2026 Winter Olympics live updates: Ilia Malinin in first; USA trounces Canada in women's hockey

As the U.S. continues to roll, this result has come with an asterisk, however. Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin did not play tonight after leaving a win the night before with an injury.

Poulin, 34, has scored in every gold medal game in the last four Winter Olympics and is so revered that U.S. coach John Wroblewski has described her as still the best player in the world.

But when Canada fell behind 4-0 late in the second period, all Poulin could do was watch tonight, betraying no emotion and with her chin in her hand when shown on a videoboard.

Malinin, "The Quad God" and biggest star in the sport, just took the ice for a warmup ahead of the final group of the night. When his name was read aloud, the arena erupted with a loud applause that no other competitor received.

Ilia Malinin prior to competing. Jamie Squire / Getty Images

He will take the ice for qualification after the next four skaters.

Team USA's Andrew Torgashev lost his place in the top three of the men's short program after an energetic skate from France's Kevin Aymoz.

The Frenchman's dynamic performance, which included music from Lady Gaga, included a quad toe loop and triple toe loop combination and a triple axel. It was that combination that helped lift him to a 92.64 score, bumping Torgashev down the leaderboard.

Viewers who spend some time online might recognize Aymoz for his screaming reaction to winning Skate America last year.

Andrew Torgashev skated to a personal best in the men’s singles short program in his Olympic debut. Torgashev skated to “Maybe I Maybe You” performed by Scorpions.

The crowd erupted for Italy's own Daniel Grassl, whose incredible short program has put him at the top of the men's figure skating leaderboard.

The two-time Olympian scored a 93.46 with a routine that included a triple axel, a quad loop, and a quad lutz plus triple toe loop combination. Grassl appeared overwhelmed when he received the judge's score as the audience offered a raucous applause.

Korea's Junhwan Cha moved into second place with a score of 92.72, while Team USA's Andrew Torgashev's 88.94 score puts him in third.

The United States women's hockey team has begun to blow out archrival Canada, leading 4-0 with seven minutes left in the second period. Hannah Bilka scored her second goal of the night, assisted by Abbey Murphy, and Caroline Harvey, for the second time of the game, as well.

This arena has a very large presence of Canadian fans, but the crowd is mostly quiet right now. These teams have been so evenly matched in recent years that this gap is stunning.

Stanley Tucci broke bread with the women’s ice hockey team on their day off to discuss what position Tucci would play if he were a hockey player, the rivalry between the U.S. and Canada, and more.

A scrum in front of Canada's net made it difficult to tell whether the United States had scored yet again, but a video review showed the puck had "completely" crossed the line, according to officials, to extend the U.S. lead over Canada to 3-0.

Canada later unsuccessfully challenged the goal.

The U.S. has 14 shots to Canada's five with 18 minutes still to play in the second period.

Taking the ice today in his very first Olympics, Team USA's Andrew Torgashev used his short program routine to feel like a rock star.

Torgashev currently sits second on the leaderboard with a score of 88.94, though 11 skaters are still expected to perform. The 24-year-old started off a little "wonky" at first but began to quickly relax as his program progressed.

"I was very nervous, like I was shaking," Torgashev said. "I was like, 'Why did I wish this for myself?' But yeah, once I got out there, the training just took over. I have so much muscle memory with this program and with these elements that no matter how much I doubt myself, I hope it'll always pull through."

The skater drew laughs out of reporters when he remarked that it helped to be skinny when trying to land his jumps. He's in the best shape of his life, though Torgashev did have to give up pizza to maintain his desired calorie intake.

He'll go wild with a slice on Friday night, after his free skate program is over. Torgashev is excited to see his Team USA peer Ilia Malinin take the ice and see his competitors in the next skate.

"Every single man that's here competing is capable of doing extraordinary things," Torgashev said.

Watch Team USA’s Ashley Farquharson win just the third-ever singles luge medal for the country in a thrilling final run.

Siblings Dorem and Nika Prevc's jumps secured a gold medal for Slovenia and held off a spirited challenge from Norway. The famed brother/sister combo were both top performers of their groups in the final round.

Norway, an eighth-place finisher four years ago, took silver, and Japan finished with bronze.

This sport made its Olympic debut in 2022, when Slovenia topped the podium and the Russian Olympic Committee and Canada captured silver and bronze, respectively.

Team USA, composed of Annika Belshaw, Jason Colby, Paige Jones and Tate Frantz, finished seventh on Monday.

Maxim Naumov made his Olympic debut skating to Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20. Naumov held a photo of himself with his parents while awaiting his scores after performing his short program.

Tomàs-Llorenc Guarino Sabaté's dreams came true today as he performed his Minions routine during the men's short program in the figure skating competition.

He scored 69.80 for his routine, which included a triple axel, triple flip, and a triple lutz plus triple toe loop combination.

