U.S. Women Break Winter Games Record with Six Golds and 21 Medals
Updated (3 articles)
Record‑breaking women’s medal count confirmed across the Games The United States women captured six gold medals and a total of 21 medals—including mixed events—setting a new Winter Olympics record for a U.S. women’s team [1][3]. The haul surpasses the previous U.S. women‑only best of five golds and 13 medals, and places Team USA third overall behind Norway (31) and Italy (24) in the final medal table [3]. Title IX and the expansion to 41 women’s events are cited as key drivers of the surge [1].
Women’s hockey clinches overtime gold in a dramatic finish Kendall Coyne Schofield led the U.S. women’s hockey team to a 3‑2 overtime victory over Canada, sealing the gold medal after a late rally [1]. The win sparked an exuberant celebration on the ice and marked the first Olympic gold for U.S. women’s hockey since 2018 [1]. The overtime format mirrored the men’s quarterfinals, where the U.S. also advanced by an OT win over Sweden [2].
Alpine, freestyle and bobsled champions add multiple golds Mikaela Shiffrin won the women’s slalom, delivering the largest margin of victory in an alpine event since 1998 [2][1]. Breezy Johnson captured downhill gold, while Elizabeth Lemley secured moguls gold and later added a bronze in the debut dual‑moguls event [1][3]. Elana Meyers Taylor earned monobob gold by four‑hundredths of a second, becoming the most decorated Black Winter Olympian and the oldest American woman to win gold [1][3]; Kaillie Humphries added bronze in both monobob and two‑woman bobsled [1]. Kaila Kuhn contributed to the mixed‑team aerial gold, highlighting the impact of new mixed events [1].
Speed skating, sprint and cross‑country medals round out U.S. success Jordan Stolz posted a 33.77‑second Olympic record to claim his second gold in the men’s 500 m [3]. Mac Forehand earned silver in men’s freestyle‑skiing big air despite heavy snow, and Ben Ogden broke a 50‑year U.S. drought by taking silver in the men’s sprint classic cross‑country race [3]. These performances, together with the women’s achievements, cemented the United States as a dominant force across both traditional and newly introduced winter disciplines [1][3].
Sources
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1.
AP: U.S. Women Set Record Medal Haul at 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games – Details the historic 6‑gold, 21‑medal sweep by U.S. women, highlights hockey overtime gold, and attributes success to Title IX and expanded women’s events .
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CNN: USA clinches hockey OT win, Shiffrin ends drought, and records shift at Milan Winter Olympics – Covers the men’s hockey OT victory, Shiffrin’s slalom gold, and broader Olympic records, adding a viral anecdote about a wolfdog competitor .
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King5: United States Medal Tally and Highlights at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Provides a snapshot of the overall U.S. medal count (21), notes Jordan Stolz’s record 500 m win, Elana Meyers Taylor’s monobob gold, and Ben Ogden’s cross‑country silver .
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Timeline
Feb 13, 2026 – Jordan Stolz captures his second gold in the men’s 500 m speed‑skating, setting a new Olympic record of 33.77 seconds and cementing his status as a rising star in U.S. speed skating[3].
Feb 14, 2026 – Ben Ogden wins silver in the men’s sprint classic, ending a 50‑year U.S. cross‑country medal drought that dates back to 1976, and becomes only the second American man ever to podium in Olympic cross‑country skiing[3].
Feb 15, 2026 – Elizabeth Lemley dominates the debut women’s dual‑moguls event, taking gold in individual moguls, bronze in dual moguls, while teammate Jaelin Kauf secures silver, highlighting the U.S. sweep of the new discipline[3].
Feb 16, 2026 – Mac Forehand earns silver in men’s freestyle‑skiing big‑air despite heavy snow in Livigno, and the U.S. speed‑skating team takes silver in the men’s team pursuit after Italy’s late surge, keeping the United States within striking distance of the overall medal lead[3].
Feb 17, 2026 – Team USA sits on 21 medals (6 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze), trailing Norway (31) and host Italy (24) as the Games enter their final week, underscoring a strong but not dominant overall performance[3].
Feb 18, 2026 – The United States defeats Sweden 2‑1 in overtime to advance to the men’s hockey semifinals, marking the third quarter‑final of the tournament to go to OT, with Canada and Finland also surviving their own overtime battles[1].
Feb 18, 2026 – Mikaela Shiffrin wins the women’s slalom, ending an eight‑year U.S. gold drought in the discipline and posting the largest victory margin in an alpine event since 1998[1].
Feb 18, 2026 – A two‑year‑old Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul crosses the finish line in the women’s team‑sprint free final, sparking a viral social‑media sensation and becoming an unexpected Olympic anecdote[1].
Feb 18, 2026 – Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo secures his fifth gold of Milan and tenth career medal, overtaking all previous Winter Olympians to become the most decorated Winter Games athlete ever[1].
Feb 18, 2026 – Canada’s Steven Dubois captures gold in the men’s 500 m short‑track, posting a time of 40.835 seconds and adding a second medal to his Games tally after a relay silver[1].
Feb 18, 2026 – Ukrainian officials announce a boycott of the March Winter Paralympics after the IPC permits Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags, signaling a major political protest[1].
Feb 20, 2026 – The U.S. women’s hockey team defeats Canada in overtime to win gold; captain Kendall Coyne Schofield erupts, “We did it!” as the squad celebrates a historic comeback victory[2].
Feb 20, 2026 – Elana Meyers Taylor clinches monobob gold by a razor‑thin 0.04 seconds, becoming the most decorated Black Winter Olympian and the oldest American woman to win Olympic gold[3].
Feb 20, 2026 – Kaillie Humphries adds a bronze medal in both the monobob and two‑woman bobsled events, further expanding the U.S. women’s medal haul in sliding sports[2].
Feb 20, 2026 – Kaila Kuhn helps the United States capture mixed‑team aerials gold, illustrating the depth of the U.S. freestyle‑skiing program[2].
Feb 21, 2026 – U.S. women finish the Games with a record six golds and 17 medals (21 total including mixed events), the most successful American women’s Winter Olympics performance ever, with over 40 women medaling across 41 women’s events—a rise from 12 in 1980 and 37 in 2006[2].
Feb 21, 2026 – USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland attributes the surge to Title IX (enacted 1972) and the growth of collegiate competition, highlighting policy and infrastructure as key drivers of the historic success[2].
Feb 22, 2026 (upcoming) – The United States prepares to face its semifinal opponent in men’s hockey, with the outcome set to determine a potential gold‑medal matchup later in the Games[1].
Mar 2026 (upcoming) – The Winter Paralympics commence in Milan‑Cortina without Ukrainian participation, following the nation’s boycott over flag‑policy decisions[1].
External resources (4 links)
- https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/winter-olympics-2026-freestyle-skiing-jakara-anthony-first-dual-moguls-olympic-champion (cited 1 times)
- https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/results/athlete-details/24147 (cited 1 times)
- https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/results/athlete-details/24155 (cited 1 times)
- https://www.wnep.com/article/sports/olympics/team-usa-women-freestyle-ski-moguls-gold-silver-medal/507-e4e319e9-f8cd-4e6d-b77f-ae872d5125d2 (cited 1 times)