As the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo come to an end, the world begins to look back on memorable moments. These victories that replay in our heads and share with our friends are what create these Olympic legends. Historic gold for the United States in hockey, the first gold for South America and winners for the debut sports are a few of the exciting events that occurred during this year’s Winter Olympics.
United States Hockey Team Takes the Gold After 46 YearsÂ
In 1980, the U.S. men’s hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in an upset 4-3. This was named “Miracle on Ice” because the Soviets were heavily favored since they hadn’t lost an Olympic game since 1960. What made this even more impressive for the U.S. is that their team was considered the youngest among all the other hockey teams competing, with an average age of 21. After this historic win, the U.S. hockey team dropped off and didn’t take home any more Olympic wins until now. In the 2026 Olympics, the U.S. went into overtime with Canada before Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal, defeating them 2-1.
First South American Gold Medalist in the Winter Olympics
In the 102 years of the Winter Olympics, no athlete representing South American countries has ever won a medal. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, a Brazilian alpine skier, made history by winning gold in the men’s giant slalom. Because of this, he became the first athlete from Brazil, South America and any tropical nation to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. While only 25 years of age, Pinheiro kept his cool on the slopes despite the heavy snow and fog. His winning combined time was 2 minutes and 25 seconds, overthrowing the Swiss defending Olympic champion, Marco Odermatt. This win not only showed Pinheiro that dreams can turn into reality, but also created history for all South American countries.
First Olympic Winners of the New Ski Mountaineering
February 19, 2026, is the day on which Ski Mountaineering made its debut at the Winter Olympics. Often called ‘skimo’, athletes start with their skis attached before removing them and placing them in their backpacks to go up a set of stairs on foot. Once the stairs run out, they put their skis back on and continue up the hill. For the final stretch, the skiers race down the hill on their skis to the finish line. Ski Mountaineering is the first new winter sport since 1998, when snowboarding was added to the schedule. Taking home the win for the first time in history for the women was Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton, and for the men, Spain’s Oriol Cardona Coll.