Tomàs-Llorenc Guarino Sabaté of Spain today. Joosep Martinson / Getty Images

The Spanish skater went viral over the last week after he was unexpectedly denied the licensing rights for the music to his program. But the internet helped bring attention to his plight, and he was able to get each of the four clips in his routine cleared ahead of today’s skate.

He will need at least five skaters to score below him in order to make the top 24 who advance into Friday's free skate event.

The U.S. women now lead Canada 2-0 with under two minutes to play in the first period, after Abbey Murphy's no-look, backward pass led to Hannah Bilka's score.

A small scrap erupted between Team USA and Canada during the end of the first period of the women's hockey game just now.

With less than five minutes left in the first period, Canada's Laura Stacey and Rory Guilday had a small collision in front of the U.S. goal. Stacey, who was hit from behind, appeared to take issue with Guilday over the crash.

It's the first fight between the bitter rivals.

Andrew Torgashev, from Coral Springs, Florida, scored an 88.94 in qualifying in the short program tonight. He now ranks No. 1 overall through the first 14 competitors.

Fellow American Ilia Malinin is yet to perform.

Women's ice hockey has undergone a transformation in North America since the 2022 Beijing Games thanks to the creation of a women's league just a few years ago.

The Professional Women's Hockey League kicked off its first season in 2024, consisting today of eight teams in the U.S. and Canada. More than 60 of the players in this Olympic tournament play in the PWHL, including the entirety of the Canadian roster. Nearly 70% of the Team USA roster plays in the professional league, with the rest of the squad consisting of university players.

Five-time Olympian Hilary Knight plays for the Seattle Torrent alongside Alex Carpenter, who also made the Team USA squad. Canada's Sarah Fillier and Kristin O'Neill both play for the New York Sirens.

The U.S. has taken a 1-0 lead just 3:45 into the first period, after Haley Winn assisted Caroline Harvey. It's only the second goal allowed by Canada after giving up just one combined in its first two games.

It's just a group-play game, but tonight's U.S.-Canada showdown in women's hockey carries the weight of potentially being a preview of who could win the gold medal.

These teams have won all 31 major women's hockey trophies in history, including combining to win all seven Olympic hockey titles. The U.S. came into tonight 3-0, and Canada 2-0.

One thing to watch for: With one more goal, U.S. star Hilary Knight will own the all-time Olympic scoring record. Playing in her fifth and final Olympics, Knight has 14 goals.

After losing the mixed doubles curling gold medal match, Team USA's Korey Dropkin appeared to get emotional in a post-match interview on NBC.

"This week's been a dream," he said, pausing to collect himself. "Just had a blast playing with Corey [Thiesse]."

Both Dropkin and Thiesse admitted they could've performed better in the final, which they lost 6-5 to Sweden. “We just needed to be a little bit sharper,” Thiesse said.

But they were holding their heads high. "We had an amazing week. Man, we're on the podium," Dropkin said. "We're Olympic silver medalists."

Sweden's Rasmus and Isabella Wranå win 6-5 in the mixed doubles curling final. Team USA's Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse will take home silver.

Though the U.S. fell short, its silver medal is still historic. This is the first time the U.S. has ever medaled in the event. Thiesse is the first American woman to earn any medal in Olympic curling history.

Isabella and Rasmus Wranå of Sweden celebrate their gold medal. Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

Team USA has managed to pull ahead with its final throw of the seventh end, bringing the score to 5-4 in the mixed doubles curling final.

The duo from Duluth, Minnesota, needed to score well in this end as the Swedish siblings have the final throw of the eighth end, giving them the best position to score or throw the U.S. out of the button if need be.

Both teams enter what should be the last end of the final, but an extra end will be played if they manage to tie.

Watch highlights from Maxim Naumov's routine in today's men’s figure skating singles qualification.

Sweden's final throw of the sixth end managed to land on the button and push the U.S. stone out of contention, giving Sweden a 4-3 lead as the mixed doubles final enters its seventh end.

Isabella Wranå of Sweden competes with Rasmus Wranå against the U.S. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Germany reigns supreme in women's luge. Julia Taubitz won a gold medal in the singles event. Elina Bota from Latvia won silver, and Ashley Farquharson from the U.S. took home bronze.

For the first time, a Latvian woman will win a medal in luge — at least a silver — after Elina Bota's nearly perfect final run.

Latvia's Elina Bota celebrates after crossing the finish line. Tiziana Fabi / AFP - Getty Images

Bota knocked American Farquharson out of first play, but Farquharson will still get a medal, too.

Ashley Farquharson just barely snuck into first place during her final run, but in doing so, by a fraction of a second, she secures a medal.

Team USA has only ever had one medal in women's luge, meaning this run will etch Farquharson into the history of the sport.

