Super Bowl Sunday has arrived, and if this year’s showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots is even half as thrilling as the last time these franchises met on this stage, fans are in for a wild ride. Eleven years after their Super Bowl XLIX classic, the teams meet again tonight with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.
The Seahawks, much like their previous Super Bowl runs, have been powered by one of the NFL’s best defenses. Seattle allowed the fewest points in the league this season and finished first in both yards per pass attempt allowed and yards per rush attempt allowed. The unit flexed its muscle in a 41-6 divisional-round win over the San Francisco 49ers, surrendering just 3.9 yards per play — San Francisco’s worst mark all season.
Though the unit was inconsistent late in the regular season, it has found its rhythm in the playoffs — and, crucially, has not committed a turnover. Seattle enters tonight’s game with a plus-four turnover differential this postseason.
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Turnovers have also defined New England’s playoff run — but on the other side of the ball. No defense has forced more this postseason than the Patriots, who have wreaked havoc against the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. New England is allowing just 8.7 points per game in the playoffs, the fewest by any team through three games since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens‘ historic defense.
The Patriots’ offense, which powered much of the regular-season success, has been quieter in January. New England’s 18.0 points per game this postseason is the fewest entering a Super Bowl appearance since the 1979 Rams. Still, Drake Maye has delivered timely plays with both his arm and legs, and the Patriots’ firepower presents a major test for Seattle’s defense.
Here’s how to watch tonight’s game, followed by keys to the matchup and a prediction.
Super Bowl LX: Where to watch Patriots vs. Seahawks
Patriots-Seahaws Super Bowl big questions
Can the Patriots force Sam Darnold into mistakes?
For as good as Darnold has been this season — and especially this postseason — he does have a penchant for turnovers. In fact, his 20 turnovers this season were most in the NFL, and his 14 interceptions were third-most. Eight of those 14 turnovers happened when he was pressured, tied with Geno Smith for most in the NFL.
Now (mostly) healthy, the Patriots’ pass rush has been dominant this postseason with an NFL-best 52% pressure rate. For comparison’s sake, the highest pressure rate during the regular season was 45% (by the Minnesota Vikings).
The Seahawks have done a good job keeping Darnold clean for the most part, and play-caller Klint Kubiak does a good job of getting him out of the pocket via play-action and giving him easy answers.
The path for the underdogs to come out on top starts with getting to Darnold. The next step is protecting their own quarterback. Maye has taken five sacks in all three of his playoff games so far, and while that’s come against three of the NFL’s best defenses, it’s not as if the Seahawks’ unit is any easier.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald dials up a variety of different schemes and pressure looks, and he has both a disruptive duo inside (Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II) and a plethora of edge rushers to generate pressure.
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When the Seahawks do get pressure, Maye has to be careful with the ball: He has six fumbles (three lost) this postseason, both most of any player.
Can Maye hit the deep ball?
The Seahawks’ excellent cornerbacks play very aggressively, and it almost always works. The results speak for themselves.
But if the offensive line holds up, Maye might have the opportunity for a deep ball or two, and he’s been as good as anyone in those scenarios: His 35 completions at least 20 yards downfield this regular season were second-most in the NFL behind Matthew Stafford.
Expect some nerves early, especially from the quarterbacks, but as both settle in, this should be a great, close battle between an ascending star and an unlikely one.
Maye is looking to become the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, and Darnold is looking to become the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl after playing for at least five different teams.
Ultimately, the Seahawks’ defense gets a few timely stops, and Seattle leaves with its second championship.
If you had to choose a defining moment in a Super Bowl of very few standout moments, it would probably be Uchenna Nwosu scooping up the ball in the wake of a Drake Maye sack to put the cherry on top of a Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl win that may not necessarily live long in the memory.
As it happened, the most unlikely of Super Bowls produced the most likely of outcomes, as Seattle torched the Patriots 29-13, a scoreline that might not even reflect the gulf between the teams. The game followed two weeks in which both sides were given a chance to make their case to win the biggest game of all, having entered the campaign without even a mention of being in this position.
