The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will bring the world’s best winter athletes to Italy, and all eyes will once again be on Team USA. From alpine skiing to ice hockey, the United States is expected to be one of the strongest medal contenders of the Games.
This page will serve as a live hub for Team USA medals, event timings, and daily Olympic updates throughout the competition.
Team USA at Milano-Cortina 2026: Gold Rush in Italy as American Stars Shine
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina are officially in full swing, and Team USA has made an emphatic statement on the world stage. After a tense opening weekend, the United States has surged up the medal table, fueled by a mixture of veteran resilience and the emergence of a new “Quad God.”
As of Monday, February 9, Team USA has secured 2 Gold Medals, placing them firmly among the top contenders in these early stages of the Games.
Current Team USA Medal Count (as of Feb 9, 2026)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Norway | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | United States | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
Ilia Malinin and the Figure Skating Dynasty
The crown jewel of Team USA’s early performance was the Figure Skating Team Event. In a nail-biting showdown at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, the United States successfully defended its Olympic title, edging out Japan by a single point (69 to 68).
The hero of the night was 21-year-old Ilia Malinin. Under immense pressure as the final skater, Malinin landed five quadruple jumps to score 200.03 points, securing the 10 points needed to leapfrog Japan. While he opted out of his historic Quad Axel to ensure technical stability, his dominance was undeniable.
“We came here to do one job and we achieved it,” Malinin said, draped in the American flag. “I knew I was the deciding factor, and I just wanted to go out there and test the ice for the individual event.”
The gold medal win was a true team effort, featuring:
- Madison Chock and Evan Bates: The veteran ice dance duo who are now two-time Olympic gold medalists.
- Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn: Who delivered crucial points in the women’s segments.
- Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea: Who fought through a grueling pairs free skate to keep the U.S. in striking distance.
Breezy Johnson Conquers the Cortina Downhill
On the slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Breezy Johnson delivered what many are calling the “race of her life.” Johnson captured Gold in the Women’s Downhill, finishing with a blistering time of 1:36.10.
The victory was bittersweet and highly emotional. The race was paused for twenty minutes following a violent crash by American legend Lindsey Vonn, whose highly publicized Olympic comeback ended in a medical evaluation. Johnson, starting shortly after the restart, channeled her nerves into pure speed to become only the second American woman ever to win downhill gold, joining Vonn (2010).
On the Horizon: Curling and Hockey Dominance
While the medal count is currently driven by skating and skiing, Team USA is making noise in the qualifying rounds of other major sports:
- Mixed Doubles Curling: Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin made history by defeating Sweden 8-7, officially punching their ticket to the Olympic semifinals.
- Women’s Ice Hockey: The U.S. Women’s team is currently 2-0 in Group A after a dominant victory over Finland and a hard-fought win against Czechia. They remain the favorites alongside Canada for the gold medal.
- Snowboarding: Eyes are on Chloe Kim, who is set to begin her title defense in the halfpipe later this week.
Milano-Cortina 2026: Why This Year is Different
The 2026 Games are unique for their “dual-city” format. While the glitz of the figure skating and ice hockey takes place in the urban metropolis of Milan, the soul of the mountain sports lives in Cortina d’Ampezzo. For Team USA, this means their athletes are spread across Northern Italy, yet the sense of “One Team” has never been stronger.
Analysts predict that the U.S. is just getting started. With snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and the individual figure skating events on the horizon, the American medal haul is expected to skyrocket in the second week of competition.
