The 2026 Winter Olympics, which occurs every four years in a different host city, was held in Italy in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo from Feb. 6-22.

Across 15 sports and 126  gold medal events, Team USA athletes delivered three weeks of unforgettable performances on snow and ice.

In one of its strongest Winter Olympic showings ever, Team USA finished with 12 gold medals, a new national record for the United States. It was not far behind the top gold-medal earner, Norway, which took home 18.

Team USA’s Gold Medal Events

• Women’s Moguls
• Men’s Halfpipe
• Mixed Aerials Team
• Men’s 500m Speed Skating
• Men’s 1000m Speed Skating
• Women’s Downhill
• Woman’s Slalom
• Women’s Singles Figure Skating
• Mixed Team Figure Skating
• Women’s Monobob
• Men’s Ice Hockey
• Women’s Ice Hockey

Although the entire American roster made its mark, several athletes gave especially noteworthy performances that defined the games.

Alyssa Liu, Figure Skating

For the first time in 24 years, the United States took gold in women’s singles figure skating, and 20-year-old Alyssa Liu made it happen

After placing sixth at the 2022 Olympics, Liu took a brief break from the sport and came back better than ever, bringing home two golds for the United States, one in individual and one in the team event.

Jordan Stolz, Speed Skating

Jordan Stolz delivered what is widely regarded as one of the most impressive Olympic performances of any American athlete, taking home two golds and a silver in speed skating. He set an Olympic record of 33.77 seconds in the men’s 500m. He also brought home gold in the 1000m and silver in the 1500m.

Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing

With her victory in the women’s slalom, Mikaela Shiffrin became the first American skier to win three Olympic gold medals. She was the youngest woman to ever win a gold in the event at age 18 during the 2014 Winter Olympics, and she now also holds the record of being the oldest Olympic slalom gold medalist at 30. She is now tied for the most Olympic medals won by a woman in alpine skiing, with four.

Elana Meyers Taylor, Monobob

At 41 years old and competing in her first Olympics, Elana Meyers Taylor finally captured her first gold medal in women’s monobob.

She now has six total Olympic medals, tied for the most ever by a woman in bobsledding. She also became the oldest woman to win a gold medal in Winter Olympic history across all sports.

Men’s and Women’s Hockey

For the first time in history, the United States took gold in both men’s and women’s hockey, with each team defeating Canada in overtime.

For the men, it was their first gold since America defeated Russia in the legendary “Miracle on Ice” victory in 1980. Megan Keller and New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes scored the championship goals for their teams.

Hughes had an especially inspiring final, suffering the loss of his two front teeth from a high stick to the mouth from a Canadian player in the third period.

Despite his battered and bloody mouth, Hughes played through the pain and became the team’s “golden boy” when he scored the goal in overtime to win the USA Team gold.

Looking Ahead

It was a historic Winter Olympics for Team USA, and American athletes will look to build on this momentum and break even more records in the 2030 Winter Olympics, set to be held in the French Alps.