Seattle’s argument was that they were simply a better team in all three phases, the NFC champions had vanquished far more challenging foes, and, despite going against modern NFL team-building by being a defence-first outfit, they had more than enough credentials to back them up as big favourites, and their reclamation project quarterback, Sam Darnold, had flourished to turn them into a true contender.
On the way to their AFC championship the New England Patriots had enjoyed a friendly schedule, it formed much of the debate between their quarterback Drake Maye and the Rams passer Matthew Stafford, who would eventually win out, for the regular season MVP award.
But New England’s strong defensive unit complemented their ascendant quarterback, despite falling a vote or two short of the landmark prize.“You talk about a group of guys who battle every day, who believe in each other, believe in their coach,” star cornerback Devon Witherspoon remarked afterwards. “I mean, you can’t describe this group no better. It’s just a one-of-a kind feeling.”
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Uchenna Nwosu scores a touchdown during Super Bowl LX (AFP via Getty Images)
While the modest Darnold rightfully switched focus away from his own redemption arc, back to the more imposing side of the football. “It’s unbelievable. I’m so proud of our guys. our defense, I mean I can’t say enough good things about our defense, our special teams. I know we won the Super Bowl, but we could’ve been a little better on offense, but I don’t care about that right now. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
When we look back at this trouncing in Santa Clara, it might be for the best that the NFL had not crowned Maye as the league’s newest superstar mere days before he struggled to move the ball in the biggest game of his life, only scoring the Pats’ first touchdown in the fourth quarter when the game already seemed far beyond an overmatched New England team.
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Unfortunately, one of the realities of football at this level is that you have to be battle-tested. In a season where so many of the established elite fell early, first Patrick Mahomes to a season-ending injury, then Lamar Jackson to niggling knocks and then Josh Allen to a substandard roster, the path was open for a surprise Super Bowl winner. As it happened, the lack of star QBs only served to highlight the importance of roster depth and strength.
Maye got to the Super Bowl by the skin of his teeth as the Pats’ offense laboured through the post-season, while Seattle had beaten the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers, not only divisional foes but two of the stronger all-around teams in the game. Indeed, the Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan lauded Seattle’s defense as one of just two, alongside the Texans, who could win the Super Bowl almost without the help of their offense.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald and quarterback Sam Darnold, left, hold the Lombardi Trophy (AP)
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Devon Witherspoon clatters into Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (AP)
As the Patriots struggled to get anything going against a defensive unit coached to perfection by Mike Macdonald, Darnold didn’t even need to provide an explosive play to increase Seattle’s lead. Chipping away with field goals was not necessarily the entertainment America wanted in the biggest entertainment event of the year, and the same could probably be said for Bad Bunny, but both got the job done in the light of gritty but ultimately helpless opposition.
As the clock wound into the fourth quarter and the Seahawks throttled New England, Maye needed to find an answer. The Patriots had to score a touchdown.
Maye’s pass only found Seahawk hands and the game, as a spectacle at least, was over.
When Nwosu ran the ball in a few minutes later to lend some mathematical certainty to the result, it was more in celebration than competition, but a Seahawks defender taking home the points probably made more sense in a matchup that neutrals won’t have loved, but that reminds us how the orthodoxy of NFL decision-making is always ready to be challenged.
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“This has been one of the most brilliant performances I have ever seen in the National Football League,” NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth remarked, almost drooling at their brilliance. “This defensive performance is as good as I’ve seen.”
Darnold with the MVP Ken Walker (AP)
Mike Macdonald has defied the NFL trend of offense-heavy gameplans (Associated Press)
For years now, it has felt like you couldn’t possibly compete if you didn’t draft an elite QB prospect and blow teams away with explosive offense. Two years ago, the Seahawks rebuilt on the fly with a defensive head coach, they added a reclamation project at quarterback less than a year ago and now they are the world champions.
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As Nwosu ran the ball in and Seattle’s overwhelming fan army celebrated inside Levi’s Stadium, the NFL was reminded there is more than one way to do this.
Gold medalists Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam, Danny O’Shea, Madison Chock, Evan Bates and Alysa Liu of the United States celebrate on the podium after winning the team figure skating event
MILAN, Italy — “Quad God” Ilia Malinin vaulted the United States above Japan and to the top of the podium at the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday to cap a thrilling team competition that saw host Italy seize bronze.
