MILANO CORTINA, Italy — Team USA burst onto the medal board with two gold medals in the first full days of competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, positioning the American squad competitively on the early standings as events ramp up across alpine skiing, figure skating, and other disciplines.
The Games, running February 6-22 in northern Italy, feature 116 medal events. Through February 9 (with roughly 18 events completed), the United States holds two golds and zero silvers or bronzes for a total of two medals, tying or ranking near the top in gold count depending on daily fluctuations. Norway leads overall with six medals (three gold), followed closely by Switzerland (five total, three gold) and Japan (seven total, two gold).
The breakthrough came February 8. Wyoming-based skier Breezy Johnson captured the first U.S. gold in women’s alpine downhill at the Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Johnson posted a time of 1:36.10, edging Germany’s Emma Aicher by 0.04 seconds for silver, while Italy’s Sofia Goggia took bronze. This marked Johnson’s first Olympic medal after an injury sidelined her from Beijing 2022. The race also saw U.S. legend Lindsey Vonn crash early in her run, fracturing her leg and ending her comeback bid. Johnson’s win highlighted the depth of the American alpine team on a demanding course.
Hours later, the U.S. figure skating team defended its Olympic title in the team event. Ilia Malinin anchored the victory with a commanding free skate performance, landing five quadruple jumps including a one-legged backflip to secure the gold over Japan (silver) and host Italy (bronze). The squad, featuring talents such as Alysa Liu in women’s singles and ice dance pair Madison Chock/Evan Bates, showed poise under pressure to repeat their 2022 triumph.
The team—including talents like Alysa Liu, Madison Chock, and Evan Bates—showed resilience and star power, defending their 2022 Beijing victory in front of a global audience.
Promising Signs in Other Sports
Beyond the medals, Team USA has shown strength in several areas:
- Mixed Doubles Curling: Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin have made history, becoming the first American team to reach the gold medal game in this event. They upset defending champions Italy in the semifinals (9-8) after a strong round-robin performance, setting up a final against Sweden. A victory would deliver Team USA’s first-ever mixed doubles curling gold and third medal overall.
- Women’s Ice Hockey: The team has dominated early group play, remaining undefeated with convincing wins, including a 5-0 shutout of Finland.
- Speed Skating and More: Veterans like Brittany Bowe (4th in women’s 1000m) and Erin Jackson came close to the podium but fell just short. Cross-country and ski jumping have seen solid qualification efforts, while freestyle and snowboarding events are still ramping up—traditional U.S. strengths where more medals are anticipated.
Current Medal Standings and Outlook
As of February 9, with 18 events completed, the medal table looks like this (top nations):
- Norway: 3 gold, 6 total
- Switzerland: 3 gold, 5 total
- Japan: 2 gold, 7 total
- Germany: 2 gold, 4 total
- United States: 2 gold, 2 total (tied or near top in golds)
Host Italy leads in overall medals (9 total, mostly bronzes), reflecting home advantage in early events.
Compared to Beijing 2022’s haul of 25 medals (9 gold), Team USA is on pace for another competitive showing. With two weeks remaining, opportunities abound in snowboarding, freestyle skiing, bobsled, and individual figure skating. The early golds in alpine and team skating have set an optimistic tone.
Team USA’s start in Milano Cortina blends excellence, resilience, and historic potential. As more events unfold—from hockey medal rounds to big air and slopestyle—the red, white, and blue is poised to shine brighter on the world stage. The best is likely yet to come.