Breathtaking. That’s the perfect word to describe the astonishing impression the United States of America left at the 2026 Olympics.
The USA made a comeback this year at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Both of our hockey teams, freestyle skiing, and figure skating won gold – and those are just the most unforgettable ones. Despite the hard times America has been facing, our Olympic wins this year showed that we still have our spirit.
The first event we took the gold medal home in was the women’s alpine skiing downhill race (freestyle), which Breezy Johnson completed with a time of 1:36:10. This was her first Olympic medal, and she won it with the looming possibility of injuring her knee again. It had been about 16 years since an American woman had gotten gold for alpine skiing. Johnson was so overjoyed by her first medal being gold that she accidentally broke it by jumping too high.
The second event was in Milan, Cortina, where figure skating was being held. The USA won a total of two medals.
First, Ilia Malinin secured one of the two figure skating gold medals for the USA in the team event. Individually, he scored 200.03 points in the men’s free skate with five quadruple jumps. After winning the gold with his team, he dove into his ecstatic teammates! Second, Alysa Liu gave a graceful performance that was awe-inspiring to younger generations.
She secured the gold medal with a total of 226.79 points in the women’s free skate and short program. Liu had pure joy on her face when she won. She was truly filled with disbelief that she had taken first place. Afterward, Liu stated that she was planning to quit after she won the Olympics to avoid burnout and live her life to the fullest. As her 2022 experience led to her falling into a state of depression, Liu was worried it could happen again.
For the next event, Elizabeth Lemley won gold in women’s mogul skiing. She’s only 20 years old, and won with a time of 25.81 seconds on the moguls, resulting in a score of 82.30. The performance was astonishing; she continued to tell the audience that it was “unreal” that she had the opportunity to show her skill set. You could definitely see the happiness reflected in her eyes.
At the fourth event, Jordan Stolz won both of his speed skating events. He set the Olympic record for the 500m – 00:33.77 seconds – beating out his previous time in the 2022 Winter Olympics by one second. After his 500m, Stolz had his 1000m win, which was a time of 01:06 seconds.
Stolz has said that he really puts the ‘speed’ in speed skating. He didn’t cause a ruckus when he won; he had a quiet victory, even describing his win as ‘pretty good’. Although, his 1000m win was a bit more emotional because his family had been there to see him. He kept composed, celebrating the great joy with his family while maintaining a relaxed and confident demeanor.
Next, Elana Meyers Taylor won gold in the women’s bobsled (mono-bob). This was her first ever gold medal, which she won with a time of 03:57 seconds. She is 41 years old – the oldest woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics bobsled event. As soon as she got her gold medal, she ran up to her two sons and husband at the finish line. It was heartwarming to the audience as they listened to her kids sing, “Mommy won! Mommy won!” Her kids clearly understand her competitive side, but also recognize her as a hardworking mom who cares for her two boys.
Then, Mikaela Shiffrin took on alpine skiing (slalom). This was no challenge for her as she kept calm and performed with confidence. She followed with two runs that were fast and aggressive, with a combined time of 01:39 seconds.
When she realized she had won, she was emotional as she embraced her teammates, and followed with a moment of silence for her late father, Jeff. Later, in her Instagram post, she quoted Taylor Swift by saying, “My advice is always ruin the friendship,” which she posted to say take risks and have fun without consequence.
Moving on from the women’ s freestyle skiing, there were two more notable events. Alex Ferreira, who competed in the men’s half-pipe freestyle skiing, scored 93.75 on his third run, which earned him the gold medal. He completed five straight double corks and spins in all four directions. Ferreira stayed strong and he pulled through like a champ.
Showing his American spirit after he won, Ferreira dropped to one knee, pulled out the American flag, and started singing the national anthem; a truly remarkable way to celebrate his ‘never give up ‘ mindset that led him to his huge accomplishment.
The final two competitions were the USA women’s hockey team and men’s hockey team. The women’s team kicked things off, beating Canada 2-1 in a suspenseful time-ticking comeback. After their victory, each player wrapped themselves in an American flag and relished in their on-ice triumph. Then they sang the national anthem with their fans while standing on the ice. The women felt true joy and celebrated right through sisterhood and love. This was a big moment, with women and younger generations seeing their favorite team win, with gold, nonetheless.
Next, the men’s hockey team, who also won by beating Canada 2-1, displayed an epic comeback against their biggest rivals. Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves to keep the game tied, eventually forcing a shootout. The celebration that followed their win was moving, composed of a tribute to Johnny Gadreau by holding up his jersey high and inviting his family on the ice to celebrate with them.
In the end, the USA proved themselves this year by earning 12 Olympic gold medals. They worked together in fellowship, and while there may have been close calls, they made it through to the other end. All the emotions displayed were true and celebratory. The USA set a new precedent, and they are bound to do it again.