With the U.S. and Japan tied going into the men’s free skate, the 21-year-old Malinin met the moment even though he wasn’t at his best to lead the U.S. to a second successive Olympic team title.
“I’m proud of myself,” Malinin told reporters.
“I’m proud of my team for all the work they’ve put into this event, without each other it wouldn’t have happened.”
Malinin had been expected to perform seven quads in his free skate but ended up attempting only five, and even those were not flawless as he stumbled out of his quad Lutz. He turned two planned quads – including the quad Axel – into triples.
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But he salvaged his program with a huge quad toeloop followed up by a quad Salchow, both in combinations.
He also landed a backflip on one leg to the delight of a packed crowd, which included a large number of vocal Americans at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
His score of 200.03 was almost 40 points less than his season’s best but still good enough to defeat Japan’s Shun Sato, who skated cleanly after Malinin but was unable to match his rival’s technical ability.
“Honestly, the moment has still not settled in yet. I still haven’t really figured out that I’m wearing a gold medal from the Olympics,” Malinin said.
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“It’s honestly just such an unreal feeling. But overall, I’m just so excited. This brings me so much joy and energy, and of course, the confidence and the motivation leading up to my individual event.”
The U.S. finished with 69 points, one more than Japan, while Italy took bronze with 60 points. Malinin remains the runaway favorite to win gold in the individual event at his first Olympic Games.
The U.S. team included the veteran ice dancing duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the pair of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, and Alysa Liu.
Chock and Bates got the chance to savor the gold medal on the night unlike in Beijing 2022, where a failed drug test by a Russian skater changed the team results and the U.S. athletes did not receive their medals until more than two years later.
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JAPAN FIGHT BACK
Japan came into the final day of the team competition trailing the U.S. by five points but their gold medal hopes were given new life with stunning performances from Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara in the pairs and Kaori Sakamoto in the women’s free skate — leaving them tied with the U.S heading into the final men’s free skate.
The Japanese pairs world champions opened with a triple twist lift and Miura was left punching the air in delight as the duo closed their program with Kihara lifting her above him into their final pose — a performance that earned them a season’s best 155.55 from the judges.
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“We were trying to aim for about 145 or a little bit higher, and when we saw that it was 155, there was so much joy… we were overwhelmed with emotions,” a teary-eyed Miura told reporters following the rousing performance which left Japan trailing the U.S. by just two points with two segments to go.
Japan pulled into a tie with the U.S. when Sakamoto delivered a spellbinding performance that earned her top place in the women’s free skate with 148.62 points.
American Amber Glenn had to settle for third behind Sakamoto and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova after she endured two botched landings at the start of her routine – a result which wiped out the United States’ lead heading into men’s free skate.
“I just physically didn’t feel great,” Glenn said.
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“My legs were feeling heavy, I was tired. I just didn’t feel my best.”
U.S. hopes of defending their gold medal from Beijing then rested on the shoulders of Malinin, who made up for his disappointing short program on Saturday by winning the point America needed to top the podium.
Japan held their heads high after pushing the heavily favored U.S. team to the limit.
“Everybody has done a gold-medal performance,” Sakamoto, a three-time world champion, said.
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“So it really doesn’t matter what color medal we get.”
ITALY SHINE
In the battle for bronze, Italy’s Matteo Rizzo delivered the performance of his life to keep his team ahead of Canada and Georgia after solid skates by Lara Naki Gutmann and the duo of Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii.
The Italian team shouted “bronze! bronze!” as Rizzo went through the final moments of his performance, drawing a huge roar from the crowd as he finished and knelt with his forehead on the ground, hiding his tears.
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Rizzo smiled and slid on his knees over to his delirious teammates in his box when it was clear Italy would be taking home its first Olympic medal in figure skating since 2014.
“I have no words to describe the feeling of staying on the Olympic ice with the crowd cheering while you’re skating the best program of your life.
“I couldn’t hear the music anymore, I could just hear the screaming of the people, the screaming of my teammates.”
