of Ben Loomis and Niclas Malacinski finished seventh in 43:42.8.
● Ski Mountaineering: Men’s Sprint; Women’s Sprint
Spain’s 2025 World Champion Oriol Cardona Coll was the favorite in the men’s Sprint, as Ski Mountaineering made its Olympic debut in Bormio. He was a close second in his heat, but in the final, he led wire to wire and was a clear winner in 2:34.03, with Russian “neutral” Nikita Filippov scoring the silver ahead of France’s co-favorite Thibault Anselmet, 2:35.55 to 2:36.34. Swiss Arno Lietha was in medal position for most of the race, but fell to fourth at 2:39.07.
The women’s final started as expected, with French favorite Emily Harrop in the lead. But she was passed in mid-race by 2025 World Champion Marianne Fatton (SUI), who was unchallenged to the finish in 2:59.77. Harrop was the only one close and won silver in 3:02.15.
Behind the leaders, Ana Alonso (ESP) charged past Tatjana Paller (GER) to win the bronze, 3:10.22 to 3:13.26.
● Speed Skating: Men’s 1,500 m
American Jordan Stolz, the 500 and 1,000 m winner, was favored again, having won all five races during the ISU World Cup season.
The racing really got started in the 11th of 15 pairs, as the 2025 World 1,000 m champ, Joep Wennemars (NED) crushed the Olympic Record of 1:43.21 by two-time winner Kjeld Nuis (NED) from 2022 and won the pair in 1:43.05.
Nuis was on the track himself in the 13th pair, against China’s Zhongyan Ning, a four-time World Cup medal winner this season and the 1,000 m bronze medalist. Nuis started well, but Ning was sensational in the middle laps and finished in a sensational 1:41.98 for another Olympic Record. Nuis was well back at 1:42.82, but into second place.
Stolz came up in the final pair, against 2025 World Champion Peder Kongshaug (NOR). Stolz was off well, but his lap times were 0.4, 0.6 and 0.4 behind Ning. Stolz was all out on the final lap and made up 0.5, but finished in 1:42.75 to get the silver. Kongshaug was a distant second in 1:43.93 and finished sixth.
Ning had the race of his life and won China’s first medal at this distance. Stolz won a U.S. 1,500 m medal for the first time since 2010 and Nuis extended the Dutch medal streak in the event to five Games. Stolz still has the Mass Start ahead of him.
The other Americans, Emery Lehman (1:47.23) and Casey Dawson (1:47.88) finished 25th and 29th.
Elsewhere:
● Curling: The men’s tournament round-robin concluded with Yannick Schwaller and Switzerland – the 2025 Worlds silver winners – at 9-0, ahead of 2014 Olympic champ Brad Jacobs and Canada at 7-2. Norway and Britain made the playoffs at 5-4, with Daniel Casper’s U.S. rink at 4-5 and missing out by one place in fifth. The Americans were 1-3 in the matches against the semifinalists.
The Swiss played Bruce Mouat’s British team in the semis, with Canada facing Norway. Mouat, the 2018 silver medalist, was down 4-2 in the fourth, and and 5-4 in the seventh, then scored twice in the eighth and 10th and advanced to the final, 8-5. Schwaller’s first loss moved the Swiss to the bronze match.
The Canada-Norway semi went to an extra end as the Norwegians scored two in the 10th to tie. But Jacobs’ rink for the point in the 10th and won, 5-4, to try for a second Olympic gold.
¶
The women’s tournament round-robin ended with Swede Anna Hasselborg – the 2018 Olympic champ – and her rink at 7-2 in first place. A battle for second ended with three teams at 6-3: Tabitha Peterson’s U.S. team, the four-time World Champion Swiss team skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni and Rachel Homan’s Canadian squad.
The U.S. was able to get into the semis with thrilling, extra-end, final-shot win over the Swiss, 7-6. The Americans were cruising into the 10th end, leading 6-3, but the Swiss scored a triple to tie it and head to the 11th. But a final shot by Peterson found the back of the circle and got the victory.
The U.S. reward is to face the Swiss again in the semis, with Sweden and Canada facing off first. Those matches will be on Friday.
