The 2026 Winter Olympic Games were memorable for their wins, losses, injuries, and medal count. At every Olympics, there are highs and lows. Here are a few from Milano Cortina.
Ilia Malinin
21-year-old Ilia Malinin was born in Fairfax, VA. He was introduced to skating by his parents, who were former Olympic figure skaters. Malinin made his Olympic debut for Team USA at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
Malinin performed in the Short Program and the Free Skate for both the Team and Single Events. He placed gold in the Team Free Skate with his performance to a medley titled “A Voice.” In the Men’s Single Free Skate, Malinin had an upsetting performance. He fell twice during his run, the first time Malinin was attempting a quadruple Lutz. The second time Malinin fell, he was attempting a double Salchow. In an interview with NBC News, Malinin discussed the pressure of being an “Olympic gold hopeful” and his self-given nickname, “the quad god.”
“I wanna understand why that happened, and what I should do in the future to have a different outcome,” he told NBC.
Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn has been skiing her whole life. She was first taught to ski by her father when she was three. After that, her career took off. When Vonn was 17, she competed at her first Olympic Games at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. While she didn't win any medals in her first games, she has won one gold and two bronze medals throughout her career.
After undergoing a partial knee replacement in 2024, Vonn decided to enter the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. However, she was already injured going into the games. During a crash she suffered in a race just weeks before, she ruptured her ACL, as well as having meniscal damage and bone bruising, all in her left knee. Vonn still competed, but she was given a specialised knee brace to help with her injury.
13 seconds into her first run, Vonn’s pole got caught on one of the gates, causing her to crash. A few minutes later, she was airlifted off the mountain and taken to a nearby hospital, where she immediately underwent surgery. After just under two weeks of being in the hospital, Vonn posted that she was finally able to return home. Lindsey Vonn spoke about her crash, saying, “The ride was worth the fall… I don't have regrets, and the love I have for skiing remains.”
Final Medal Count
The final medal count is something every country at the Olympics hopes to win. Unfortunately, it comes down to the top three. The 2026 Milano Cortina’s top three countries were Norway, the USA, and the Netherlands. Norway came in first, with a total medal count of 41. This was their third consecutive win for the highest medal count. The USA came in second with a total of 33 medals. Many of their medals were won by first-time Olympians. The Netherlands had the third-highest medal count, with a total of 20 medals. They set a national record of 10 gold medals.
