Sports
Winter Olympics 2026: Lasting impressions
Who were the big winners and losers?
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway is the undisputed king of the Milano Cortina Olympic Games. With five gold medals, the 29-year-old cross-country skier equaled the record of US speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid. With a total of 10 gold medals in his career, Klaebo is the most successful Winter Olympian in history.*
His fellow Norwegian, Jens Luraas Oftebro, celebrated three Olympic victories in the Nordic combined. With three gold medals, Franjo van Allmen of Switzerland was the outstanding alpine skier. Among the women, Federica Brignone sparked euphoria among the Italian hosts with her victories in the super G and giant slalom – as did two-time gold medalist Federica Lollobrigida in speed skating.
Some gold medal dreams were spectacularly shattered. Figure skating superstar Ilia Malinin of the United States, who took a lead into the free skate, fell twice and plummeted to eighth place.
A similar fate befell skier Atle Lie McGrath in the slalom. The Norwegian started the decisive second run in first place but crashed out due to an error. Devastated, he fled the slope for the adjacent woods.
How was the atmosphere?
Many athletes complained that while the Games in northern Italy were well-organized, they lacked the true Olympic spirit. They said the large distances between the competition venues made it impossible for a lot of them to follow other disciplines.
They also complained that in some sports, like alpine skiing, the spectators were too far away from the action.
“If this is what enjoying the Olympics is supposed to be like, I’m glad this was my last time,” lamented German skier Linus Strasser.
What were the biggest controversies?
Lindsey Vonn’s crash dominated the headlines on the first weekend of the Olympics. The 41-year-old had hoped to crown her illustrious career with a second Olympic gold medal in the downhill after 2010 – despite having a torn ACL, which she had suffered in her last race before the Games.
A few seconds into the race, she crashed, suffering a complex tibia fracture and was forced to undergo multiple surgeries.
The disqualification of Ukrainian Vladislav Heraskevych sparked discussion beyond the world of sports. The skeleton racer was excluded from the event because he insisted on wearing a helmet bearing images of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia’s full-scale war on his country.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarded this as a violation of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political statements at competition venues. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the IOC’s ban on Heraskevych’s participation.
How did Germany fare?
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) sent a record contingent of 185 athletes to Milano Cortina with the stated goal of finishing in the top three in the medals table – which it failed to achieve.
While Germany dominated in luge and bobsleigh, there were some bitter disappointments, including in biathlon, Nordic combined, and men’s alpine skiing, where Germany failed to win a medal.
The results in ski jumping were also meager overall; apart from Philipp Raimund’s sensational gold, the team went home empty-handed. Germany’s men’s ice hockey team, featuring superstar Leon Draisaitl, fell to Slovakia in the quarterfinals.
What can the IOC learn for the next Winter Games?
The problem of long distances between venues is also bound to come up at the 2030 Games in the French Alps; the events are to be spread across the city of Nice and several ski resorts in the Alps, some of which are more than a six-hour drive away from the Riviera.
To improve the atmosphere on the ski slopes, the IOC should at least ensure closer proximity between the athletes and spectators. The Olympic rule-makers would also be well advised to agree on a clear policy beforehand to prevent a repeat of the communications disaster that occurred in the Heraskevych case.
*As of February 20, 2026
This article was translated from German.