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= MILAN CORTINA 2026 =
From Lane One
The Winter Games are winding to the close, but an important off-the-field development is worth noting. It was the election of former basketball great Pau Gasol (ESP) as the Chair of the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission.
Gasol, of course, won two NBA titles while with the Los Angeles Lakers and at 45, will be the face of the Athletes’ Commission through the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The 7-0 scoring star was a five-time Olympian and three-time medal winner.
If the IOC’s political history informs us, he is also now someone to watch as a possible future head of the IOC.
Most IOC Presidents have not been Olympic athletes. But in 2001, Belgian sailor Jacques Rogge took over, then German fencer Thomas Bach and in 2025, swimmer Kirsty Coventry (ZIM). Coventry’s maximum term of 12 years will end in 2037, when Gasol will be 57.
Bach served on the first IOC Athletes Commission, formed in 1981. Coventry was the head of the Athletes Commission from 2018-21. Gasol was elected to the Athletes Commission in 2021 and is also a member of the IOC Coordination Commission for the LA28 Games. And he will see how it all works now, from a position on the IOC Executive Board.
There is a natural progression here. Don’t anoint him yet. But recognize that Gasol is an emerging leader in the Olympic Movement and standing 7-0, he literally towers over many others who see themselves as possible future heads of the IOC.
He also won’t have to be concerned with questions about salary or subsidies, as he earned a reported $224.45 million during his NBA career.
Gasol’s election is important and look for him to raise his profile the same way he played: with consistent effort, considerable skill and a keen understanding of what it takes to win and how he can contribute.
~ Rich Perelman
● The Rosen Report ● American Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu was “calm, happy and confident” on the way in her historic Free Skate performance in Milan. More on Liu and her life-changing night on the ice.
● Il Tempo Olimpici ● Saturday’s Milan weather is for partly sunny skies with a high of 56 F and a low of 38 F, with modest winds of 4 miles per hour and only a 10% chance of rain.
In Cortina, more snow is predicted, possibly complicating the schedule, with a high of just 33 F and a low of 22 F. Winds are to be 6 miles per hour, which will add to the cold. Cloudy skies and a high of 40 F is projected for Sunday, if needed.
● Scoreboard ● Norway continues its impressive march to the top of the medal table for the third Winter Games in a row. The Norse won 39 medals at PyeongChang 2018 and 37 at Beijing 2022 and are certainly not done for 2026:
● 37: Norway (17-10-10)
● 29: United States (10-12-7)
● 27: Italy (9-5-13)
● 24: Japan (5-7-12)
● 22: Germany (6-8-8)
● 20: France
● 18: Netherlands
● 18: Austria
● 17: Switzerland
● 17: Canada
This is the most golds ever for Norway at a Winter Games and the most golds ever won by one country at a Winter Games. The U.S. now has its third-highest Winter medal total ever and highest ever outside of North America. The 10 gold equals the most ever for the U.S. at a Winter Games, also in 2002 in Salt Lake City. And there are two days to go.
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 15 days, the top 12:
● 450.5: Norway
● 388.5: United States
● 341.5: Italy
● 278: Germany
● 274.5: France
● 242.5: Austria
● 242.5: Japan
● 232: Canada
● 220.5: Switzerland
● 217: Netherlands
● 181: China
● 169: Sweden
The top 1-8 place winners are now the U.S. with 81, Norway with 80, then Italy with 70, France with 57 and Germany with 56.
● Television ● NBC said that Thursday’s combination of the women’s figure skating Free Skate and women’s hockey final produced an average of 26.7 million viewers for its afternoon and evening prime-time programming blocks, according to preliminary data for NBC, Peacock, NBCU Digital Platforms and Versant’s USA Network. As for the Games as a whole:
“Through Thursday, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is averaging 24.1 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, NBCUniversal Digital Platforms and Versant’s CNBC and USA Network – marking the most-watched Winter Games presentation at this point since the 2014 Sochi Olympics.”
