Complete Coverage of Day 7 Action as United States Sits Third in Medal Count with 14 Total Medals Behind Norway and Italy
MILAN, Italy — The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina delivered another day of stunning upsets, dominant performances, and medal-worthy moments on Thursday, February 12, as Team USA continued its strong showing in the Italian Alps while suffering one of the Games’ biggest surprises.
Seventeen-year-old Choi Gaon of South Korea stunned two-time defending Olympic champion Chloe Kim in the women’s snowboard halfpipe, ending the American superstar’s quest for a historic three-peat. Meanwhile, Team USA’s women’s hockey team continued its overwhelming march through the tournament, and figure skating phenom Ilia Malinin prepared for his gold medal showdown in the men’s individual competition.
As the Games approach the midway point, the United States sits third in the overall medal count with 14 total medals (4 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze), trailing only host nation Italy (17 total) and perennial winter sports powerhouse Norway (25 total).
Chloe Kim’s Three-Peat Dream Ends in Stunning Upset
17-Year-Old Korean Phenom Dethrones American Icon
In the biggest shock of the 2026 Winter Olympics so far, South Korean teenager Choi Gaon delivered a career-defining performance in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final, dethroning two-time Olympic champion Chloe Kim with a brilliant third-run score of 90.25 points.
Choi, competing in her first Olympics at just 17 years old, became the youngest medalist at the Milan Cortina Games and delivered South Korea’s first-ever Olympic medal in the snowboard halfpipe event—a competition the United States has dominated since Chloe Kim’s breakout gold medal performance at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
Kim, who was seeking to become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe titles, struggled throughout the final and finished fourth with a best score of 83.50. The 25-year-old American, widely considered the greatest halfpipe rider in history, fell on her first two runs and couldn’t find the amplitude and technical difficulty needed to challenge the podium on her third attempt.
“I gave it everything I had today, but sometimes that’s just not enough,” Kim said in a post-competition interview, visibly emotional. “Choi was absolutely incredible. She deserved this win. This sport is evolving so fast, and she represents the next generation.”
Final Results – Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe:
- Choi Gaon (South Korea) – 90.25 points – GOLD
- Queralt Castellet (Spain) – 88.75 points – SILVER
- Mitsuki Ono (Japan) – 86.50 points – BRONZE
- Chloe Kim (USA) – 83.50 points
- Maddie Mastro (USA) – 81.25 points
Choi’s winning run featured back-to-back 1080s (three full rotations), flawless amplitude reaching 12 feet above the halfpipe lip, and technical execution that left judges with no choice but to award the highest score of the competition.
“I’ve watched Chloe Kim since I was 10 years old,” Choi said through a translator. “She’s my hero. To compete against her in the Olympics and win—I still can’t believe it’s real.”
Men’s Halfpipe: Can Team USA Bounce Back?
With Chloe Kim’s upset fresh in everyone’s minds, attention now turns to Thursday’s men’s snowboard halfpipe final, where 17-year-old American Alessandro Barbieri hopes to deliver redemption for Team USA.
Barbieri, who posted the fourth-best qualifying score, faces a stacked field including:
- Ayumu Hirano (Japan) – Defending Olympic gold medalist and three-time medalist
- Scotty James (Australia) – Four-time world champion
- Jan Scherrer (Switzerland) – 2023 world champion
- Yuto Totsuka (Japan) – Bronze medalist from Beijing 2022
“The pressure is definitely there after what happened with Chloe,” Barbieri acknowledged Wednesday. “But I’m just going to go out there and do what I love. That’s all I can control.”
American coach Mike Jankowski expressed confidence despite Kim’s shocking loss: “Alessandro has been riding out of his mind all season. He knows what he needs to do, and he’s got the tricks to challenge anyone in this field.”
Ilia Malinin: The ‘Quad God’ Chases Olympic Glory
Five-Point Lead Sets Up Gold Medal Coronation
Figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin holds a commanding five-point advantage heading into Friday’s men’s free skate final, positioning himself for what appears to be an inevitable Olympic gold medal—barring a catastrophic meltdown.
The 20-year-old American, nicknamed the “Quad God” for his unprecedented mastery of quadruple jumps, posted a dominant performance in Thursday’s short program, scoring 108.52 points. That mark gives him a comfortable cushion over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama (103.41 points) and South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan (101.87 points).
Current Standings After Short Program:
- Ilia Malinin (USA) – 108.52 points
- Yuma Kagiyama (Japan) – 103.41 points
- Cha Jun-hwan (South Korea) – 101.87 points
- Kevin Aymoz (France) – 99.78 points
- Kao Miura (Japan) – 98.23 points
Malinin’s short program featured a flawless quad lutz, triple axel, and quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination that drew standing ovations from the crowd at the Mediolanum Forum. But the real drama awaits in Friday’s free skate, where Malinin plans to attempt figure skating’s holy grail: the quad axel.