Paris Olympic tennis gold medalist Novak Djokovic, NBA Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, and eight-time Olympic medallist in short track American Apolo Ohno were among the notable names in attendance at the arena on the outskirts of Milan.
ONE interim featherweight Muay Thai world title challenger, Nico Carrillo of Scotland, says it’s all business heading into his showdown with Shadow Singha Mawynn.
The ‘King of the North’ will get a second stab at 26 pounds of gold against the Thai brawler in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 40 on February 13 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Carrillo shared in his pre-event interview with ONE Championship:
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“Shadow’s just all-round good. He’s good at everything. He was obviously a Rajadamnern Champion before he came to ONE. So, he’s very accomplished.”
The Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy affiliate continued:
“He had a bit of a rocky start when he came to ONE Championship, and then found his feet, and he’s just been on the same kind of trajectory as myself. So, yeah, no bad words to say about Shadow.”
ONE Fight Night 40 will air live in U.S. Primetime free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Nico Carrillo looks back at second chance in new division
Nico Carrillo saw his world crumble after losing to Nabil Anane in their interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title match last year.
After licking his wounds, the Scotsman chose to start over, taking his talents to the featherweight Muay Thai ranks.
“The World Title represents what I stand for, and that’s hard work. That’s what this journey’s been. It’s been nothing easy. It’s been difficult. And when I get the gold over my shoulder, it’s a message to everybody and anybody that hard work pays off,” he told ONE Championship.
It was the second defeat of Paul’s career, having previously been beaten by Tommy Fury back in February 2023, and ahead of his return to the ring, it appears he may now be keen to avenge that loss.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian revealed that the ‘The Problem Child’ is targeting a second meeting against Fury.
“He wants to prove to the world that he can beat Tommy Fury. Jake before Joshua had one loss on his record and that was Tommy Fury and I would love for that fight to happen because I think it’s a great barometer of how far Jake has come.
“I don’t think he [Fury] has developed as much as Jake has over the last three years. Because he hasn’t been as focused on boxing. I would love for that fight to happen.”
Bidarian then revealed that the rematch could potentially take place in the UK.
“There was more internet interest in Jake Paul versus Tommy Fury in the UK than any Tyson Fury fight over the past five years, than any Jake Paul fight other than Mike Tyson over the past five years and that includes Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua. And that was a fight that happened in Saudi Arabia.
“So if I could do that fight in the UK or somewhere in Europe, I think people would go bananas for it – the youth, the generation that uses the internet.
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“It’s difficult to come to someone’s country and do that so we’ll see where we end up on that discussion but I would love to do a fight in the UK with Jake. I think it would be a big statement.”
Since beating Paul, Fury has competed on just two further occasions, claiming a unanimous decision victory over YouTuber KSI in October 2023, before another points win over the unheralded Kenan Hanjalic in Hungary last May.
The Seattle Seahawks defence put on a clinic to lead their team to a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60.
How does the saying go? Defence wins championships – and that’s exactly what happened at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
Here are some of the best pictures from a memorable night as the Seahawks got their hands on the Lombardi trophy for the second time in franchise history.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj. (AP Photo)
MUMBAI: Mohammed Siraj returned to India’s T20I side and took 3-29 in four overs as India beat USA by 29 runs in their opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Siraj came into the playing eleven after India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out due to illness.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 31-year-old Hyderabad fast bowler had earlier received a call-up to the squad after pace-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana was ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a knee injury.
T20 World Cup: ‘God changed my destiny’ – Mohammed Siraj on emotions of lucky comeback
India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav informed Siraj that he wanted to draft him as Rana’s replacement. Siraj said he initially thought his captain was joking before being convinced he was serious. Narrating his T20I comeback, Siraj told reporters philosophically: “Two days ago, Surya bhai said, ‘Miaan bags pack kar aur aaja’. I told him, ‘Bhai mazaak maat karo, kyon ki yeh to honewala hain nahin.’ But he said, ‘Main sach keh raha hoon, ready ho jaa’. Then Ojha bhai (India selector) called me. Whatever the almighty has written, no one can change that.”Before Saturday, Siraj had last played for India in the format on July 30 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. Siraj said he had planned to travel to Spain during a rare break after India’s home season before the IPL commenced. “There is a Real Madrid game on 15th and I was going to watch it, and after that Ramzan, but whatever the almighty has written happens.”A football fan, Siraj still has the Cristiano Ronaldo wallpaper on his phone, which he previously shared on Day 5 of the Oval Test during the England tour. “The wallpaper is still the same,” he revealed during the post-match press conference on Saturday.Siraj was part of India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign in Barbados, but he said he was not in India’s plans for this edition. After receiving the call-up, Siraj said he did not know he would play in the opening game. “I got to know in the morning that I am playing, so I was a little more excited because I only arrived yesterday (Friday). I wanted to keep myself calm and I was only thinking about how I can put pressure and attack. Whatever I could think of, I was able to execute,” he concluded.
