Italy wins first gold as Milano Cortina Olympics open

2026 Winter Olympics: Host Italy Shines as Milan Cortina Games Open with Five Gold Medal Events

The first full day of competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics delivered drama, records, and historic performances on Saturday, February 7, with Italy setting the tone for a memorable home Games as five gold medals were awarded across alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, speed skating, snowboard big air, and ski jumping.

Italy Electrifies Home Crowd

Francesca Lollobrigida gave Italy its first gold of the Games in spectacular fashion, setting an Olympic record of 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds in the women’s 3,000-meter speed skating event—on her 35th birthday. Her time shaved more than two-and-a-half seconds off the previous mark set by Dutch legend Irene Schouten at the 2022 Beijing Games. Norway’s Ragne Wiklund took silver at 3:56.54, while Canada’s Valérie Maltais earned bronze.cbsnews

Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen claimed the inaugural gold medal of the Games in the men’s downhill, navigating the demanding Stelvio course in Bormio in 1:51.61. The 24-year-old reigning world champion edged out Italian skiers Giovanni Franzoni (silver, 1:51.81) and Dominik Paris (bronze, 1:52.11), sending the partisan crowd into a frenzy. Four-time overall World Cup champion Marco Odermatt finished just off the podium in fourth.cbc

Sweden and Japan Dominate Their Events

Sweden swept the top two spots in the women’s skiathlon, with Frida Karlsson surging ahead in challenging, snow-laden conditions to finish in 53:45.2. Her teammate Ebba Andersson took silver at 54:36.2, while Norway’s Heidi Weng claimed bronze. It marked Sweden’s first cross-country skiing gold of the Games.espn

Japan made history in the men’s snowboard big air, with Kira Kimura capturing the country’s first-ever gold in the event. The 21-year-old landed a switch backside 1980 for a score of 90.50 on his final run, finishing with 179.50 total points. Teammate Ryoma Kimata took silver with 171.50 points, while defending champion Su Yiming of China settled for bronze.yahoo

Norway’s Anna Odine Strøm pulled off a stunning upset in women’s ski jumping, soaring 101 meters on her final attempt to edge Slovenia’s heavily favored Nika Prevc by just 1.1 points—the closest margin in Winter Olympics history for the event. Japan’s Nozomi Maruyama earned bronze.yahoo

Team USA Leads Figure Skating, Dominates Hockey

In the figure skating team event, the United States holds a narrow lead with 34 points after four of eight segments, just one point ahead of Japan. World champion Ilia Malinin made his Olympic debut with a solid 98.00 in the men’s short program, finishing behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who posted an electrifying 108.67. Three-time world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates delivered a masterclass in the free dance, scoring a season-best 133.23 for their flamenco routine to “Paint It Black”.latimes

Team USA’s women’s hockey squad steamrolled Finland 5-0, with captain Hilary Knight scoring in her second consecutive game to tie the U.S. Olympic record of 14 career Winter Olympic goals. Megan Keller tallied a goal and two assists as the Americans extended Finland’s winless Olympic record against the U.S. to 0-11.foxnews