2026 Winter Olympic Games: Major Updates, Viral Moments Through Day 10

2026 Winter Olympic Games

• February 4 – February 22, 2026
• Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
• Event Website
• Schedule

Over halfway through the schedule for the 2026 Olympic Games, many medals remain up-for-grabs as the athletes continue to push themselves to new limits in Italy. With 74 of the scheduled 116 events completed as of February 16, 26 different countries have picked-up at least 1 medal at these Olympics. Norway still leads the field with 12 gold medals and 28 total medals, while host Italy has made a surge with 8 gold medals and 23 total medals. The US currently sits 3rd in the overall standings with 6 gold medals and 19 total medals, with several heavy-favorites left to compete.

Medal Table Through Day 10

Event Highlights

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo Solidifies Cross-Country Skiing G.O.A.T. Status

• The Michael Phelps of cross-country skiing, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo has quite the Olympic resume, that now includes a total of nine gold medals. Not only is this the most Olympic golds ever won by a cross-country skiier, it also stands as the most ever won by a Winter Olympian across all sports. On day 7, Klaebo solidified his status in cross-country skiing by winning the 10km event in a time of 20:36.2 for his 8th medal. He followed up with a historic 9th gold as a member of  Norway’s team in the men’s 4 × 7.5 km relay on day 10 to officially break the record for the most golds. He still has the opportunity to break the overall Winter Olympic medal record with 2 events left on his schedule: the 50km mass start and team sprint relay. Given how well the Norweigan team has been skiing at this competition, it seems likely he will pick up a medal in at least one of those events.

​​Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Wins Brazil’s First-Ever Winter Olympic Medal

• While traditionally a powerhouse at the Summer Olympics, until this year Brazil had never won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. However, ​​Lucas Pinheiro Braathen changed that legacy by winning the men’s giant slalom this year, largely thanks to a strong second run. Braathen, who had previously represented Norway on the international stage, only switched his sporting citizenship to Brazil back in 2024, un-retiring from the sport to pursue a run at these Olympics.

Matt Weston Sets Records While Winning Skeleton Gold

• Through 4 heats of the men’s skeleton event, British slider Matt Weston threw down 4 different record-breaking performances en route to claiming gold. Weston, the 2-time defending World Champion in this event, knocked the Olympic Record down to 3:43.44 to claim his first career Olympic medal with a gold. His victory stands as a historic one for his country as well, as he becomes the first British man to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Games since figure skater Robin Cousins did back in 1980.

Shocking Men’s Figure Skating Final Sees Upset Victory

• With many of the heavy favorites falling in the men’s free skate final, including American “Quad God” Ilia Malinin, the field was left wide open with the gold medal in the grasps of multiple competitors. Ultimately, it was Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov who threw down a clean performance to claim his country’s first Olympic gold in figure skating with a total score of 291.58.

Janine Flock Becomes Oldest Woman to Win Skeleton Title

• In the women’s skeleton event, it was 36-year-old Austrian Janine Flock who claimed the title to become the oldest woman to ever stand atop the Olympic podium in that event. Competing in her 4th Olympics, Flock not only claimed her first medal, but also climbed to the top of the podium with the gold to best the field by .3 seconds over the 3 runs. This medal also marks a huge redemption for Flock as she just missed the podium in this event back in 2018, finishing 4th overall at the time.

Federica Brignone Overcomes Injury for Gold in Front of Home Crowd

• 9 months ago, it didn’t even seem likely that Italian star Federica Brignone would be able to race at her home Olympic Games after she suffered a massive injury to her leg while competing in the giant slalom last April. However, after months of rehab and multiple surgeries, she returned to the slopes with her first competition in January. While it seemed like she wouldn’t be in medal contention for these Olympics, Brignone appeared excited to get the chance to compete. However, she did more than just compete, winning gold in both the giant slalom and super-G in front of her home crowd. For Brignone, both medals mark her first golds across any of her Olympic appearances.

Elana Meyers Taylor Wins First Gold in 5th Olympics Appearance

• American Elana Meyers Taylor has been one of the best bobsleders in the World over the last decade, making 5 Olympic appearances, including this year. However, she had never managed to clinch the gold. That changed this year in Italy as Taylor won the women’s monobob, coming back from being in 2nd place throughout the competition to clinch the gold on her final run of the competition in upset fashion. To add to the fact that she won, she was joined by teammate Kaillie Humphries on the podium as the Americans went 1-2 in the event.

Bruna Moura Overcomes Injuries, Heart Issues to Compete in Cross Country Skiing

• While she didn’t come away with a medal, Brazilian Bruna Moura overcame significant obstacles to even compete in the Olympics this year. Formerly a high level mountain biking athlete, Moura had to step away from the sport due to significant heart issues. However, she eventually took-up cross-country skiing and qualified for the Beijing Olympics back in 2022 shortly after. Just before those Olympics, she contracted COVID and had to delay her travel plans, forcing her to fly out of Germany. On her way to the airport though, Moura’s taxi was involved in a crash that killed the driver and left her with severe injuries that included eight fractures throughout her body, damaged lungs, abdomen, and shoulders. She spent months in recovery and attempted to make her return in 2023 but was derailed when she contracted a parasitic infection called toxoplasmosis, loosing 25% of her vision as a result of the infection. Despite all of this, Moura came back as strong as ever for the 2026 Olympics, finally making her long-awaited debut. While she didn’t win, only finishing 99th overall, Moura spent time greeting every athlete finishing behind her, a remarkable story of sportsmanship and the joy of sport in itself.

@jcubedhax

This story is almost unbelievable #womenssports #olympics #skiing #brazil

♬ original sound – will paquin

Viral Moments

Olympic Curling Controversy Takes the Spotlight

• In their match against Sweden, the Canadian men’s curling team was accused of cheating as camera footage appeared to show the athletes touching the side of the stone when pushing it, an illegal move in the technical sport. While the motion was not called for a penalty, the internet sure enjoyed the moment.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUx5u-JE5se/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Aerin Frankel’s Cesar Salad Reviews Shock Viewers

• U.S. Hockey goalie Aerin Frankel shocked fans when someone found her hidden Instagram account. Only, instead of posting more traditional photos streams, Frankel’s account was found to be dedicated entirely to rating Cesar Salads. The account, @painbyromaine, has since amassed thousands of followers eager to follow her salad ratings.

Olympic Ring Pasta: The Newest Olympic Muffin

• In the first edition of this article, I highlighted how athletes around the Olympic Village were working to identify a new viral food to try after the Olympic muffin of 2024 went viral. Well, it appears that food has surfaced as athletes have gone viral for sharing videos of Olympic Ring pasta. How fitting for an Italian Olympics.