● International Olympic Committee ● IOC President Coventry told reporters on Friday the Milan Cortina Games “successful in a new way of doing things, in a sustainable way of doing things, in a way that I think many people thought that maybe couldn’t be done well, and it’s been done extremely well, and it surpassed everyone’s expectations, and that’s what we need to take away the Games.”
Asked about the impact of the Games in view of political issues that have come up around them, Coventry noted:
“I think that when we look at just the pure viewership numbers that we’re getting across the globe, it shows that the Games can unify people, and they can bring people together. And I wholeheartedly still believe that we have a huge role to play in this world to allow for that to still happen, to remind of people of just what kindness looks like and what courage looks like, and respect looks like.”
¶
Coventry was asked about a possible return of Russia to the Olympic Movement, so far limited to “neutral” status for a limited number of athletes. She explained during her Friday news conference that no discussions concerning Russia’s status have been held and none are scheduled.
● Fair Play ● A special ceremony was held on Monday (16th) at the “German House” in Cortina during the Games to honor the memory of Italian bobsled star Eugenio Monti, the 1956 double silver medalist, 1964 double bronze medalist and 1968 double Olympic champion, for whom the old sliding track in Cortina was named and for whom the new track has also been named.
Among those participating was Prince Albert II of Monaco, member of the International Olympic Committee, who told attendees:
“It is a profound honor to be in Cortina today to celebrate the enduring legacy of Eugenio Monti. For those of us who have lived the speed and intensity of bobsleigh, Monti is more than a champion; he is the soul of the sport. His legendary act during the 1964 Innsbruck Games – handing a crucial bolt from his own sled to his [British] rivals so they could compete – remains the ultimate gold standard for sportsmanship. To be here in Cortina, the very ground where his journey began and where his spirits still resides, accentuated by the fact that the sliding center is named after him, is a powerful reminder that while medals may tarnish, the integrity of a fair competitor is immortal.
“As an Honorary Member of the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) and a five-time Olympian in bobsleigh, I have always believed that the ‘finish line’ is secondary to how we run the race. The sport of bobsleigh requires a unique blend of courage, technical precision, and, above all, mutual respect. We are not just competing against the clock or each other; we are stewards of a tradition that demands we lift one another up. The CIFP exists to protect this heartbeat of the Olympic movement, ensuring that the values of fairness and solidarity are never sacrificed at the altar of victory.”
CIFP President Sunil Sabharwal (USA) added:
“Eugenio Monti’s moment in 1964 was more than a gesture; it was a defining pivot for international sport. As President of the CIFP, my mission is to ensure this legacy is not just remembered, but transformed. We want the next generation of athletes to see that true meaning in sport comes from respect. By embedding these values today, we ensure that the youth of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games and beyond understand that winning with honor is the only way to truly win.”
● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● The Australian Financial Review reported that Commonwealth Bank Australia is set to be announced as the first major sponsor of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, sometime in the second quarter.
The deal was noted to cost in the range of A$200 million for the six-year term to 2032, about $141.74 U.S. at current rates.
● Olympic Games: Future ● German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier indicated Thursday that he was in favor of a German bid for the 2040 or 2044 Olympic Games, but not for 2036, the centennial of the infamous “Nazi Games” of 1936. A spokesman said a 2036 bid and possible hosting would be “historically problematic.”
His concerns are not universally felt in Germany, as others are in favor of a 2036 Games. The German Sports Confederation (DOSB) has interest from four regions, with a decision on a bidder due in September 2026.
● Russia ● The New York Times published a story on Friday stating that Russian Anti-Doping Agency head Veronika Loginova was involved in covering up doping test results in 2014, during the 2011-15 state-sponsored Russia doping program, and that the World Anti-Doping Agency had received information on this from a whistle-blower.
Loginova told the Russian news agency TASS:
“These fantasies, based on a desire to promote ‘hot facts,’ apparently to boost sales, are not true. I know that the N.Y. Times is downsizing, and journalists are chasing such fake news. During the 2014 Olympic Games, I was responsible for the educational program and a member of the WADA team. I had no potential exposure to the anti-doping lab’s operations, much less influence the collection of doping samples and their subsequent analysis.
