US Wins 12 Gold Medals in Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics proved to be a historic showing for Team USA as they came away with a record 33 medals across numerous different events. Held in Milan Cortina, the games took place between Feb. 6-22 and drew the highest ratings since 2014 as America tuned in to watch their athletes triumph. 

Women led the way as they were responsible for 8 of the 12 gold medals won by the US. Of these amazing athletes, one of the most influential proved to be Alysa Liu, whose historic comeback to skating on her own terms led her to winning the first gold in the Women’s Singles event since 2002. Liu has since been seen as an inspirational figure to many as she goes against the traditional Olympic stereotypes through her unique style and perspective on sports-life balance. As well as Liu individually, the US figure skating team as a whole also received gold in the team event, with a stellar performance by Ilia Malinin securing the win. In addition to figure skating, speed skater Jordan Stolz brought home two gold medals in the Men’s 1000-meter and 500-meter events.

Team USA also dominated in skiing this year, taking home four gold, seven silver, and three bronze medals in the sport. Breezy Johnson, Elizabeth Lemley, and Mikaela Shiffrin led the way in the women’s events, earning gold in the Women’s Downhill, Moguls, and Slalom, respectively. As for the men, Alex Ferreira achieved gold in the freestyle skiing Men’s Halfpipe. The final victory was won by Connor Curran, Kailia Kuhn, and Christopher Lillis in the freestyle skiing Mixed Team Aerials.

One of the most exciting Olympic events of the year proved to be the US vs Canada hockey game, where America came out victorious in a 2-1 victory over Team Canada in overtime. This marked their first medal since 1980 and added yet another layer to the historic rivalry between the US and Canada. Interestingly, the Women’s hockey team also defeated Canada in a thrilling overtime battle, resulting in a final score of 2-1 as well. Granted, the wait for revenge wasn’t quite as long for the Women’s team, as they celebrated their last win in 2018. 

In addition to wins for skating, skiing, and hockey, the US also won a gold medal in bobsleigh, which was earned by Elana Meyers Taylor in the Women’s monobob event. Overall, Team USA established itself to be a dominant force across numerous events on the world stage, making the 2026 Winter Olympics one of the most memorable sporting events to date.