Team USA's Emily Fischnaller stood in fifth place in the luge final after run three, but a few mistakes in her last run will keep her off the podium. She currently sits in eighth place, with four more women to compete.

Her husband, also a luger, won a bronze in the men's event in 2022 while he was competing for Italy.

It's a draw again, as Sweden and the U.S. are tied 3-3 in the mixed doubles curling final.

Chants of "U-S-A" could be heard throughout the stadium as the Americans, who had the last shot advantage in this end, threw quite a beautiful stone into the scoring area. But guards from Sweden kept the U.S. from picking up an extra point on their final throw.

If that last name sounded familiar, it's because it is.

Hannah Prock is the daughter of three-time Olympic medalist Markus Prock, a fellow luger who competed in the Games from 1984 to 2002.

Hannah Prock on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games. Al Bello / Getty Images

Hannah Prock currently sits in first of the women's singles luge finals, but there are still 10 more athletes to go.

American Maxim Naumov just scored an 85.65, a new season’s best. He ranks second out of the two skaters who have competed so far.

Naumov had a fantastic routine to the music of Nocturne No. 20 by Chopin. When he finished, the crowd erupted in cheers and many got to their feet. He held a photo of himself and his parents when he was young while the scores were read.

Maxim Naumov holds a picture of his parents. Wang Zhao / AFP - Getty Images

Sweden took back the lead in the fourth end of the mixed doubles curling final, scoring a point to pull ahead 3-2 in a close match.

Team USA was in good spirits, high-fiving after Cory Thiesse's final throw to knock a Sweden stone out of scoring contention. Sweden had the last throw of the end, though, and landed a point with their final rock.

Summer Britcher entered the game as the front-runner for Team USA in the luge. But a mistake on Day 1 left her playing catch-up for the rest of the runs.

On her final run, she hit the wall twice before crossing the finish line, but even still, her performance propelled her into first place with 13 more women to go.

Maxim Naumov is about to appear on the ice. He spoke with NBC News' Tom Llamas earlier today about his emotions going into the competition.

Figure skater Maxim Naumov makes Olympic debut after losing his parents

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Team USA is tied with Sweden 2-2 after the third end.

Sweden played a good defensive game by throwing guards toward the end, after Rasmus Wranå threw a rock that was slightly off his intended course early in the end.

The line of guards blocked the final shots by Team USA's Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, but the U.S. was still able to pick up a point.

Korey Dropkin competes with Cory Thiesse against Sweden. Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

And they're off! The final run — and the race to the medals podium — in women's singles luge has begun.

Here at the Milano Figure Skating Arena, men’s figure skating single’s qualification will kick off in a few minutes.

The headliner is American superstar Ilia Malinin, the gold medal favorite, who will skate last. The second skater of the night is Maxim Naumov, who tragically lost both of his parents in the plane crash outside of Washington, D.C., last year.

Sweden comes back to lead the U.S. 2-1 in the second end of the mixed doubles curling gold medal match.

The gold medal match might not have been the hardest part of the day for the American mixed doubles curling team of Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse.

On the way to the arena, the Team USA bus got stopped in traffic due to an accident, according to the NBC broadcast. Thiesse and Dropkin apparently got out and walked to the stadium through the spectator’s entrance. In the end, they made it there on time.

The incident mirrors what happened to figure skater Alysa Liu earlier this week: She was delayed to the ice after being stuck behind Vice President JD Vance's motorcade.

Team USA took the lead against Sweden 1-0 in the first end of the mixed doubles curling final.

The good news for Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin in today's mixed doubles curling is that they'll have the last rock of this game.

Team USA is throwing the yellow rocks, allowing them the second turn of each end. This will be a major advantage, as they aim to defeat Swedish siblings Rasmus and Isabella Wranå.

Thiesse and Dropkin previously defeated Sweden 8-7 in the round-robin play on Sunday.

Team USA's Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin are about to face Sweden in the gold medal match of mixed doubles curling.

Before the fourth and final run, here's who is leading the women's singles luge pack.

1. Julia Taubitz (Germany)
2. Elina Bota (Latvia)
3. Ashley Farquharson (USA)
4. Verena Hofer (Italy)
5. Emily Fischnaller (USA)

The top 20 from the just-completed third run will move on to the finals, happening soon. Taubitz remains the one to beat, but after her teammate faltered on her third run, the medal competition was blown open.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are expected to compete in the Olympics after a training accident put their availability in question.

Stellato-Dudek hit her head on the ice during training on Jan. 30, prompting close monitoring and evaluations. Team Canada said today that the duo will be able to compete on Sunday in accordance with guidance from medical professionals.

In a statement, Stellato-Dudek said she was grateful for those who supported her and that she's ready to take the ice.