“All the facts of my activities during the preparation and conduct of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi are known to WADA representatives and other employees from other countries’ anti-doping agencies involved in the Olympics. These facts have never, under any circumstances, aroused any suspicion. I am considering taking a strong response to any offensive or defamatory publications.”
= RESULTS: FRIDAY, 20 FEBRUARY =
(7 finals across 5 sports & disciplines)
● Biathlon: Men’s 15 km Mass Start
The men’s program finished with a second gold for Norway, as Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, the 2021 Worlds Mass Start runner-up, took advantage of perfect shooting to earn the victory in 39:17.1 over teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won a medal in all five men’s and mixed events, taking silver in 39:27.6 (1).
France’s Quentin Maillet Fillon (FRA) won a third medal, the bronze in 39:42.7 (4), by almost 10 seconds. Campbell Wright was the lone American, in 27th (45:14.0/7).
The men’s biathlon competition turned out to be the exclusive property of three countries: Norway (2-4-2), France (2-1-2) and Sweden (1-0-1). No one else won medals. Five countries have won medals so far in the women’s events, with the Mass Start on tomorrow.
● Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Aerials; Men’s Halfpipe; Women’s Ski Cross
The men’s Aerials final came down to a China vs. Switzerland duel as four Chinese jumper and two Swiss made the final … and no one else!
Both countries got on the podium, as Xindi Wang, 30, won his first major championship medal by scoring 132.60 points in the medal final, edging two-time Swiss World Champion Noe Roth, at 131.58.
Third was China’s Tianma Li, like Wang, a World Cup event winner this season. Li scored 123.93 for the bronze, barely ahead of teammate Jiaxu Sun, at 123.42.
It’s China’s second Olympic win in a row and Chinese jumpers have now won a medal in this event in six straight Games. Roth got the first Swiss medal in Aerials since the first Games in which it was held, back in 1994!
¶
In the men’s Halfpipe, only Americans and New Zealanders have won this event in its three Olympic appearances.
American Alex Ferreira, the 2018 silver medalist and 2022 bronzer, had a strong run going in the first round, but had some errors that caused a score of 49.50. In fact, only Andrew Longino of Canada scored more than 70 points and was the leader at 76.50. No way that was going to be good enough for gold.
In round two, American Birk Irving grabbed the lead at 87.50, but Estonia’s 19-year-old Henry Sildaru exploded onto the lead at 92.75 and looked like a possible winner. He took over from Ferreira, who had popped a 90.50 and ended the round in second place.
The final round saw Irving improve to 88.00, but he was still fifth. The top four in the standings were the last four to go, with Ferreira up at no. 9 and soaring into the lead with a splendid 93.75 and three men left to challenge.
Sildaru at no. 10 was up for it and scored 93.00, but still in second. American Nick Goepper, the 2025 Worlds silver winner, scored 89.00 in round two and did not improve, but he was standing third with only Canada’s Brendan Mackay left.
Mackay, the 2023 World Champion, had scored only 37.75 and 53.00 on his first two runs, but was in full form and was rewarded with a 91.00 score and the bronze medal, over Goepper.
This makes three U.S. wins out of four times this event has been held at the Games and the first medal for Estonia!
Goepper was fourth, Irving was fifth and Hunter Hess finished 10th at 58.75 as the other Americans finalists behind Ferreira, who now has a full set of medals, finally adding a gold.
¶
The expected stars of the women’s Ski Cross advanced right to the final, with defending champion Sandra Naeslund (SWE) and 2025 Worlds bronze medalist Daniela Maier, who also won the 2022 Olympic bronze.
They were accompanied by 2022 co-bronze winner – and two-time World Champion – Fanny Smith (SUI), and French star Marielle Berger Sabbatel. Off the start, Naeslund skied well, but was overtaken by Maier and Smith and Maier had the edge to the finish over Smith by 0.14, and the gold medal. Naeslund settled for bronze.