= PREVIEWS: FRIDAY, 20 FEBRUARY =
(7 finals across 5 sports & disciplines)
● Biathlon: Men’s 15 km Mass Start
There will be familiar faces from the Beijing 2022 podium in the race with silver winner Martin Ponsiluoma (SWE) and Norway’s Vetle Christiansen, the bronze medalist. Both have 2026 medals, with Ponsiluoma winning the Pursuit and Christiansen with silvers in the Sprint and Relay.
Neither won either of the two Mass Start races on the World Cup circuit, with Tommaso Giacomel (ITA) winning over France’s Eric Perrot – already with two medals at the Games – in December and then Perrot winning in January, right before the Games. In that race, Campbell Wright of the U.S. got the silver, and the U.S. is still looking for its first-ever Olympic biathlon medal.
With all of Italy’s success at the Games, it has no men’s biathlon medals and Giacomel won four World Cup golds this season.
There are more contenders, of course. Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, sad for losing his best girlfriend by cheating on her later, has had a great Games: bronzes in the Individual and Sprint, silver in the Pursuit and silver on the Relay. Maybe a gold to get his girl back? He’s also the 2021 World Champion in this event.
Swede Sebastian Samuelsson has a relay bronze at the Games and was the 2023 World Champion. France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet has had great success in the Mass Start, with a 2020 Worlds silver and bronzes in 2021 and 2023; he already has golds in the Sprint and Relay.
One more reason for Giacomel to do well: Italy has never won an Olympic medal in this event.
● Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Aerials; Men’s Halfpipe; Women’s Ski Cross
Bad weather postponed the aerials until Friday. Defending champion Quangpu Gi (CHN) won a couple of World Cup medals this season. Two-time World Champion Noe Roth (SUI) won one.
But there were lots of others who shined, including China’s Jiaxu Sun, Xindi Wang and Tianma Li, who all won World Cup golds. Ukraine’s Dmytro Kotovskyi and Oleksandr Okipniuk also won.
The U.S. has two contenders, with Chris Lillis, the 2021 Worlds silver winner and Quinn Dehlinger, the 2023 and 2025 Worlds runner-up. A darkhorse pick would be Swiss Pirmin Werner, the 2025 Worlds bronze medalist, who won one World Cup medal this season.
No one has dominated; someone else could completely surprise.
¶
Only Americans and New Zealanders have won this event in its three Olympic appearances. Americans and New Zealanders have won six of the 10 Worlds golds and six of the last seven. Americans and New Zealanders won all four World Cups this season.
The U.S.’s Alex Ferreira won silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022, won the Worlds bronze in 2023 and 2025 and won one of the World Cup events this season. Teammate Nick Goepper won Olympic medals in Slopestyle in 2014-18-22 (0-2-1) then switched to Halfpipe and took a Worlds silver in 2025! He also won a World Cup gold this season, plus a bronze.
The most consistent of the Americans was Hunter Hess, who won two silvers and a bronze in the four World Cups, the one of two to take three medals.
All of them will be contending with the actual favorite, Kiwi Finley Melville Ives, the 2025 World Champion and who won two events and a silver at a third this season. He’s the most consistent.
There are other stars in the field, such as 2023 World Champion Brendan MacKay (CAN) and teammate Andrew Longino, a World Cup medalist this season. New Zealand’s Luke Harrold also won a Worlds silver this season, as did American Birk Irving. And a longshot? How about 19-year-old Estonian Henry Sildaru, sixth at the Worlds last year?
¶
The women’s Ski Cross also has multiple stars back from past Games, but the story of this event continues to be Swede Sandra Naeslund. She is a three-time World Champion, the defending Olympic champion and has won five of the nine World Cup held this season and is the seasonal leader.
No doubt, she is the favorite. Canada’s Marielle Thompson was the Olympic winner in 2014 and runner-up in 2022 and the 2019 World Champion. She won two bronzes just before the Games and should be ready.
Perhaps the best challengers for Naeslund are the co-bronze winners from 2022. Swiss Fanny Smith was the World Champion in 2013 and in 2025 and has four World Cup medals, and German Daniela Maier has two World Cup wins and a silver this season and won the Worlds bronze last season.