"I’ve been working closely with the medical team, and feel ready and excited to compete,” she said. “My priority right now is skating my best."

Liz Lemley, Olivia Giaccio and Tess Johnson all advanced to the women's moguls final, which will take place tomorrow.

The Italian duo of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner came to their home Olympics as the standout favorites in the mixed doubles curling competition, having run through both the 2022 Olympics and 2025 world championships undefeated.

While Team Italy wasn’t quite as successful in Cortina, losing two games in round-robin play and a third match in the semifinals, they’ll leave with a victory and another medal.

With a 1-point lead going into the eighth end today, Constantini and Mosaner avoided a steal attempt by Great Britain and held for one to secure a 5-3 victory over Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat in the bronze medal match.

After her third run, Team USA luger Summer Britcher will keep her 12th place spot ahead of the final.

A small mistake didn't allow her to make up any time from her first two tries.

Only the top 20 will compete in the fourth and final run, so if no one edges her out, all three Americans competing in women's luge singles will have a chance at a medal.

Summer Britcher competes today. Al Bello / Getty Images

Emily Fischnaller slid into fifth place after her third luge run of the Milan Cortina Games, giving her the chance to compete in the finals later today.

Early on in the contest of the third run, two of the three Americans competing are sitting in the top five, giving the U.S. a big chance to take home a medal.

Emily Fischnaller of the U.S. competes today. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

Ashley Farquharson's third run was enough to get her into the third place spot after her stellar slide on the luge track today.

With only one more run to go, it puts Farquharson in a position of serious medal contention.

Only the fifth competitor out of 25 to go today, Farquharson is behind only Julia Taubitz from Germany and Elina Bota from Latvia.

The third of four luge runs for the women's singles event kicked off this morning with a German favorite crashing against the wall before sliding down the track.

Shortly after takeoff, Merle Malou Fraebel hit the side of the track, adding seconds to her total and knocking her out of her top-three position heading into the fourth run later today — if she makes it to the finals.

She was able to finish the run, but 54.144 seconds was just long enough to erase her cushion.

Tabitha Peterson, the captain of the U.S. women’s Olympic curling team, has to juggle aspirations of winning a gold medal with being a new mom and a job as a pharmacist. KARE’s Gordon Severson reports behind the scenes on the lives of athletes competing for gold in Milan Cortina.

Sweden's women’s hockey team shut out Japan 4-0 in group play and eliminated it from the Olympics.

When Jaelin Kauf, a Wyoming native, won silver in moguls at the 2022 Beijing Games, her family wasn't able to see her perform due to pandemic restrictions at the time. Well, at these Games, her family is making up for lost time. About 50 of her family and friends have traveled here to watch her compete. Kauf will need to finish in the top 20 of tomorrow's qualifiers to advance.

Liz Lemley of Vail, Colorado, crushed her qualifying round in women's moguls and finished second overall, only behind defending gold medalist Jakara Anthony of Australia. Lemley finished ahead of French athlete Perrine Laffont- a three-time World champion in moguls. Lemley's teammates Olivia Giaccio and Tess Johnson also advanced to the moguls final.

Watch Lemley celebrate with family and friends after her run:

Haley Winn’s three brothers are supporting their sister in a big way, bringing the energy before and during the game to support USA hockey.

After Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan took bronze in the women’s team combined, their excitement is palpable.

"Insane," Wiles replied when asked by NBC's Cara Banks about how it felt to finally achieve her dream of winning an Olympic medal. "The other day [when Wiles finished fourth in the downhill] was heartbreaking, but that's part of the sport. I was grateful to have another shot with Paula; she's insanely fast, so it's incredible. I knew she'd come through, and this is really cool."

"To share it with Jackie is probably the most special moment of my life," Moltzan added. "Jackie and myself have known each other for 16½ years, we've gone to many camps together so it's all culminated in this moment, it's so special."

The duo have been celebrating ever since being given their medals — so much so that Wiles’s medal is the latest one to break. “We’ve heard they can fix them,” the pair joked.

Canada team captain Marie-Philip Poulin will miss the team’s game against the United States today, a significant loss for the Canadians. Poulin is being ruled out with what the team is calling a lower body injury, which she suffered during the team’s 5-1 win over Czechia yesterday.

Today’s matchup is only a preliminary round match, so Poulin could be available should the teams match up in the knockout stage.

Team Canada is the defending gold medalist in women’s ice hockey, and has won gold at five out of the last six Olympics dating back to 2002. Canada defeated the U.S. 3-2 in the gold-medal game in Beijing.

The medal action is coming thick and fast today.

Italy just claimed bronze in mixed team curling, beating Britain 5-3 in front of a frenetic home crowd at the Cortina Curling Stadium. That is its 11th medal of these Games.

The countdown now begins to the gold medal match at 12:15 p.m. ET, when Team USA's duo of Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse take on Sweden.