So, the co-bronze winners from 2022 were 1-2 in 2026, with champion Naeslund in third. It’s the first gold for Germany in this event and the third straight for Smith: bronze-bronze-silver.
● Short Track: Men’s 5,000 m relay; Women’s 1,500 m
The Netherlands won one medal in Short Track at the 2014 Winter Games, then four each in 2018 and 2022. In Milan, they went wild, with five golds, a silver and a bronze to lead all nations. One of those wins was in the men’s relay.
Defending champion Canada fought with South Korea for most of this race, but it was the Dutch took control in the late stages and with three laps to go and skated away with the gold medal in an impressive show of pacing, tactics and speed in 6:51.847, with Jens van’T Wout winning his third gold to go along with one bronze, dominating the meet.
South Korea edged Italy for the silver on the final lap, 6:52.239 to 6:52.335, with defending champion Canada in fourth (6:52.425).
¶
In the women’s 1,500 m, the semifinals produced multiple crashes, but the fastest times belonged to two-time Olympic champion Min-Jeong Choi (KOR) at 2:20.984 and American Corinne Stoddard at 2:21.042, both from semifinal three. But Italian Arianna Fontana was also qualified, looking for a historic 15th medal to tie for the most in Winter Games history.
Stoddard took the lead in a slow-starting event, with Fontana second, but the pace quickened on the second lap. Choi moved up to second with six laps left, then 2024 World Champion Gil-li Kim moved onto the inside into third. Choi and Kim rolled into the lead with two laps to go, them Kim accelerated into the lead at the bell and held on to lead the Korean 1-2 at 2:32.076 and 2:32.450.
Stoddard was third at the bell and she held off China’s Jingru Yang for the bronze, 2:32.578 to 2:32.713. Fontana was fifth in 2:32.783.
It was the first U.S. Short Track Olympic medal since 2018 and only the fifth women’s individual medal ever, the last in 2010 from Katharine Reutter in the 1,000 m. Stoddard’s bronze – especially sweet after her earlier crashes – is the first American medal ever in this event (Stoddard pictured below; TSX photo by Karen Rosen):
The Koreans extended their win streak in the 1,500 to three straight Games and five out of seven all-time.
● Speed Skating: Women’s 1,500 m
The first skater, 500 m champion Femke Kok (NED) – skating alone – set the pace with a fast 1:54.79 time that stood up through the 10th pair! It took that long for Canadian Valerie Maltais – the 3,000 m bronzer – to take the lead with an impressive 1:54.40 time.
Two more pairs passed until Norwegian Ragne Wiklund, the 2021 World Champion in this event and the 3,000 m runner-up, got on the track and she pushed hard in the middle of her race and crossed in 1:54.15 to take the lead, with two pairs to go.
Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong (NED), the 2025 Worlds silver winner, was matched against American star Brittany Bowe, 37, the 2015 World Champion at this distance. Bowe was out hot, but Rijpma-de Jong finished better and timed 1:54.09, a track record to 1:54.70 for Bowe, in fourth.
The final pair had 2024 World Champion Miho Takagi, who started very fast and looked like a possible winner, but faded on the final lap and her 1:54.87 time placed her sixth overall. Greta Myers of the U.S. finished 29th in 1:59.81.
Rijpma-de Jong was a contender coming in, but won with a superior final lap, helped by Bowe’s challenge. She’s the fifth straight Dutch winner in this event and she moved up from bronze at Beijing 2022. Wiklund won the first Norwegian medal in this event ever, and Maltais won Canada’s first medal in this event since 2010.
Bowe, in her last Games, finished fourth, as she did in the 1,000 m and Team Pursuit. She has been one of the best-ever American skaters, with two Olympic bronzes and 13 World Single Distance Championships medals, including four golds, from 2013-24.