Upset choices would be Canadian Courtney Hoffos, last year’s World silver winner and veteran Italian star Joie Galli, who was first and third in the two World Cups right before the Games. She’s obviously ready.
● Short Track: Men’s 5,000 m relay; Women’s 1,500 m
Canada has four Olympic golds in the men’s relay, more than anyone else and is the defending champion, with 500 m winner Steve Dubois returning. The Canadians also won the 2025 Worlds gold in this event, ahead of China and South Korea. They are the logical favorites.
During the World Cup season, however, Canada won once and it was the Dutch with a win and a second, the Koreans with a two wins, China with three seconds and Italy with bronzes in all four races. Those five appear to be the real contenders and at Beijing 2022, it was Canada, South Korea and Italy.
¶
The Koreans field a formidable team in the women’s 1,500 m, with two-time Olympic champion Min-jeong Choi, who also happens to be the 2025 World Champion! Her teammate, Gil-li Kim, won the 2024 Worlds gold, was third in 2025, and took two World Cup wins and a silver in the four races at this distance this past season.
They will be attacked by Canadian star Courtney Sauralt, the 500 m bronzer and 1,000 m runner-up, who was the 2025 Worlds runner-up.
But looking for a record-tying 15th Olympic Winter Games medal is Italian star Arianna Fontana, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist and a 2014 bronze winner. Fontana has 14 medals and will have the crowd screaming for her to get level with Norwegian cross-country star Marit Bjorgen (2002-18).
This was a strong event for the U.S. during the World Cup season, with Corinne Stoddard winning a silver and a bronze and Kirsten Santos-Griswold taking a bronze. Both have the talent to medal; Stoddard has already apologized online for crashing in her other races. She can put a different spin on her 2026 Games with a big performance in the 1,500 m.
● Speed Skating: Women’s 1,500 m
A Dutch skater has won this event at four straight Olympic Games, but three-time winner Ireen Wust is retired. World Champion Joy Beune is next in line and is the clear favorite, having won this event all four times she contested it on the ISU World Cup circuit.
Right behind her is teammate Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong, the 2025 Worlds silver winner.
Standing in their way will be Japanese star Miho Takagi, the 2024 World Champion and the Olympic runner-up in both 2018 and 2022. She went 5-2-5-1-2 on the World Cup tour.
China’s Han Mei has to be accounted for, with a 2024 Worlds silver and 2025 bronze, but was not strong in the World Cup races. Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, the 3,000 m silver medalist and 5,000 m bronzer, was third three times during the season, but will she have enough speed?
The best American is Brittany Bowe, 37, who was the 2015 World Champion at this distance, and second in 2021. She had a third and a fourth in the World Cup, and if she catches fire, she could be on the medal stand again, following two Olympic bronzes in 2018 and 2022.
= INTEL REPORT =
● Athletics ● The annual World Athletics World Indoor Tour Gold Hauts de France meet in Lieven was focused on a world women’s 800 m indoor record shot by British Olympic champ Keely Hodgkinson. And she delivered.
Taking over after a 55.56 paced first 400 m, she sprinted alone to the finish and timed a world record 1:54.97, destroying the 1:55.82 standard of Jolanda Ceplak (SLO) from the European Indoor Champs on 3 March 2002, the same day Hodgkinson was born.
Swiss Audrey Werro was a distant second in 1:58.38
This was a strong meet, with four world-leading marks beyond the women’s 800:
● Men/Pole Vault: 6.00 (19-8 1/4), Emmanouil Karalis (GRE)
● Men/Triple Jump: 17.35 m (56-11 1/4) Yassir Triki (ALG)
● Women/2,000 m: 5:26.68, Jessica Hull (AUS)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:24.59 Freweyni Hailu (ETH)
Hull’s mark in the rarely-run 2,000 is no. 2 all-time. The women’s 1,500 m was also a strong 4:00.21 win for Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell.
The World Indoor Gold circuit moves on to Poland on Sunday for the Copernicus Cup in Torun.
¶
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