The Quest for the Quad Axel
No skater in Olympic history has successfully landed a quad axel in competition—a jump requiring four and a half rotations in the air. Malinin became the first person ever to land the jump in competition at the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, and he’s been perfecting it ever since.
“I’ve been landing it consistently in practice here,” Malinin said Thursday. “The question is just whether I’ll have the confidence to go for it when it matters most. With the lead I have, I could play it safe and still win gold. But that’s not why I’m here. I want to make history.”
If Malinin successfully executes the quad axel on Friday, he would join an exclusive club of Olympic figure skating legends who pushed the sport’s technical boundaries—following in the footsteps of Brian Boitano (first ratified triple axel in 1988), Kurt Browning (first ratified quad toe loop in 1988), and Nathan Chen (first to land six quads in an Olympic free skate in 2018).
“Ilia isn’t just skating for a gold medal—he’s skating for his legacy,” said Olympic champion and NBC commentator Scott Hamilton. “If he lands that quad axel on Olympic ice, he’ll be remembered forever.”
Team Event Gold Already Secured
Malinin’s Olympic experience began with a rocky start in the team event, where he delivered two underwhelming performances that raised questions about his readiness. However, Team USA still captured gold in the team competition thanks to strong showings from ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates, pairs skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, and Malinin’s redemption free skate that scored 200.03 points—breaking the tie with Japan.
That team gold represents the United States’ first figure skating team event victory since the format was introduced at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Team USA Women’s Hockey: Steamroller Continues
Quarterfinal Matchup Against Italy Looms
The United States women’s hockey team has been nothing short of dominant through pool play at the Milan Cortina Olympics, outscoring opponents 20-1 through four preliminary round games while posting a perfect 4-0 record.
The Americans’ most impressive performance came in a statement 5-0 dismantling of co-favorite Canada—a result that sent shockwaves through the tournament and established Team USA as the overwhelming gold medal favorite.
Team USA Women’s Hockey Pool Play Results:
- vs. Finland: 6-0 WIN
- vs. Switzerland: 4-0 WIN
- vs. Japan: 5-1 WIN
- vs. Canada: 5-0 WIN
- Record: 4-0 (20 goals for, 1 goal against)
“We wanted to make a statement against Canada, and I think we did that,” said forward Hilary Knight, who scored twice in the Canada rout. “But the real tournament starts now. Every game from here is win-or-go-home.”
The quarterfinal round begins Thursday with Team USA facing host nation Italy—a matchup heavily favoring the Americans. Italy advanced to the knockout stage as one of the lower-seeded qualifiers and isn’t considered a medal threat, having lost all four preliminary games by a combined score of 19-3.
The Road to Gold: Can USA Avenge 2022 Loss?
Team USA women’s hockey carries the painful memory of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where Canada defeated the Americans 3-2 in the gold medal game to reclaim Olympic supremacy after the United States’ stunning 2018 PyeongChang triumph.
That loss stung deeply for a program accustomed to dominance, and it has fueled the team’s preparation for Milan Cortina.
“2022 is in the rearview mirror, but it’s not forgotten,” said head coach Katie Million. “That loss drove us for four years. Now we have a chance to prove we’re the best team in the world. But we have to earn it one game at a time.”
Projected Medal Round Schedule:
- Quarterfinals (Thursday): USA vs. Italy
- Semifinals (Saturday): Winner vs. Finland or Switzerland (projected)
- Gold Medal Game (Monday, Feb. 16): Likely USA vs. Canada rematch
The Americans’ pool play destruction of Canada has made them heavy favorites, but hockey’s unpredictability—especially in single-elimination formats—means nothing is guaranteed.
Norway Leads Medal Count as Italy Surges
Host Nation Enjoying Historic Home Games Performance
As Day 7 of competition concluded, Norway maintained its position atop the overall medal standings with an impressive 25 total medals, while host nation Italy has delivered its best Winter Olympics performance in history with 17 medals—good for second place overall.
Top 10 Medal Count (Through Day 7):
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 7 | 5 | 13 | 25 |
| 2 | Italy | 6 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
| 3 | United States | 4 | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| 4 | Germany | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 5 | Sweden | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 7 | Austria | 3 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| 8 | France | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | Japan | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
Italy’s Historic Home Games
Italy’s 17 medals already surpass the nation’s previous Winter Olympics best of 10 medals at the 2006 Torino Games—also held on home soil. The Italian delegation has captured gold in Alpine skiing (Federica Brignone, Sofia Goggia bronze), speedskating, and luge, with strong performances across numerous disciplines.
“These Games have united our country,” said Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malagò. “The atmosphere in Milan and Cortina has been electric. Our athletes are feeding off that energy.”