Elsewhere:
● Curling: Switzerland and Yannick Schwaller (9-1) faced off with Magnus Ramsfjell and Norway (5-5) in the bronze-medal game for the men. Schwaller’s squad got off to a 4-0 lead with three in the second and one in the third. It was 4-1 after the fifth, but the Swiss added two in the eighth and one in the ninth for a 9-1 victory and third place overall.
¶
The women’s semifinals had dominant performances from the Swedes and the Swiss.
Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg, the 2018 gold medalist and 2022 bronzer, had her rink in top form, scoring two in the sixth end for a 4-2 lead on three-time World Champion Rachel Homan and Canada and the Swedes followed through to a 6-3 win and into the gold-medal final.
The U.S. beat the Swiss in 11 ends to reach the semis and then play Silvana Tirinzoni’s four-time World Champions once again. Tabitha Peterson’s U.S. rink took a 1-0 lead, but it was 4-2 for Switzerland after four. The U.S. closed to 5-4 after nine, but two in the 10th gave the Swiss a 7-4 win and advanced to the gold-medal match on Sunday.
Canada and the U.S. will play for bronze tomorrow.
● Ice Hockey: The first men’s semifinal was a doozy, with Finland ahead of favored Canada by 1-0 after the first period, then getting a short-handed goal from Erik Haula to lead 2-0 just 3:26 into the second period.
But the Canadians fought back and closed to 2-1 by the end of the second and then tied it at 10:34 of the third on a Shea Theodore score. The Finns suffered a penalty at 17:25 of the third for high sticking and a determined Canadian attack paid off as Nathan MacKinnon got a go-ahead score at 19:24 and that turned out to be the 3-2 winner. Canada’s 39-17 shots edge was barely enough to get by and into the final.
The U.S. played Slovakia in the second semi, and Dylan Larkin have the Americans a 1-0 lead at 4:19 of the first period and then Tage Thompson scored on a power play at 19:19. The Americans blew it open in the second period with scores from Jack Hughes at 12:14, then Jack Eichel just 19 seconds later (12:33) and Hughes again at 18:24 for a 5-0 scoreline after two (and a 26:13 shots advantage).
In the third, Slovakia got a goal from Juraj Slafkovsky at 4:55 of the period, but the U.S. responded with a Brady Tkachuk score at 10:52 for a 6-1 edge. Pavol Regenda (SVK) scored the final goal of the game at 13:17 and, after some physical play in the final few minutes, ended at 6-2. The Americans ended with a 39-24 shots advantage.
Slovakia will play Finland for the bronze and the U.S. and Canada will face off for the gold on Sunday. It had to be.
= PREVIEWS: SATURDAY, 21 FEBRUARY =
(10 finals across 7 sports & disciplines)
● Biathlon: Women’s 12.5 km Mass Start
The two Mass Start races in the IBU World Cup this season were won by Norway’s Maren Kirkeedie – the Olympic Sprint winner – and France’s Julia Simon, the 15 km Individual gold medalist. In those races, Olympic Pursuit champ Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) won a bronze and 2026 medal winners Oceane Michelon (FRA: Sprint silver) and Lou Jeanmonnot (FRA: Individual silver) also won medals.
So did defending Olympic champion Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, making this final event a sort of “all-star” showdown.
You can add in Sweden’s relay silver winner Elvira Oeberg as well; she won the 2025 World Championships gold, over Michelon and Kirkeedie. Braisaz-Bouchet won the 2024 Worlds, over Vittozzi and Jeanmonnot. And Hanna’s sister Elvira, won the 2023 Worlds gold.
So it has to be one of these stars who will win, right? Maybe; do not count out Finland’s Pursuit winner Suvi Minkkinen!
● Bobsled: Two-Woman
One of the great showdowns in Olympic history is in this event, with two-time Olympic champion – when with Canada – Kaillie Armbruster Humphries of the U.S., four-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S. and German star Laura Nolte, the defending champion.
