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Day 12 Highlights: Sweden Wins Cross‑Country Sprint, Canada Takes Short‑Track Gold

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Cross‑Country Sprint and Short‑Track Victories Define Day 12 On Feb. 18 2026 Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist captured gold in the women’s team sprint free in Tesero, beating Switzerland’s Nadine Faehndrich while Germany’s Coletta Rydzek earned bronze [1]. In Milan, Canada’s Steven Dubois won the men’s 500 m short‑track speed skating, with the Netherlands’ Melle van ‘t Wout taking silver and his brother Jens van ‘t Wout bronze [1]. These results highlighted the diversity of medal‑winning nations across Nordic and ice‑track disciplines.

Ice‑Hockey Quarterfinals Produce Drama and Mishaps Finland’s Artturi Lehkonen scored his third goal of the quarterfinal against Switzerland, securing a decisive win [1]. The United States saw Jake Sanderson lose his helmet during a clash with Sweden’s Filip Forsberg, an incident that drew attention to equipment safety [1]. Slovakia’s Samuel Hlavaj sprayed water onto the ice during the Slovakia‑Germany match, a quirky moment that sparked fan chatter [1].

Biathlon Relay and Freestyle Aerials Highlight Women’s Competition France’s Julia Simon led the women’s 4×6 km biathlon relay to gold in Anterselva, outpacing rivals in a tightly contested race [1]. Teenage Ukrainian Anhelina Brykina performed on the “magic carpet” during freestyle aerials qualifications in Livigno, showcasing emerging talent in the sport [1]. Spectators noted the high energy and technical skill displayed across both events.

Day 11 Showcased Speedskating Team Pursuit and Biathlon Relay On Feb. 17 2026 Italy claimed the men’s team pursuit gold while Canada secured the women’s gold in Milan, underscoring their strength in speedskating [2]. The men’s 4×7.5 km biathlon relay in Anterselva attracted large crowds despite heavy snowfall, emphasizing the event’s popularity [2]. Athletes trained on the snow‑covered track before the relay, illustrating preparation under challenging conditions [2].

Curling, Nordic Combined and Bobsled Action Expanded Field on Day 11 Men’s curling round‑robin matches featured Norway, Sweden, Germany and Czechia, delivering intense strategic play in Cortina d’Ampezzo [2]. Nordic combined athletes from Finland, the United States, Czechia, Japan, Germany and France contested the individual Gundersen large‑hill/10 km race in Tesero, highlighting a broad international field [2]. German bobsled teams celebrated gold, while Norwegian freestyle skier Tormod Frostad and Chinese figure skater Zhang Ruiyang added to the day’s diverse medal tally [2].

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Timeline

Feb 4, 2026 – Mixed‑doubles curling round‑robin kicks off, becoming the only sport featured daily before the opening ceremony, while the overall competition schedule launches with curling as the first event of the Games [1][4][6].

Feb 5, 2026 – Athletes train and compete across venues: women’s ice‑hockey preliminaries begin in Milan, alpine downhill runs start in Bormio, and ski‑jumping normal‑hill sessions occur in Predazzo [4]; IOC President Kirsty Coventry defends the dispersed format as “correct for sustainability, yet it ‘added additional complexities’” [5]; Lindsey Vonn notes she “appreciates Cortina’s beauty but misses the close‑quarter village of Salt Lake 2002,” while Hilary Knight says the hastily finished Milan arena’s smaller ice sheet “won’t stop us” [5]; Italian luger Dominik Fischnaller adds that “fresh snow this week masks unfinished areas” of the new sliding track [5].

Feb 6, 2026 – The opening ceremony unfolds at Milan’s San Siro with simultaneous cauldrons lit in Milan and Cortina, a star‑studded lineup including Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli and Lang Lang, and the “Armonia” theme by Marco Balich [1][8][9]; Corinne Stoddard says the schedule “avoids a race the day after the ceremony, allowing me to fully experience the event,” while former NHL forward Eeli Tolvanen observes that athletes “wait hours in the cold and the ceremony is less glamorous than it appears,” and first‑time curlers Luc Violette and Ben Richardson call it “a very special and unique Olympic experience” [8].

Feb 7, 2026 – The Games award their first medals, with figure‑skating team events and mixed‑doubles curling delivering gold, silver and bronze on the opening day of competition [1].

Feb 17, 2026 – Day 11 sees Italy claim men’s team‑pursuit speed‑skating gold and Canada win the women’s gold; biathlon relay draws crowds in Anterselva, Nordic combined races thrill in Tesero, and men’s curling round‑robin matches feature Norway, Sweden, Germany and Czechia [3].

Feb 18, 2026 – Day 12 highlights include Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist leading the women’s cross‑country team sprint to gold, Canada’s Steven Dubois winning the men’s 500 m short‑track, Finland’s Artturi Lehkonen scoring a third goal in the ice‑hockey quarterfinal, France’s Julia Simon taking biathlon relay gold, and South Korea securing the women’s 3000 m short‑track relay; the day also features dramatic crashes in men’s snowboarding slopestyle and a water‑spray incident by Slovakia’s Samuel Hlavaj [2].

Feb 22, 2026 – The Winter Games close in Verona with the men’s ice‑hockey gold‑medal game and a closing ceremony that caps a 195‑medal program and the highest‑ever proportion of women athletes [1][6].

2030 onward – The dispersed, multi‑venue model pioneered in Milan‑Cortina sets a template for future Winter Olympics in the French Alps (2030), Utah (2034) and a Swiss bid for 2038, emphasizing sustainability and reuse of existing facilities [5].

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