There aren’t many fighters that are deemed to be superior to Floyd Mayweather but Roy Jones Jr believes there is one active fighter who claims that accolade.
He also defeated some of the biggest names in the sport, including the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez, though one criticism by some fans of Mayweather is he was tactical with deciding when and who to fight.
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Because of that, boxing legend Jones Jr has explained to Fight Hub TV why he thinks unbeaten star Shakur Stevenson has eclipsed Mayweather.
“He is [the Mayweather of this era], he’s not giving guys any chance to beat him but the difference with him [Shakur] is he’s fighting everybody. He’s not ducking and dodging. He’s fighting everybody and that’s a bit different.
“He could be Floyd Mayweather [in terms of] not getting beat in his era, but the difference to Floyd is he’s willing to take on the big challenge, and he’s also getting the right money for it early in his career.”
He also holds impressive wins over fighters such as William Zepeda and Oscar Valdez during his career, and at just 28-years-old, time is well and truly on his side for Stevenson to continue to add to his already impressive resume.
The Searching for a Spyside quest is one of the many missions you encounter in the Nioh 3 storyline. In this mission, you need to help Hattori Hanzo search for a spy. While the objective sounds simple, one section of the mission puts you in front of a locked door with no alternate path. This can make the quest challenging for many players, especially beginners.
If you are facing difficulty completing the Searching for a Spy side quest in Nioh 3, here is a detailed article to help you out.
How to unlock the Searching for a Spy side quest in Nioh 3
Location to find Hattori Hanzo (Image via Koei Tecmo || Sportskeeda Gaming)
As mentioned earlier, you will unlock the Searching for a Spy side quest in Nioh 3 after you meet Hattori Hanzo. To find him, visit Futamata to encounter him on the roof of a house. Additionally, you can use the Tealeaf Village fast travel point. The image attached above will help you reach the precise location.
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How to complete the Searching for a Spy side quest in Nioh 3
Learn the objective of the Searching for a Spy quest (Image via Koei Tecmo || Sportskeeda Gaming)
Once you get the quest, your objective is to help Hattori Hanzo look for a spy. For this, you need to take the stairs going down to the village. After that, take the path on your right to reach uphill. At the intersection, turn left to arrive in front of a closed door at the very end. Upon interacting with it, you will learn that it is closed and requires a key.
How to find the Abandoned Shrine Key in Nioh 3
You will find the door closed (Image via Koei Tecmo || Sportskeeda Gaming)
You need a key to open the shrine’s door. To obtain it, head down the path on your immediate right. When you see stairs on your left, go up them. Then turn right and walk straight to the end. Once there, you will find another set of stairs going down. At the midway point, you will come across a fallen soldier. Interact with the body to collect the Abandoned Shrine Key.
Obtain the Abandoned Shrine Key (Image via Koei Tecmo || Sportskeeda Gaming)
After retrieving the key, jump down and follow the path on your right. At the very end, you will reach the door again. Now, use the shrine key to open it and go through. Once inside, climb the stairs to reach the courtyard. Since this area will be full of enemies, you need to clear them out.
Defeat the enemies to wrap up the mission (Image via Koei Tecmo || Sportskeeda Gaming)
After you defeat the first wave, another will appear. In this group, you also need to defeat the yokai Kyokotsu. Once you eliminate all enemies, interact with Hattori Hanzo to complete the Searching for a Spyside questinNioh 3.