Nolte and fellow pilots Kim Kalicki and Lisa Buckwitz went 1-2-3 at the 2025 Worlds; Buckwitz won in 2024 and Kalicki won in 2023. During the 2025-26 IBSF World Cup season, Nolte was dominant, winning five of the seven races (with Deborah Levi), with Armbruster Humphries winning the other two with Emily Renna.
German sleds won 14 of the 21 World Cup medals this past season, the U.S. took six and Melanie Hasler’s Swiss sled took one. While Meyers Taylor did not medal, that also did not stop her from winning the Monobob. And Kaysha Love of the U.S. won two silvers and is fully capable of a surprise.
It didn’t all go to plan on the first two runs on Friday. Armbruster Humphries and Jasmine Jones had the lead after the first round, then were fourth after round two and it was Nolte and Levi at 1:53.93, then Buckwitz and Neele Schuten at 1:54.11. as the top two Armbruster and Jones are third at 1:54.16, with Love and Azaria Hill fifth at 1:54.55. Meyers Taylor and Jadin O’Brien stand 12th at 1:55.13.
● Cross Country Skiing: 50 km Classical
Can Norway’s superstar, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, complete his sweep of the men’s events?
He has five golds in five events, echoing the six golds he won at the 2025 World Championships, where he won the 50 m (31.1 miles) race in 1:57.47.1, just a couple of seconds up on Swede William Poromaa (1:57:49.2) and eight seconds ahead of teammate Simen Krueger (1:57:55.6).
A 50 km race is usually held only once during the FIS World Cup season, coming up in Oslo (NOR) on 14 March. Klaebo won the 2025 season 50 km, held in Lahti (FIN), leading a Norwegian sweep with Martin Nyenget and Krueger 2-3. This could happen again.
Klaebo also won the Oslo 50 km World Cup in 2024, again over Nyenget, with Erik Valnes third for another Norwegian sweep.
Beyond the Norwegians, Swede Edwin Anger won 20 km Mass Start and Pursuit World Cup bronzes this season, but in four World Cup races of all styles at 20 km, Norway won 10 or the 12 medals available.
Klaebo has 10 career Olympic golds, more than anyone else in Olympic Winter Games history. If he wins his 11th, and sweeps his six events, it will be the most ever in a single Games, passing American Eric Heiden’s five speed skating golds in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.
● Curling: Men’s final
Canadian skip Brad Jacobs was the 2014 Olympic champion and is back to the final with a new rink, after going 7-2 in the round-robin and then edging Norway, 5-4, in the semis.
Against them is Bruce Mouat and Great Britain, normally representing Scotland, but part of the British team at the Olympic Games. His rink was the Beijing 2022 runners-up and has the same line-up. Mouat’s Scots won the World Championships in 2023 and 2025, but were just 5-4 in the round-robin.
In the one match between them so far, Jacobs scored a 9-5 win on the 17th, scoring in six of the nine ends. Jacobs’ rink has been consistent in Cortina, and that makes them a slight favorite over the reigning World Champions.
● Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Ski Cross; Women’s Halfpipe, Mixed Team Aerials
Switzerland’s Ryan Regez won the Beijing 2022 Olympic title and the 2025 World Championships gold. He’s in, but didn’t win a medal on the World Cup circuit this season.
Instead, the big winner has been Canada’s Reece Howden, with four wins and 2023 World Champion Simone Deromedis, with two wins. German Florian Williamson, a 2023 Worlds silver winner, scored a win and two silvers. They have been the stars of this season.
That doesn’t mean they will win, or even medal. Beijing 2022 silver medalist Alex Fiva (SUI) won a World Cup silver this season and German Tim Hronek won two. Under the radar are Sweden’s Erik Mobaerg, a two-time Worlds bronzer in 2021 and 2023, and brother David, a World Cup medalist this season.
¶
China’s Eileen Gu was a spectacular winner of this event in 2022, over 2018 gold medalist Cassie Sharpe (CAN) and teammate Rachel Karker. Since then, Karker (2023) and Sharpe (2025) both won Worlds bronzes.
