The Winter Olympic Games in Italy concluded on February 22nd, delivering record-breaking performances, incredible comebacks, and memorable finishes.
Overall, Norway led in the medal count, with 41 total medals, including 18 gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze. Coming in second place was the United States, with 33 total medals, including 12 gold, 12 silver, and nine bronze.
“I really love the story of grit and determination that comes with athletes,” senior Wendy Espinoza said. “I was really surprised that neither China nor Japan was one of the leaders this year, considering they have in the past Winter Olympics.”
According to ESPN, fans in the U.S. were most excited to watch the figure skating events in this year’s Winter Olympics. In particular, all eyes were on figure skaters Ilia Malinin, in the men’s singles, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, in ice dance, and Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito, in the women’s singles.
“I really love following all types of figure skating. I’ve been watching since 2018 and have followed each Olympics and world championship,” Espinoza said. “I love all figure skaters, with my favorites being Donovan Carrillo, Liu, Malinlin, Kaori Sakamoto, and Glenn.”
In the men’s singles, Malinin, nicknamed “the Quad God” for his ability to land a quadruple axel in competitions, was favored to win the gold medal, according to CBS News. However, Malinin finished eighth, falling multiple times in his performance.
“It’s just a lot on you, just so many eyes, so much attention,” Malinin said in an interview with NBC News. “It really can get to you if you’re not ready to fully embrace it, so I think that might be one of the mistakes I made going into that free skate was I was not ready to handle that to a full extent.”
In the Women’s singles, Liu received the gold medal, making her the first American to win gold in this category in 24 years, while Glenn came in third and Levito came in 13th.
“I think my story is more important than anything,” Liu said in a New York Times interview. “This journey has been incredible, and my life has just been—I have no complaints. I’m just so grateful for everything.”
In ice dance, Chock and Bates received a silver medal, coming second to the French ice dance pair, sparking controversy about the scoring. According to CNN, Chock and Bates had a “nearly perfect” routine, while the French pair “made several mistakes.”
“The US pair should have won,” Espinoza said. “They simply had a more synchronized performance and overall a more consistent run.”
However, in Alpine skiing, American Mikaela Shiffrin received her fourth gold medal. According to NBC, this was her first medal in eight years and the first since the death of her father, Jeff Shiffrin.
“But I had some moments today where I could imagine doing the skiing, crossing the finish line, and having this moment,” Shiffrin said in an interview. “And to connect with the people who can’t be here, and also the people who are here, and for my dad, who didn’t get to see this.”
As far as ice hockey, the US women’s team also won gold over Canada, beating them 2-1 in overtime. The men’s team also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime, with Jack Hughes scoring the overtime goal.
“Having both the women’s and men’s teams beat Canada made me feel patriotic,” Espinoza said. “I loved how the Women’s team only allowed about two goals for the duration of the whole Olympics. I’m so proud of both teams, they deserve it.”
More results regarding the other American athletes performance in the 2026 Winter Olympics can be found on the Team USA website. The next Olympics will be a Summer Olympics, taking place in Los Angeles from July 14 to 30, 2028.