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Closer To Free has thrust himself into Blue Diamond Stakes calculations with a debut success at Caulfield over the weekend.
Having impressed in a Caulfield Heath heat last month for trainer Adrian Corboy, Danny O’Brien purchased Closer To Free post-trial and unleashed him in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) restricted to colts and geldings.
Priced at up to $201 initially for the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 21 at Caulfield, the colt’s resolute win has seen him shorten to $7 second choice.
Handler Danny O’Brien contemplated bypassing this race for the Talindert Stakes (1100m) at Flemington the following Saturday, but sharp session on Wednesday altered that plan for the promising two-year-old.
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With Michael Dee at the helm leading all the way, Closer To Free ($13) prevailed by a length against $2.20 top pick Guest House, Eternal Warrior ($6) third by a short-head.
O’Brien rated Closer To Free highly even before his trial exertions.
“I saw him in the mounting yard before the trial because I had one in it and Adrian is one of the best, if not the best, breakers and he does all of our yearlings,” O’Brien said.
“I asked him what he was doing down here and he said he was trialling this one with the potential to sell him.
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“Before the horse left the mounting yard after the trial, I walked back with him and saw how easily he’d taken it. As Adrian was hosing the horse down, I bought him.
“He’s a beautiful colt and he’s got a proper pedigree. With Street Boss, his first three dams were all two-year-old stakes winners, so there is plenty to like about him.”
Clinton McDonald’s Streisand has climbed to $9 on the fourth rung of Blue Diamond betting following her win in the fillies’ Prelude division.
Ridden positively by Jamie Melham, the $3 fancy Streisand scored by three-quarters of a length from $51 outsider Chayan, with I Am Aria ($7.50) close up third, a short-neck away.
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After a luckless run when unplaced in the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m), Melham ensured a trouble-free trip up front this occasion.
McDonald and Melham teamed for Diamond glory two years ago courtesy of Hayasugi, although Ben Melham is poised to take the mount in a couple of weeks.
“She’ll go a long way in the Diamond,” McDonald said.
“I think she’s got the right mental aptitude for it and the toughness. I’ve said all the way along she’s a bit like Hayasugi, understated, tough.
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“This one has a bit more bitch about her, I suppose, a bit more temperamental whereas Hayasugi was a sweetheart.
“We’re happy to put up with her and we’re looking forward to the next two weeks.”
Adrenaline was running high for Austrian snowboarder Benjamin Karl after winning a second straight Olympic gold medal in the men’s parallel giant slalom on Sunday.
And that adrenaline had him not feeling the cold temperatures, as he ripped off his jacket and clothes in celebration.
Karl, 40, was flexing his arms and screaming, ripping off his jacket and four layers of clothes during his celebration. He was even seen face down on the snow, which was surely cold, but he didn’t care.
Gold medalist Benjamin Karl of Team Austria reacts after winning the Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Big Final on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 8, 2026 in Livigno, Italy.(Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Karl was an Olympic gold medalist once again, and that’s all that mattered at the moment.
Before his medal-winning run, Karl was trailing South Korea’s Kim Sang-kyum for most of the final race, when he took full advantage of Kim’s mistake.
Karl crossed the finish line 0.19 seconds ahead of his South Korean opponent to win gold at Livigno Snow Park. Rounding out the podium was Bulgaria’s Tervel Zamfirov with bronze.
Gold medalist Benjamin Karl of Team Austria celebrates after crossing the finish line in first place to win the Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Big Final on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 8, 2026 in Livigno, Italy.(David Ramos/Getty Images)
The crowd at Livigno Snow Park loved every moment of Karl’s celebration, which certainly ranks atop the initial reactions to winning gold at Milano Cortina thus far.
After the celebration, Karl eventually redressed and joined Kim and Zamfirov on the podium.
As the Austrian national anthem played, Karl’s smile never faded.
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Gold medalist Benjamin Karl of Team Austria celebrates after winning the Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Big Final on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 8, 2026 in Livigno, Italy.(David Ramos/Getty Images)
He also made Olympics history, becoming the first snowboarder to win four medals. He also won a bronze medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, while capturing silver in 2010 in Vancouver at Whistler.