Team USA’s Medal Breakdown
The United States’ 14 medals include:
- 4 Gold: Figure skating team event, freestyle skiing (2), snowboarding
- 7 Silver: Ice dance (Chock/Bates), Alpine skiing (2), speedskating (3), freestyle skiing
- 3 Bronze: Snowboarding, Alpine skiing, luge
American officials project the final medal count to reach 22-26 total medals, which would match or slightly exceed the 25 medals won at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Other Day 7 Highlights and Results
Alpine Skiing: Federica Brignone Inspires Italy
Italian Alpine skiing star Federica Brignone delivered an emotional victory in the women’s giant slalom, winning gold just weeks after returning from a significant knee injury that threatened her Olympic participation.
Brignone, skiing in front of a raucous home crowd in Cortina d’Ampezzo, posted a combined time of 2:16.88 across two runs to edge Sweden’s Sara Hector (2:17.01) and Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami (2:17.29).
“I can’t describe this feeling,” Brignone said through tears. “After everything I’ve been through to get here, to win gold for Italy in front of our people—it’s the greatest moment of my life.”
The 34-year-old Brignone is now a three-time Olympic medalist and solidified her status as one of the greatest Italian Alpine skiers in history.
Luge: Germany Dominates Team Relay
Germany extended its unprecedented luge team relay winning streak, capturing a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal with a track record time. The Germans have won every luge team relay gold since the event was introduced at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The German team of Natalie Geisenberger, Johannes Ludwig, Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt, and Jessica Degenhardt posted a combined time of 2:28.437, finishing 0.398 seconds ahead of Austria’s team.
Germany’s luge dominance at Milan Cortina 2026 is complete: 3 gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze across five luge events, giving them a medal in every single luge competition.
Short Track Speedskating: Dutch and Chinese Gold
Women’s 500m:
Netherlands’ Xandra Velzeboer captured her first Olympic gold medal with a dominant wire-to-wire victory in 41.609 seconds. Italy’s Arianna Fontana claimed her record 13th Olympic medal (across all colors) with a silver-medal finish at age 33.
Men’s 1000m:
Jens van ‘t Wout of the Netherlands made a late-race move to edge China’s Sun Long for gold, winning in 1:24.381. The thrilling finish came down to a photo review before van ‘t Wout was declared the winner by 0.008 seconds.
Ice Dance: Chock and Bates Win Silver
American ice dance legends Madison Chock and Evan Bates, competing in their fourth Olympics, captured silver medals in a controversial competition won by France’s Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron.
The French duo, making a comeback after retiring following their 2022 Beijing gold medal, scored 226.98 total points to edge Chock and Bates (224.63) by just 2.35 points—a margin that sparked debate about scoring and judging bias.
What to Watch: Friday’s Can’t-Miss Events
Men’s Figure Skating Free Skate (10:00 AM EST)
Ilia Malinin goes for gold and Olympic history with his planned quad axel attempt. Can he deliver the performance of a lifetime?
Where to Watch: NBC, Peacock
Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Final (8:30 AM EST)
Can 17-year-old Alessandro Barbieri deliver a medal for Team USA after Chloe Kim’s stunning upset?
Where to Watch: NBC, Peacock
Women’s Hockey Quarterfinals (12:00 PM EST)
Team USA faces Italy in a must-win knockout round game as the march toward gold continues.
Where to Watch: USA Network, Peacock
Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super-G (4:00 AM EST)
American stars Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Travis Ganong chase medals in the speed event.
Where to Watch: NBC, Peacock
Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Aerials Final (9:00 PM EST)
Team USA’s Ashley Caldwell and Megan Nick compete for medals in the high-flying event.
Where to Watch: NBC, Peacock
How to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics
Dates: February 6-22, 2026
TV Channel: NBC (primetime coverage), USA Network (daytime coverage)
Streaming: Peacock (all events live), NBCOlympics.com
Spanish Language: Telemundo, Universo
Streaming Details:
- Peacock Premium ($7.99/month) provides access to all Olympic events live and on-demand
- NBC and USA Network cable subscribers can stream via NBCOlympics.com
- Peacock offers multiple simultaneous streams for events happening concurrently
The Bottom Line: Team USA Chasing Strong Finish
With one week remaining at the Milan Cortina Olympics, Team USA sits in medal position across numerous sports but faces stiff competition from traditional winter sports powers Norway, Germany, and host nation Italy.
Key storylines for the second week:
- Can Ilia Malinin make history with the quad axel?
- Will women’s hockey deliver the gold medal fans expect?
- Can American Alpine skiers challenge European dominance?
- Will Mikaela Shiffrin add to her medal collection in technical events?
The answers will unfold over seven more days of competition in the Italian Alps, where winter sports glory hangs in the balance and Olympic dreams either come true or slip away.
Stay Updated: Follow our live coverage throughout the Milan Cortina Olympics for real-time results, breaking news, and exclusive athlete interviews.
Also Read this:
2026 Winter Olympics: Team USA Men’s Hockey Schedule and Results as Americans Chase First Gold Medal Since 1980 Miracle on Ice
Social Connect:
