Medals in Milan: 2026 Winter Olympics
- Keaton McKinstry
- Feb 23
- 2 min read
Two opening ceremonies took place for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in the Italian cities, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. For the first time ever there was a dual cauldron lighting, meaning that the famous olympic torch was lit in two different locations at the same time. One took place at the main event in Milan while the other was lit in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Over 2,900 athletes from over 90 different nations will compete in this year’s games. The United States has a record-breaking team this year, with 232 athletes headed to Milan. This is the highest number of athletes from a single country to ever compete in the Winter Olympics.
The Olympics are major sporting events that occur every 2 years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating. The last Winter Games was held in Beijing in 2022. Norway took home the most medals, with 16 gold and 32 total.
The Winter Olympics are a fan favorite here at Charlotte Catholic. Junior Chase Kummer said, “Olympic skiing is one of my favorite sports to watch.” The Winter Games provide an event for everyone. This year the Winter Olympics has more than 110 medaling events. Milan is hosting a wide range of competitions from extreme sports like the big air contests and ski jump to more tactful games such as curling.
After the opening weekend of the games, Norway is defending their title with three golds and six total medals, followed by Sweden and the United States. The games are just beginning and will continue through February 22.
American athlete Linnsey Vonn is the oldest woman to ever compete in the Olympics. During the downhill ski event, Linnsey suffered a serious injury after falling only 14 seconds into her run. Only about a week before her event, Linnsey tore her ACL during her final practice run to get prepared for the games. Miraculously, she competed even after such little recovery time. People argue over whether or not she should have been competing, but her team said it was ultimately her choice to partake in the events.
Upcoming events include ice hockey, women's big air finals, and luge. The United States has competitors in the big air finals, and the women's hockey team is still in the tournament. With so many medals on the line every week, the leaderboard is constantly changing as each team tries to bring home the win.
