US Overcomes Rough Start to Finish Strong at 2026 Winter Olympics

After a shaky beginning, Team USA rallies to claim 33 total medals, including several gold, at the Milan Cortina Games.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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The United States entered the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina hoping to finally break Norway's recent dominance at the Winter Games. However, early struggles by high-profile American athletes like Mikaela Shiffrin and Ilia Malinin put the U.S. team in an early hole in the medal count. But the Americans fought back, with standout performances from Jordan Stolz, Alysa Liu, and the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams, to finish second in the overall medal table behind Norway.

Why it matters

The United States has long dominated the Summer Olympics, but has struggled to match that success at the Winter Games, where Norway has emerged as the powerhouse in recent editions. This year's performance, while not a gold medal sweep, shows the depth of American winter sports talent and the country's determination to challenge Norway's winter sports supremacy going forward.

The details

Early on, the U.S. faced setbacks, with skier Lindsey Vonn suffering a broken fibula, figure skater Ilia Malinin falling twice in his free skate, and Mikaela Shiffrin posting her worst race result since 2012. This put the Americans in danger of finishing outside the top 5 in the medal table. However, the U.S. rallied in the second week, with speed skater Jordan Stolz setting an Olympic record, Shiffrin winning gold in women's slalom, and Alysa Liu claiming a come-from-behind gold in women's figure skating. The U.S. women's and men's hockey teams also won gold, the latter's first Olympic title since the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980.

  • The 2026 Winter Olympics took place in Milan Cortina, Italy.
  • After a rough start in week one, the U.S. surged in the second week of competition.

The players

Mikaela Shiffrin

A prominent American alpine skier who won gold in the women's slalom event after a disappointing start to the Olympics.

Chloe Kim

A star American snowboarder who competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.

Jordan Stolz

An American speed skater who set an Olympic record and won two gold medals in his events.

Alysa Liu

A young American figure skater who won a come-from-behind gold medal in the women's singles competition.

Lindsey Vonn

A former American Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing who suffered a broken fibula during the 2026 Winter Games.

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What they’re saying

“There are some countries where their main representatives come from figure skating, so it's just so much stress and so much pressure. And not having to compete against Russia or live in Russia's shadow was so important (for America) going into this Olympic season.”

— Sophia Heffron, Dancer and youth dance instructor at Hinsdale Dance Academy (Instagram)

“Everyone's under the same conditions, I think it's if you can tame the harsh conditions. Snowboarding is very easy to just make one tiny mistake and get second.”

— Christian Eberle, Senior biology and health science major, host of Flagrant Foul Fridays podcast (theechonews.com)

“Alysa Liu breaking (Team USA's) over 20-year-long curse of not having a single women's individual gold medal in figure skating (Sarah Hughes, 2002)...and her being this amazing representation of a healthy and balanced athlete, I think it's absolutely huge, it's absolutely important.”

— Sophia Heffron, Dancer and youth dance instructor at Hinsdale Dance Academy (Instagram)

What’s next

The United States will look to build on its strong performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics and challenge Norway's winter sports dominance at future Games.

The takeaway

While the United States did not top the overall medal table, its ability to overcome a rocky start and rally to a second-place finish behind Norway demonstrates the depth of American winter sports talent and the country's determination to challenge for Winter Olympics supremacy in the years to come.