Norway has also just added to its medal tally. It has taken both gold and bronze in the men's 20-kilometer biathlon. The medals for champion Johan-Olav Botn and Sturla Holm Laegreid see Norway join Italy at the top of the medal table, also with 11 medals.

Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner of Italy compete against Great Britain. Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

Ukraine's skeleton racer and flag bearer Vladyslav Heraskevych was seen wearing his helmet honoring athletes from his country who were killed during the war with Russia in training this afternoon, despite the IOC saying earlier that the helmet contravenes the Olympic Charter guidelines.

“We have to concentrate on the athletes’ performance and sport on the field of play, and it’s fundamental that they are equal rights for all athletes, and that Games need to be separated, not just from political and religious but from all types of interference,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference this morning.

The helmet worn by Vladyslav Heraskevych of Team Ukraine. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

He said Heraskevych will be allowed to wear a black armband in competition, calling the move a compromise.

It was not immediately clear if Heraskevych would choose to do so.

He did not comment on the IOC’s announcement this morning, but Ukraine’s Olympic Committee said he would hold a news conference later in the day.

Read the full story here.

Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin may have missed out on a medal, but there is joy to be had with a Team USA team on the podium. Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan have each claimed their first Olympic medals after multiple appearances at the Games.

Wiles was heartbroken after missing out on bronze by less than 0.3 seconds in Sunday's individual downhill: "It's awful to be that close after a lot of years of ups and downs, coming back from injuries — yeah, it hurts a lot," the Portland native said.

But now Wiles — competing in her third Olympics — finally has that elusive medal.

For Moltzan, it's her second Olympics, having appeared in Beijing. We'll be seeing her again in the individual slalom and giant slalom events.

Jacqueline Wiles, left, and Paula Moltzan on the podium Stefano Rellandini / AFP - Getty Images

Breezy Johnson posted the best time in the downhill portion of the Alpine skiing women’s team combined event, but her partner Mikaela Shiffrin was only 15th slalom, dropping the duo to fourth place. It was Shiffrin’s first event at the Olympics, and quite a shock that she didn’t medal. She and Johnson finished out of third place by .06 seconds.

Austria instead will take home the gold on the slopes, with the United States team of Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan winning bronze. Germany won silver.

Mikaela Shiffrin competes in the slalom run of the women's team combined event. Marco Bertorello / AFP - Getty Images

Team USA has started to rack up medals at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. NBC News’ Tom Llamas reports on the latest medal count and how Team USA is fairing at the Winter Games. Watch the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on NBC and streaming on Peacock.

Team USA starts to rack up medals at the Winter Games

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The standings as we head to Mikaela Shiffrin, our last racer: Austria in first, then Germany, and the U.S. team of Moltzan and Wiles in third.

Paula Moltzan finished the slalom half of the women’s Alpine team combined in 44.87 seconds, putting the United States team of Moltzan and Jacqueline Wiles in second place in the event.

Mikaela Shiffrin is still to ski, giving the U.S. a chance to pick up multiple medals in this discipline today.

Olympic gold medalist Breezy Johnson records the fastest time in the women’s team combined downhill, while Austria’s Ariane Raedler and Italy’s Laura Pirovano round out the top three. American Bella Wright did not finish.

The stands are packed and the crowd is psyched as the slalom gets underway here.

Unlike the downhill, we can see the entire course from the finish line, which makes it so exciting! The downhillers are waiting by the finish line and racing out to hug their slalom teammates as they finish.

As we await Mikaela Shiffrin’s run in the slalom portion of the alpine team combined event, six straight skiiers have failed to finish the course — with five crashing and one posting a disqualification. Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson are in first place, but they’ll have to avoid any mistakes to hold on for gold.

Eliane Christen of Switzerland falls on the slalom run today. Aleksandra Szmigiel / Reuters

It's time to decide the medals in the women's team combined skiing, with Mikaela Shiffrin looking to claim glory for herself and Breezy Johnson.

The skiers will go down in reverse order based on their teammates' times in the downhill. After Johnson went fastest in the downhill earlier today, Shiffrin will be the last skier down the mountain so expect her run at around 8:50 a.m. ET. Her time will be combined with Johnson's downhill time to determine their position on the leaderboard.

Alex Hall wasn't quite able to defend the Slopestyle title he won in Beijing four years ago, but it is silver for Team USA's freeski star. It is Team USA's fourth medal of these Games. Hall starts to tear up as his silver medal is confirmed  — this means a lot to him.

Hall during his first run today. David Ramos / Getty Images

Norway's Birk Ruud has won gold. His winning run in the opening round was a masterpiece and he now has the slopestyle title to add to the big air gold he won in Beijing.

New Zealand's Luca Harrington pulled out all the stops on his final run to jump up the leaderboard to take bronze.

