Alexa Ford ‘26, Social Media Manager
After four years of long training and preparation, the United States closed the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics as one of the most successful nations to compete, leaving Italy with 33 medals, 12 being gold, which put them in second place with the most gold medals won. Team USA showcased outstanding performances in snowboarding, figure skating, speed skating, ice hockey, curling, and more. The performances had fans on the edge of their seats watching their country showcase their top talents against other countries.
In women’s downhill alpine skiing, Breezy Johnson took home gold, the first medal she has ever received in her career. According to NBC Olympics, Johnson said, “It’s pretty sweet. Sometimes good things may come to those who wait.” Johnson shows that her age does not define your ability to win, it is how you perform. She is 30 years old, but has been competing for over two decades, since she was five years old. This was a huge accomplishment for Johnson, winning after her teammate Lindsey Vonn took a hard crash and was later airlifted to a hospital.
As many know, in the women’s singles figure skating, Alysa Liu took home her gold medal after a touching and upbeat performance. Liu’s routine not only showcased her talent in skating, but it showed her love and true joy she has for the sport. Many people were touched by her cheerful routine and attitude and have given her a lot of well-deserved attention since the games concluded. She became the first American woman since Sarsh Hughes in 2022 to win a medal in women’s figure skating, but this is not the only reason why Liu has gotten so much recognition; it is also her fun, humble attitude that is turning heads. Liu told NBC News “Being able to do it my way on the big stage like this has been my dream. And I got to do it on my tour. I got to do it in the team event, and I got to do it tonight for the free skate, and I’m going to do it again for the Olympic Gala. I’m just, like, over the moon. I’m the luckiest girl ever. And I’m really grateful.” Her response shows her love for the sport, and her pure gratitude for the opportunity to perform especially after her hiatus from skating. Also, highlighting how important it is to have fun even in high pressure situations. She also shows that even in an intense competition like the Olympics, she was excited to perform her routine, not just for the judges, but for herself.
Jordan Stolz took home the gold medal in speed skating, winning in both the 500 meter and the 1,000 meter events both in Olympic record times. Stolz won with the largest margin of victory on the Olympic level since 1984. He has shown that you can always make it to the top, even with a slow start, the fourth slowest to begin the race, he picked up in the final lap, passing the finish line in first place. Stoltz has proven that even when starting in last place, you can still make it to the top and win.
The men’s and women’s ice hockey team both took home a well-deserved gold medal this year. With the women’s team beating Canada 2-1 in overtime, they took home their third Olympic gold medal, making up for their loss against Canada in 2022. The men’s hockey team won gold in their game against Canada also beating them 2-1 in overtime, where Jack Hughes, forward, scored the last goal to end the game in victory. The men’s team has celebrated their win extra hard this year after winning their first gold since 1980. Both teams honored their wins, coincidentally against the same team.
With many other sports in the 2026 Olympics that won gold medals, this year has truly displayed the incredible athletic talents the United States has amongst competitors, but also the sportsmanship and teamwork they not only have with each other, but the other teams as well. The next Olympics will take place in Los Angeles, California in summer 2028 to showcase more talents in other sports, and see what other gold medals the U.S. can take home in victory.
Lyon Life 