Maybe you were able to catch clips on social media, through the word of mouth of big winners like Alysa Liu, or groundbreaking games, such as the USA vs. Canada. However, the 2026 XXV Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Italy, were nothing short of action, successes, and surprises.
There were many special moments in the Olympics, and in this article, I will cover the top performances that nations were able to demonstrate, including records broken, viral moments, and major controversies in the 2026 games.
New Records:
Norwegian Records
Norway set many new and exciting records, including earning the most Olympic gold medals (18) and total medals (41) won by a single nation ever in the Winter Olympic Games. Additionally, cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the first athlete to earn six consecutive gold medals at a Winter Olympics, surpassing the current record holder, Eric Heiden, who held five. Høsflot Klæbo is now introduced as the all-time world-record holder for the most gold medals in the Winter Olympics (11).
USA Mindblowing Moments
Team USA came back to the Olympics with many expected and unexpected victories. They were able to earn 12 gold medals, breaking the record of the most gold medals the United States had ever won at the Winter Olympic Games. Furthermore, coming as a surprise to many, the 2026 Olympic Games marked the United States’ first time both the men’s and women’s hockey teams won gold medals. This achievement also brought attention to the US Men’s first gold medal achievement in hockey at the Olympic Games since 1980. On another note, American Alpine Skier Mikaela Shiffrin showed up to the Olympics ready to perform, with her amazing skills earning her three gold medals, the most any US Skier has ever won in the Winter Olympic Games.
Phenomenal Results
Across various other countries, nations came together in praise of their country’s successes, including new records set by Ariana Fontana, who became Italy’s most decorated Olympian and the first woman to win six consecutive gold medals at a Winter Olympics. A groundbreaking achievement for the people of South America was Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s huge victory in the ‘Men’s Giant Slalom,’ collecting the first gold medal a man or woman athlete in any nation in South America has ever gotten in the Winter Olympic Games!
Ending it off on a positive note, according to Milano Cortina 2026, the 2026 Olympic Games represented the most “gender balanced” games with 47% of women attendees, an increase from the previous 44% women attendees in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Viral Moments:
Sturla Holm Laegreid’s Confession
If I asked you if you knew Sturla Holm Laegreid, most of you would be confused by this unrecognizable name, and what he may have accomplished at the Olympics. However, what if I restructured this sentence and asked you if you knew who the Norwegian athlete was who publicly apologized for cheating on his girlfriend, after winning bronze for Norway? Now, does it ring a bell? Yikes. This moment led to a viral sensation of cringey memes spiralling over the internet, with his girlfriend, wishing to stay anonymous, responding to the situation as “hard to forgive”.
Alysa Liu’s Gala Performance
Skating to the viral song, Stateside, by Pink Pantheress featuring Zara Larson, Liu captured the attention of Gen Z audiences through her trendy and unique look of striped hair, as well as the significance of the song Stateside. This popular song experienced a resurgence that impacted the artists, with it topping #1 on the U.S. Spotify Charts.
The Comeback of Amber Glenn
Everyone loves a good comeback story, and that is exactly what Amber Glenn gave us. In her opening performance in the 2026 Olympics, she landed a rare triple axel, but didn’t receive any points for it due to a “popped” triple loop (in this case, meaning Glenn only executed a double, which was invalid). This caused viral clips of Glenn hysterically crying to circulate over social media. However, to the joyous surprise of those rooting for her, she was able to bounce back in the ‘Free Skate’ category, placing third after landing a triple axel and a triple loop. This resulted in Glenn moving eight spots up, from previously being in thirteenth place.
Controversial Topics:
Men’s Figure Skating Individual
After many fans and athletes described the ice as soft and slushy, viewers were shocked to see champion athletes slip on the ice during their routines. The US #1 seed, Ilia Malinin, also known as the “Quad God”, shocked everyone when he fell twice on the ice and ended up qualifying in eighth place. This condition caused a major upset for the two-time winner to place outside of the top 5. Officials responded to this situation by stating that the ice was constantly checked upon and was kept to regulations. Mikhail Shaidorov took the first-ever figure skating gold for Kazakhstan, with many surprised by his clean skate.