American Ben Ogden won silver in the men’s cross-country skiing sprint classic, the United States’ first medal in cross-country in 50 years.

Bill Koch, a fellow Vermonter, won silver in 1976. Ogden actually grew up in the Bill Koch Youth Ski League and has skied with Koch.

With his fantastic classic technique, Ogden surged to silver with a time of three minutes and 40 seconds. 

Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won gold, his seventh in the Olympics since 2018.

Ogden celebrates silver in Val di Fiemme today. Lars Baron / Getty Images

World No. 1 Pietro Sighel and Canadian phenom William Dandjinou skated to composed wins in their men’s 1,000-meter heats, cleanly moving to the front of the pack by the last few laps of the race. Liu Shaoang also advanced.

It hasn't been Mac Forehand's day. He bails out of his final run and he hasn't been able to land an entirely clean run all day.

He will be a medal contender in big air Feb. 17, so all isn't lost for him.

Forehand during his third run today. Adam Pretty / Getty Images

It won't be gold today for Alex Hall. He falls on his final run, so he now faces a nervy wait to see whether he can hold on to silver medal position.

Fellow American Mac Forehand is yet to take on his third run. He hasn't had a run he has been happy with so far today. Will he find some magic to take a medal?

Imagine winning Olympic gold with your childhood friend. That could be the reality for Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin today in the women's team combined.

The pair lead the field after Johnson posted the fastest time in the downhill run earlier this morning. Shortly, it will be Shiffrin's turn to take on the slalom. Johnson and Shiffrin grew up together on the alpine circuit, and the pair took gold last year when this event made its debut at the world championships. But an Olympic gold together? That would be on a whole different level.

Shiffrin and Johnson celebrate gold at the 2025 alpine skiing world championships in Austria. Jens Büttner / DPA via Getty Images

Born 10 months apart, Johnson and Shiffrin are close friends having grown up racing together as children. The moment of competing for an Olympic medal with one of her closest friends is not lost on Johnson.

“It’s really cool to race the Olympics with somebody you’ve known since you were 12 years old," Johnson told NBC's Cara Banks after her downhill run this morning. "It’s something you kind of gab about when you’re a little kid at the sleepovers, so to all the little girls out there who have a best friend who also ski races, maybe one day you can race the Olympics together.”

That's much better from Alex Hall, he's nailed his second run! He's much tidier through the rails and shows off some beautiful jumps. But awarded a score of 85.75, it's not quite enough to dethrone Birk Rudd for top spot. It's silver medal position through the first two runs.

Alex Hall of Team USA at Livigno Air Park today. Patrick Smith / Getty Images

What has he got in his locker for the final run? He probably has a little bit more tidying up to do in the rails, so he does have a gold medal run in him. At the bottom of the course, Hall is analysing that run with his coach, figuring out how he can defend his Olympic gold.

And what about Mac Forehand? He completes his second run, so it's an improvement on his first run. But it's not as technically clean as the higher scorers. He's not out of this, but he will need to go big on the final run to contend.

Ruud, for his part, doesn't improve on his second run after an error coming off the first jump.

One final run to go. It all comes down to this.

Italy's Pietro Sighel celebrates after winning gold. Wang Zhao / AFP - Getty Images

A win for the home country in short track mixed team relay, as Italy beat Canada (silver), Belgium (bronze) and China for gold. In an ironic twist, Netherlands set an Olympic record in the Final B race, finishing the race in 2:35.537 — but wasn’t eligible for a medal due to their semifinal finish.

The United States finished fourth in Final B.

Ahmed Fareed catches up with Brittany Bowe’s mother and sister, Debbie and Brooke, after watching Bowe compete in the women’s 1,000-meter, and they describe their emotions as they watch her compete in her final Olympics.

All three Americans in the field fail to land their first runs in the men's slopestyle, though that is OK — they all have two more chances to nail it.

Mac Forehand sees his ski slip from a rail on his run, sending him tumbling. He's slow to get back to his feet but eventually does so and skis to the bottom of the course.

Forehand flies through the air in Livigno this morning.  David Ramos / Getty Images

Alex Hall completes his run, but it is a little scruffy on the first two rail elements, coming off both earlier than he would have liked. He's not thrilled with it, and a score of 52.65 will need to be improved on his remaining runs if he is to contend. Montana's Konnor Ralph, making his Olympic debut here, also doesn't land a clean run.

Norway's Birk Ruud is the standard-bearer so far with a score of 86.28. That's a big run to land at this stage!

The United States was running in first place with six laps to go in the short track mixed team relay when Corinne Stoddard fell and crashed into the wall, knocking the U.S. into last place. The U.S. was not able to recover and will now race in Final B, meaning the team will not be eligible for a medal.