At the 2023 Worlds, it was Britain’s Zoe Atkin second, and Atkin moved up to Worlds gold in 2025. China’s Fanghui Li took the 2025 Worlds silver, and Gu, Atkin and Li all won World Cup events this season.
In the qualifying round, Atkin put up 91.50 right away and qualified first, with Li at 85.00 and 90.00. Sharpe (88.25), Gu (86.60) and World Cup medalist Svea Irving of the U.S. made it in at 80.75.
Qualifying fourth was the wild card, Australia’s Indra Brown (87.50). At age 16, she won a World Cup gold, silver and bronze in four events this season. She is dangerous.
¶
This is the second time in the Games for the Mixed Team Aerials, with the U.S. back to defend its 2022 title with a strong team. Chris Lillis returns from the 2022 Olympic winners and has been part of the 2023 World Champions (also with Quinn Dehlinger) and the 2025 World Champions (with Dehlinger and Kalia Kuhn).
The U.S. certainly rates as a medal favorite, but China has Olympic Aerials women’s winner Mengtao Xu and veteran Guangpu Qi, on their 2022 Beijing silver winners. Ukraine has medaled in the last two Worlds and has proven veterans in Oleksandr Okipniuk and Dmytro Kotovskyi and the Swiss have medals at the 2021 and 2025 Worlds, with Noe Roth and Pirmin Werner on the team, then and now.
● Ski Mountaineering: Mixed Relay
Lots of familiar names from the Sprint medal stand at the 2025 World Championships, as France’s Emily Harrop (Olympic silver) and Thibault Anselmet (Olympic bronze) won, ahead of Spain with Sprint winner Oriol Cardona Coll and Ana Alonso Rodriguez (Olympic bronze).
Third was Switzerland, with Sprint winner Marianne Fatton and Robin Bussard, and those three teams looked poised to share the podium again.
Looking for upset are the 1-2 finishers from the early December ISMF World Cup in Solitude, Utah: Anna Gibson and Cameron Smith of the U.S. and Italy (of course) with Michelle Boscacci and Alba De Silvestro.
● Speed Skating: Men’s Mass Start; Women’s Mass Start
The Mass Start races are always the most fun, since the racers are together for a change. In the men’s race, the one constant in this event has been Belgian Bart Swings.
He’s the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, 2022 gold medalist and a two-time World Champion in 2023 and 2024. He’s a favorite.
Also in the mix is Italian Andrea Giovaninni, who had a first and two thirds on the World Cup circuit this season and is the reigning World Champion. Dutch star Jorrit Bergsma, the 2014 Olympic 10,000 m champ and 2026 bronze medalist, was best on the World Cup tour, winning twice.
Two others won World Cup races this past season and are both dangerous. Czech teen Metodej Jilek, the Olympic 10,000 m winner and 5,000 m silver man, won the last World Cup prior to the Games.
American Jordan Stolz, the 500 and 1,000 m and 1,500 m silver medalist, competed four times on the World Cup tour and won once and was third once. He likely has the best flat speed in the field and in a race of positioning and acceleration, he is certainly equipped to win.
This should be great.
¶
The women’s Mass Start has been dominated by Dutch ace Marijke Groenewoud, the 2021, 2023 and 2025 World Champion, and a two-time winner and two-time runner-up on the World Cup circuit.
But Beijing Olympic runner-up and 2025 Worlds runner-up Ivanie Blondin (CAN) is ready to challenge, as is Italian star Francesca Lollobrigida. She’s already won the 3,000 and 5,000 m golds and earned the Beijing 2022 Olympic bronze. She had only modest success on the 2026 World Cup tour, however.
Canada’s 1,500 and 3,000 m bronzer, Valerie Maltais should be a factor; she had two seconds in World Cup races and was very competitive.
But that still leaves out the World Cup winner this season: American Mia Manganello. In five races, she won once, was second once and third twice. She was fifth at the 2025 Worlds and this has been her best season. At Beijing in 2022, she missed the podium by 1.17 seconds, finishing fourth. Is this her year?
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