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The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina concluded on Sunday, February 22. Norway came out with the most gold medals, and the United States secured its most successful performance in history after their men’s hockey team won their first gold medal in nearly 50 years.
In the final event of the Winter Games, the U.S. men’s hockey team defeated Canada in overtime, with the final score being 2-1. This was the first American gold medal in ice hockey since 1980. Jack Hughes scored the winning goal just 101 seconds into the extra period, playing through the pain after losing two teeth to a high stick earlier in the game.
This victory had completed a rare “double” for American hockey, coming just days after the U.S. women’s team also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime. Captain Hillary Knight set U.S. Olympic records for career goals and points during the tournament, recognized as one of the sport’s greatest athletes.
Norwegian skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the first athlete to win 6 gold medals in a single Winter Olympics. He won every cross-country event he entered. The previous record was 5 gold medals, set by Eric Heiden in 1980.
American speed-skater Jordan Stolz got two gold medals in the 500m and 1,000m, both in Olympic record time, plus a silver in the 1,500m. He became the first American man to win multiple speed skating golds at a single Winter Olympics.
Norway finished first for the third Olympic Games in a row, setting a record with 18 gold medals. The United States finished in second with 12 golds and 33 total medals, its best medal count since 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Olympic flame was extinguished in Milan, and the flag was passed onto representatives from France, which will host the Winter Olympics in 2030 in the French Alps.