Stoddard falls on the ice. Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

The hosts continue to lead the way in overall medals heading into Day 4 of the Winter Games.

For the most gold medals, however, Norway and Switzerland are tied at the top, with three apiece. Team USA is in seventh and has two gold medals, both won on Sunday, with Breezy Johnson’s victory in women’s downhill skiing and the United States’ powerhouse performance in the figure skating team event.

Alex Hall is about to try to defy gravity as he looks to defend his men's slopestyle gold over at the snowpark in Livigno.

The Salt Lake City native headlines a high-class field with Norway's Birk Ruud looking as though he will be Hall's strongest competition. Ruud has won the last two world titles in slopestyle and qualified in first position.

Hall warming up today. Adam Pretty / Getty Images

Hall is one of three Americans in the field  — he is joined by Mac Forehand and Konnor Ralph in an event Team USA has historically dominated. Americans have won six of the nine medals, including two golds, since slopestyle made its Olympic debut in Sochi in 2014.

Each runner gets three attempts at the course as they look to pull off jaw-dropping tricks off three rails and three jumps as they make their way down the course. Only the best score counts for each competitor.

Ukraine’s Winter Olympics flagbearer has accused the International Olympic Committee of betrayal after he was banned from wearing a helmet honoring athletes from his country who were killed during the war with Russia.

Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych wore his “helmet of remembrance” during a training run at the Cortina Sliding Center yesterday. It’s covered in images of Ukrainian athletes killed during the nearly four-year Russian invasion.

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych during the men's skeleton training yesterday. Andrew Milligan / PA Images via Getty Images

But the IOC confirmed today that Heraskevych won’t be allowed to wear the helmet, saying it contravenes the Olympic Charter guidelines. He will be allowed to wear a black armband, it said, calling the move a compromise.

“We have to concentrate on the athletes’ performance and sport on the field of play, and it’s fundamental that they are equal rights for all athletes, and that Games need to be separated, not just from political and religious but from all types of interference,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference.

Read the full article here

Over at Tesero, the shortest race of the Olympic cross-country skiing program is ongoing, the individual sprint classic, where competitors ski around the 1.5-kilometer course as fast as they can.

The women's quarterfinals have just wrapped up and unfortunately, Team USA's Jessie Diggins, who won bronze in this event in Beijing, is out. The podium is expected to be dominated by Scandinavian countries  — Sweden is hoping to sweep the three podium positions here.

On the men's side, Norway's Johannes Klæbo is chasing his second gold medal of these Games as he continues his quest to win an unprecedented six gold medals at a single Winter Games. This is an event in which he is the heavy favorite. The men's quarterfinals are about to kick off.

The United States finished second in one of three quarterfinal races in the short track speed skating mixed team relay, clinching a semifinal spot. The final will be run today at at 7:03 a.m. ET.

The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind for Breezy Johnson after winning Olympic gold in Sunday's downhill race, but now she's settled in the moment and said she was relaxed and skiing freely in today's run in the team combined.

"I know what it is to have an Olympic dream, and to hold someone else's in your hand is a big deal," Johnson told NBC's Cara Banks after her downhill run handed herself and Shiffrin the lead going into Shiffrin's slalom run later. "I didn't feel super stressed about having to win the run, but I definitely didn't want to crash or do anything that would mean she couldn't go and execute. And once I got through the top section, which I was a little bit nervous about, I was like, let's be relaxed, let's go have some fun and just try to ski free."

Asked how it felt preparing to race again 48 hours after winning Olympic gold, Johnson said: "Honestly, I think now I'm so much more relaxed and so much more ready to soak in the moment of the downhill because I had a lot of anxiety afterwards and, you know, I needed to do this. For other people it's such a big deal. But now I'm relaxed and whatever happens happens."

Shiffrin will have the opportunity to deliver gold for herself and Johnson when she competes in the slalom run at 8 a.m. ET.

Team USA’s cross-country skiers Jessie Diggins, Sammy Smith, Lauren Jortberg and Julia Kern qualified for the sprint classic quarterfinals.

It's looking good for the blockbuster pairing of Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin. Johnson has set up Shiffrin with a narrow lead ahead of her run in the slalom later today.

Johnson's time of 1:36.59 was not quite as fast or as clean as her winning run Sunday, but it does hand Shiffrin a 0.06-second advantage over Austria's pairing of Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber.

Team USA also holds fourth place after the downhill thanks to Jackie Wiles. She is looking for her first Olympic medal after narrowly missing out on downhill bronze Sunday — her hopes now rest with her slalom teammate Paula Moltzan, who is ranked sixth in this season's FIS World Cup slalom rankings.

A reminder, this morning's downhill time will be combined with the times from the slalom run at 8 a.m. ET for each pair, with the fastest combined time winning gold.