Canada VS USA Men’s Hockey
One of the biggest events of the 2026 Olympic Games was the Canada vs. US Men’s Hockey game that rattled the world with Jack Hughes’ overtime goal to win the game 2-1. This game was the first time the USA men’s hockey team won gold since the 1980 Olympics, 46 years ago. Firstly, at one point towards the end of the game, the USA team had too many men on the ice, leaving the Canadian team and fans outraged due to the referee not calling the penalty. Additionally, this game had a very physical atmosphere, with both teams getting penalties, some believing Canada represented “poor sportsmanship” through their physicality. According to Yahoo Sports Canada, the Canadian Olympic Hockey team was the #1 seed, with the USA being the #2 seed, increasing the heat over the situation with Canada being the “expected winners”. Lastly, what brought the most attention and controversy to this situation was the USA Hockey Team’s conversation in the locker room after their success with the current president, Donald J. Trump. This phone call entailed Trump congratulating the Men’s USA Hockey Team on their accomplishment, with him inviting them to the White House. However, Trump mentioned that, in accordance with this, he would be obligated to invite the Women’s USA Hockey Team, who also won gold, or he could risk getting “impeached”. The Men’s USA Hockey Team reacted to this comment through a burst of laughter. This sparked major controversy over how Trump and the Men’s Hockey Team overlooked the success of their female counterparts, who also beat Canada in a close game in overtime. This situation ended with the Women’s USA Hockey Team declining their invitation to the White House due to prior commitments. However, the men upheld their commitment, with their goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
French Pair Figure Skating
The Olympic figure skating, especially in Free Dance, experienced major controversy with one of the judges, Jézabel Dabouis, being accused of a biased evaluation of the French pair, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. This French pair was able to score eight points higher than the USA pair, Madison Chock and Evan Bates. In addition, Dabouis continued his odd scoring by giving the USA pair a significantly lower score in comparison to the French. This led to the final result in this category, with Beaudry and Cizeron winning by 1.43 points even though they showcased visible mistakes during their performance.
Lindsey Vonn’s “Comeback”
Many were shocked but excited to hear about Lindsey Vonn stepping out of retirement, at the age of 41, to compete in the 2026 Olympic Games, hoping to end her career on a positive note. However, what actually went down couldn’t have been a more horrific conclusion. In Vonn’s first event, Women’s Downhill, she faced a brutal crash after reportedly skating too tightly, causing her right arm and ski pole to hook inside a gate. This resulted in a brutal crash with her sustaining a Complex Tibia Fracture, Right Ankle Fracture, and worst of all, Compartment Syndrome (which, if not treated immediately, could result in the amputation of her leg). Vonn was quickly airlifted into a helicopter and brought to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to respond to her injuries. As you now know, Vonn did not have her “fairytale ending” to her career, but this crash sparked much controversy about her competing in the first place. Moreover, on January 30, 2026, only nine days before her first Olympic event, Vonn fully ruptured her left ACL. Despite this injury, Vonn said she was stable enough to compete. Many were outraged as they believed that Vonn selfishly took an opportunity away from a healthy athlete. To summarize, this moment led to Vonn possibly unable to walk again, and many were gravely disappointed in her resurgence.
Canadian Curling Cheaters
Curling, one of the oldest sports in the history of sports, originating from sixteenth-century Scotland, has gained much resurgence in the 2026 Olympics. However, a huge controversy that spiraled through the media was the Canadian Curling Olympic Team’s supposed cheating during their event. Furthermore, on February 13, 2026, Swedish curler Okar Eriksson accused Canadian curler Marc Kennedy of illegally touching the stone after releasing the handle before crossing the hog line. Kennedy reacted to this with an explicit verbal outburst towards Eriksson, resulting in a verbal warning from World Curling due to Kennedy’s explicit language. However, officials didn’t capture the double touch. The game continued with Canada winning 8-6 and eventually going on to win an Olympic gold medal. However, the major controversy sparked after a Swedish public broadcaster, SVT, captured from an untraditional angle of Kennedy’s finger actually touching the stone after it was released.
