Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Kick Off in Italy

Current Medal Table (as of February 9, 2026 morning)

The table ranks by gold medals first, then silver and bronze totals:

• Norway: 3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze (Total: 6) — Leading the pack with strong cross-country and skiathlon showings.
• United States: 2 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze (Total: 2) — Both golds came on Day 2.
• Italy (hosts): 1 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze (Total: 9) — Highest overall medal count, fueled by home-crowd energy in alpine and other events.
• Japan: 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze (Total: 4)
• Austria: 1 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze (Total: 3)
• Germany: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze (Total: 3)

Other nations like France, Czechia, Sweden, and Switzerland have picked up early medals across biathlon, luge, and more. Only 13 of 116 events have been completed, so plenty can change fast!

Day 1 Highlights (February 7)

The Games kicked off with electric action right after the spectacular Opening Ceremony (featuring Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, and Laura Pausini):

• Men’s Alpine Downhill: Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen claimed the very first gold of the Olympics on the iconic Stelvio course in Bormio. Italy celebrated a silver-bronze double with Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris.
• Women’s Speed Skating 3000m: Host hero Francesca Lollobrigida set an Olympic record to deliver Italy’s first gold.
• Women’s Cross-Country Skiathlon: Sweden’s Frida Karlsson dominated for gold.
• Men’s Snowboard Big Air: Japan’s Kira Kimura soared to victory.
• Ice Hockey & Curling: Team USA women’s hockey started strong with shutouts, and mixed curling saw unbeaten runs from USA and Great Britain.

Day 2 Drama & Triumphs (February 8)

This day delivered heartbreak, heroism, and history:

• Women’s Alpine Downhill: A shocking crash for legend Lindsey Vonn (USA) — just 13 seconds in, she clipped a gate, lost control, and suffered a broken left leg (requiring surgery and airlift off the course). In a bittersweet twist, her teammate Breezy Johnson powered to gold with a daring run (1:36.10), edging Germany’s Emma Aicher by 0.04 seconds. Italy’s Sofia Goggia took bronze for the hosts.
• Figure Skating Team Event: Team USA repeated as champions! Ilia Malinin sealed it with a massive free skate — five quads and a 200.03 score — breaking a tie with Japan (silver) and giving Italy bronze. Back-to-back team golds for the Americans!
• Men’s Cross-Country Skiathlon: Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo added his sixth career Olympic gold.
• Other Golds: Norway’s Sander Eitrem smashed the Olympic record in men’s 5000m speed skating; France won the biathlon mixed relay; Germany’s Max Langenhan took men’s luge singles; Austria’s Benjamin Karl defended snowboard parallel giant slalom (becoming the oldest individual gold medalist at his fifth Olympics); Czechia’s Zuzana Maderová won women’s parallel giant slalom.

The early days have blended stunning performances with raw emotion — from Vonn’s courageous (but ill-fated) comeback attempt at 41 to the electric home support for Italian athletes. With more alpine skiing, biathlon, freestyle, and hockey ahead, expect the medal race to heat up quickly.

Stay tuned to www.clickusanews.com for live updates, athlete spotlights, and daily recaps from Milano Cortina 2026. The best is yet to come! 

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