Bella Wright celebrates her 29th birthday today. She is the third of the four Team USA skiers down the run this morning, but this will be a birthday run down the slopes to forget as an error seconds into her run sees her bail out.

Breezy Johnson's run of 1:36.59 remains the fastest of the morning so far, putting her narrowly ahead of Austria's Ariane Raedler and Italy's Laura Pirovano. Team USA's Jackie Wiles has the fourth fastest time, so she and partner Paula Moltzan are very much in contention for a medal.

Keely Cashman will be the final American down the course shortly.

The American breezes into the lead!

A confident run from Johnson with a time of 1:36.59. That gives her and Mikaela Shiffrin a narrow lead of 0.06s.

Breezy Johnson competing today.  Stefano Rellandini / AFP - Getty Images

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Breezy Johnson is at the top of the course and is ready to go. Can she back up her gold medal run from Sunday here? Let's see how she goes.

Soffia Goggia is down! She skids off early in her run, but she is fortunately quickly up on her feet.

Goggia crashes during her downhill run this morning. Marco Bertorello / AFP - Getty Images

The home crowd can't believe it. There won't be another Olympic medal today for Goggia, who won bronze Sunday. And the brutal nature of this event means her teammate, Lara Della Mea, is now also out of medal contention.

It was crystal blue skies for the downhill race Sunday, but it's not quite as glorious out there today with a tinge of gray in the sky.

Jackie Wiles is the first American down the course and she has gone third fastest. A time of 1:37.04 is solid and gives her partner, Paula Moltzan, a good platform to work with later on in the slalom. Wiles is looking for her first Olympic medal having just missed out on the podium Sunday.

Austria's Ariane Raedler is the fastest down the course so far, posting a time of 1:36.65. Italy's downhill great Sofia Goggia, who won bronze Sunday in the individual race, is up next and Breezy Johnson is due down the mountain shortly.

We're underway on Cortina's famed Olympia delle Tofane with the downhill runs for the women's team combined event. France's Romane Miradoli sets the benchmark at 1:37.37. Breezy Johnson's winning time in Sunday's individual downhill was over a second quicker on this same course.

France's Romane Miradoli competing today. Marco Bertorello / AFP - Getty Images

Johnson, who is paired up with Mikaela Shiffrin in Team USA's headline pairing, will be the 14th competitor to lay down a time, so look out for her in around 30 minutes.

Before then, Jackie Wiles will look to get Team USA's other main medal-contending pairing off to a strong start. Wiles, who is teamed up with Paula Moltzan, is going to be the 8th racer down the course.

The slalom runs, which will include Shiffrin take place later in the day at 8 a.m. ET. The times for each run are combined to determine the winning pair.

There are nine medal events today, with Mikaela Shiffrin racing in her first event of these Games and Alex Hall looking to defend his gold from Beijing on the slopes.

Team USA will also go for glory against Sweden in the gold medal match of the mixed doubles curling.

Tonight, Ilia Malinin will kick off his bid to win the men's singles figure skating title, and the U.S. women’s hockey team renews its rivalry with Canada.

This morning's action for Team USA is headlined by the U.S. women's alpine skiers returning to the slopes after Sunday's dramatic downhill event, which saw Lindsey Vonn's horrendous crash and Breezy Johnson take America's first gold of these Games.

Mikaela Shiffrin during the 2026 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup in Jan. Millo Moravski / Getty Images

Today is the women's team combined event, and we'll see Mikaela Shiffrin, the most successful alpine skier of all time, make her Milan Cortina debut. She is teaming up with Johnson, and they will enter today's event as the favorites, having won gold in this event at last year's world championships.

A reminder of the format for this event — nations enter teams of two skiers, with one racing in a downhill run and another racing in the slalom, with the two times combined to give each team its overall time. Each country can enter a maximum of four pairs. It is a new event for these Games, replacing the old combined format where skiers would compete individually in both disciplines. It will be the downhill runs up first at 4:30 a.m. ET, so Johnson will be hoping to lay down a strong foundation ahead of Shiffrin's slalom run later on.

Team USA have four pairs competing. In addition to Johnson and Shiffrin, the pairing of Jackie Wiles — who finished just outside the medals in Sunday's downhill — and Paula Molzan could also contend for a position on the podium.

The U.S. women’s hockey team showed no signs of slowing down in yet another five-goal game, this time shutting out Switzerland 5-0 in a game that saw five different U.S. players score.

Lindsey Vonn broke her silence last night after her brutal crash in Sunday's downhill final.

Posting on Instagram, Vonn said she suffered a complex tibia fracture that will require multiple surgeries to repair. The injury is on the same leg as her ruptured ACL, but she insisted that injury had nothing to do with her crash.Read the full story here.

Lindsey Vonn breaks silence after horrific crash at Olympics

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