The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Alysa Liu was divine in the women’s figure skating short program Tuesday, but her “Blade Angels” teammates might need a miracle to reach the podium when the free skate is contested Thursday.
Liu’s performance was near flawless as she scored a season-best 76.59, good for third place and just 2.12 points behind the leader, Japan’s Ami Nakai. But teammate Amber Glenn, the highest-ranking American in the world, bailed on one of the easiest jumps of her routine, earning a zero in that portion and falling all the way to 13th place, making her a long shot to reach the podium. Glenn’s score of 67.39 sits more than 9 points off the podium heading into Thursday night’s free skate.
Isabeau Levito, the third American to qualify for the Olympics, sits in eighth, just 3.45 points ahead of Glenn. Both will have to be perfect Thursday and hope that skaters ahead of them falter if either is to earn a medal.
“I felt super grounded,” Liu said, “and I connected with my program on another level compared to the rest of the season. I’m super confident in myself in everything,” she said.
The last American medal in women’s figure skating came in 2006 in Turin, Italy, when Sasha Cohen won silver.
If you want the complete rundown of the day’s major moments, scroll through our live updates blog and catch up on the medal count.
Sweden next up for U.S. men’s hockey team
Sweden ousted Latvia 5-1 in Tuesday’s men’s hockey qualifying round to set up a gold medal-level matchup with the Americans in the quarterfinals.
Eight teams faced off Tuesday for the right to advance to the men’s hockey quarterfinals Wednesday. In the other games, Czechia beat Denmark and will face Canada, Switzerland blanked Italy 3-0 to earn a date with Finland, and Germany rolled past France 5-1 and will face Slovakia.
Sweden, along with Canada and the United States, was a gold medal co-favorite coming into the tournament. While the Canadians and Americans cruised into the quarters with three easy wins and a bye, Sweden had to scuffle its way into the final eight. Sweden coach Sam Hallam believes that might prove to be an advantage.
“You can cruise through it, and then all of a sudden you’re tested in a way you weren’t prepared for,” Hallam said. “It gives you a better feeling now that we’ve had these small things go wrong every game and had to look at things, adjust small things.”
The USA-Sweden game will be the final match of Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The game is scheduled to get underway at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Adrian Kempe of Sweden celebrates the team’s first goal against Latvia. (Amber Searls / Imagn Images)
Norway’s Tormod Frostad nails final jump to win freeski big air
A near-perfect final jump lifted Frostad to gold in the men’s freeski big air final at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park.
With the pressure on, the 23-year-old secured another gold for Norway with a huge 98.50 on the final jump of the evening.
The United States’ Mac Forehand was in first place with only Frostad left to complete his final run, but the Norwegian soared when it mattered most and landed the highly technical “right nose butter double bio 1620 safety” to claim the gold with a combined score of 195.50 — 2.25 better than Forehand, who finished with a silver medal.
Matej Svancer of Austria won the bronze with a score of 191.25. Team USA claimed three of the top five spots, with Troy Podmilsak finishing fourth (184.50) and Konnor Ralph fifth (178.00).
As soon as he won gold, Frostad, who finished seventh in the 2022 Olympic final, ran toward his family and jubilantly screamed: “This is insane!”
Tormod Frostad of Norway skis in the men’s big air final at Livigno Snow Park. (Joe Camporeale / Imagn Images)
Disappointing day for U.S. speedskaters
America’s men’s and women’s team pursuit squads had their sights set on gold, but they are heading home after finishes that fell short of their lofty expectations.
The men’s trio of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran — reigning world champions and world record holders in the competition — suffered a stunning loss to Italy and settled for the silver medal. China took the bronze medal with a win over the Netherlands.
In the women’s team pursuit, Brittany Bowe, Mia Manganello and Greta Myers lost to eventual gold medalist Canada in the semifinal and lost to Japan by 3.5 seconds in the bronze medal race to finish a disappointing fourth. The Netherlands won the silver medal.
The U.S. men’s team came into Milan as clear favorites but finished a whopping 4.51 seconds behind Italy’s winning time of 3:39.20.
“If there’s anything we’ve learned from the Olympics, between short track or figure skating or whatever it is … you can’t just be the best going in, you have to be the best on the day you compete,” Lehman said. “Italy was the best today, and in every round.”
Despite the men’s squad’s disappointment, the silver medal represents the best finish for the United States in team pursuit since a silver medal finish behind Canada in 2010.
Greta Myers and her women’s team pursuit teammates lost to Japan in the bronze medal race at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium. (Katie Stratman / Imagn Images)
Lindsey Vonn is back in the U.S.
After a week in an Italian hospital and four surgeries on her fractured left leg, U.S. downhill star Lindsey Vonn has returned to the U.S. Vonn posted on X on Monday evening that “being back on home soil feels amazing.”
Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race. And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing ❤️🇺🇸 #imhome #BeLv
Huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me🙏🏻
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) February 17, 2026
Vonn, 41, suffered a horrific fall 13 seconds into her downhill run on Feb. 8 at the Winter Olympics, a race she attempted despite rupturing her left anterior cruciate ligament just nine days before.
In her post, Vonn said she remains immobile and confined to a hospital bed, and she offered thanks “to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me.”
She had come out of retirement in 2024 to attempt a comeback after having a partial right knee replacement surgery. That comeback was a spectacular success, and Vonn had reclaimed her status as the world’s dominant downhill skier.
Vonn said last week that she does not want anyone’s empathy or pity and that she hopes her journey to recovery can inspire others. “I hope instead it gives you strength to keep fighting, because that is what I am doing and that is what I will continue to do. Always,” she wrote.