As the Winter Olympics 2026 have come to a close, it has been a historic event for Team GB. With 3 Gold medals (in Men’s Skeleton, Mixed Team Skeleton and in Mixed Team Snowboard Cross), Team GB have experienced their best Winter Games ever. Especially as a silver in Men’s Curling, and a bronze in Women’s Skiing Halfpipe were also received.
Atop of our medal tally, there was an influx of top 5 finishes, namely in women’s snowboarding events and the mixed curling. Other records were broken for team GB too, with Andrew Musgraves finishing 6th in two Men’s cross country skiing events - the highest ever for a Brit - only to then finish 5th in the team sprint event with James Clugnet and improve further upon his own record.
... a historic event for Team GB.
The speed skaters (including short track) were flying in Milan, with 9 new Olympic records being set on the ice. Although it isn’t uncommon for athletes to be ever improving in speed skating, it is rare for records to be set on particular rinks. Ice quality, elevation above sea level and skater form all effect records and rinks in Salt Lake City and Calgary are seen with a lot more favour by professional speed skaters (so expect to see many more speed skating records broken in 2034, as the Winter Olympics will be headed to Utah then). Notable moments can be seen in Italy’s Arianna Fontana, who, after winning a gold and 2 silvers, becomes Italy’s most decorated Olympian of both Summer & Winter with 14 medals, which she was been winning since 2006.
Other big stories came in that of Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who, by winning gold in the men’s giant slalom, became not only the first Brazilian to take a gold at the Winter Olympics, but the first athlete representing a South American nation to do so.
Overall, the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics have been a viral sensation.
Unfortunately, the big story from women’s alpine skiing was less positive, as 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn (3-time Olympic medallist and 4-time world cup winner) came to the Olympics on a torn ACL which she picked up 9 days prior in a World Cup race in Switzerland. The gamble however seemed to have paid off, as Vonn finished 3rd in her final practise run. But, as she begun her first official run, she was almost instantly thrown into a gate, ending in a big crash.
Although, from what we know, she is healing well, many are describing this crash as the end of her career. However, Vonn still leads the World Cup standings and may still win or podium by the end of the season. Lindsey Vonn’s story may not have had the happiest end, but her determination and ability is inspirational to many.
There were also scandals galore at these Winter Olympics, from curling to ski jumping.
On the curling rink, rivalries got heated...
On the curling rink, rivalries got heated between Canada’s Marc Kennedy and Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson when the former accused the later of double touching a stone (AKA cheating). In curling, once you have released a stone, you cannot touch it again. On top of this, you cannot touch the granite of a curling stone under any circumstance – Marc Kennedy broke both these rules and, although it was not caught by match officials, it did not slide past Eriksson. The following argument went viral online, as Kennedy swore repeatedly at Eriksson, adamantly denying cheating… even though he was caught on camera.
In Ski Jumping, controversy lay around that of men’s genitals. It had been found that, in order to get suits fitted, men had been temporarily widening their penises (using injectables) gaining extra fabric, think like a parachute or a flying squirrel – more fabric equal more glide. It is unclear who gained from this, especially as it’s a very difficult thing to inspect people on.
Overall, the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics have been a viral sensation. Online interest in the Olympics is at an all time high, with more people than ever becoming involved with the games. From scandals to record breaks, 2026 had it all, and it is on toward the French Alps for the 2030 games.