February 22 (UPI) — Norway’s dominance, U.S. Hockey’s sweep and figure skating upset ignited the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which conclude Sunday in Verona, Italy.
Nearly 3,000 athletes from 92 delegations participated in the Winter Olympics. Norway won an Olympics-best 41 medals in the competition, which begins on February 4 and takes place at the Verona Arena on Sunday.
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Thousands of people packed venues to celebrate the 19-day event, with athletes, fans and officials from around the world joining a television audience to enjoy live performances as actors, singers, musicians and dancers dressed in bright colors showcased Italian and Olympic culture.
Norway has the most medals at the 2022 and 2018 Winter Olympics, and with 18 gold medals at Milan-Cortina, it is the most medal-winning country in Winter Olympics history.
Cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo led Norway in becoming the first Winter Olympian to win six gold medals in a single Olympics.
Alysa Liu of the United States reacts after skating during the women’s free figure skating final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy on Thursday. Photo by Richard Ellis/United Press International
U.S. speed skater Jordan Stolz has won three medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics. File photo: Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Three-medal speed skater Jordan Stoltz is one of six Americans with multiple medals. The dozen or so gold medals Team USA has won are the most they have ever won at a Winter Olympics. With a total of 33 medals, the United States is second only to Norway and has the most medals of any national team since 1952. Host country Italy ranks third in Milan-Cortina with 30 medals.
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Ice dancers Madison Chalk and Evans Bates served as flag bearers along with U.S. hockey star Hilary Knight during Sunday’s closing ceremony, each winning two medals. Figure skater Alysa Liu, bobsledder Kaillie Humphries and skiers Jaelin Kauf, Liz Lemley and Ben Ogden also won two medals each.
Team USA’s Elana Meyers Taylor celebrates after winning the women’s single cycling gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy on Monday. Photo: Hugo Philpott/UPI
Liu Xiang had one of Team USA’s most polarizing moments at the Olympics when she became the first American woman to win a gold medal in singles figure skating in 24 years.
“I feel very lucky to be able to do this,” Liu said on Sunday’s NBC broadcast. “I love being an athlete. It’s the coolest thing in the world.”
Team USA poses for a photo after defeating Canada in the men’s hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy on Sunday. Photo by Richard Ellis/United Press International
American figure skater Ilia Malinin, one of the gold medal favorites at this Olympics, failed to win a medal after falling multiple times in the men’s singles competition and his performance was polarizing.
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But Marinen didn’t leave empty-handed, joining Liu, Bates, Jock, Danny O’Shea and Ellie Kamm on Team USA’s gold-medal performance in the team event.
Like Liu, the U.S. men’s hockey team ended a long drought at Milan-Cortina with an overtime victory over Canada on Sunday for its first gold medal in 46 years. The win, combined with the U.S. women’s victory over Canada, gives the U.S. a field hockey sweep for the first time in Olympic history.
The snowstorm affected other events at the 2026 Winter Olympics, leading to schedule adjustments. Injuries have also affected Team USA. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn broke her leg during the women’s downhill race and watched her bid for a podium finish end in pain and frustration. The 41-year-old has been aiming to become Milan-Cortina’s oldest Alpine Olympic medalist.
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Elsewhere, Alpine star Mikaela Shiffrin performed well in the slalom to claim her first medal since 2018 – a gold.
Bobsledder Elana Meyers-Taylor also ended her Olympic drought, winning the first gold medal of her illustrious Olympic career. The five-time Olympian’s 16-year wait for an Olympic podium was over as she finished just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Germany’s Laura Nolte in the solo bike race.
Chloe Kim may not have achieved her goal of becoming the first skier to win three consecutive gold medals, but she came very close with a second-place finish in the halfpipe.
Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins provided one of the most inspiring performances of the Olympics, fighting through a rib injury to win bronze in the 10km freestyle.
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The four-time Olympic medalist, who had planned to retire from the sport, twisted in pain at the finish line but finished fifth in Sunday’s 50km mass start, 4×7.5km relay and team sprint.
“It’s definitely a crazy day, but it’s so special to be able to celebrate with your team,” Diggins said. “It’s so special to compete in my last Olympics.”
Knight, her teammate Leila Edwards and curler Corey Thies are among the U.S. athletes who achieved the groundbreaking feat in Cortina, Milan.
Tiese earned the first curling medal for U.S. women. Knight became the leading scorer in U.S. hockey history when he scored his 15th career goal in the United States’ gold-medal game victory over Canada. She is also engaged to speed skater Brittany Bowe at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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Edwards became the first African-American to win a gold medal in women’s hockey.
Sunday’s closing ceremony concluded with the handover of the Olympic flag, as IOC President Kirsty Coventry and Italian officials ceremoniously handed over hosting rights for the 2030 Games to France.
The 2030 Winter Olympics will be held in the French Alps from February 1 to 17.