As the 2026 Olympics came to a close, there were many great highlights, funny moments, and some controversies.
The United States came in second overall with 33 medals. 12 gold medals, 12 silver, and 9 bronzes. They lost to a winter powerhouse, Norway, which had 41 medals, including 12 golds, 12 silver, and 11 bronzes.
Italy and Australia also had their most successful performances at the Winter Olympics. Brazil became the first nation from South America to win a Winter Olympics medal, and it was gold. The nation of Georgia won its first medal as well.
The big highlight was the United States taking both golds in ice hockey in overtime. This is the first time both U.S. teams won gold in the same year. The men last won Olympic gold in 1980 and the women in 2018.
Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S. finally won a gold medal that had been eluding her. She has several silver and bronze medals, but finally, in the women’s monobob, she won gold. She now ties the record for most decorated U.S women in Winter Olympic history and is also the oldest U.S. woman to win a medal.
Another record-breaker was Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, nicknamed “King Klaebo,” from Norway, for his performance in these games. He won 6 gold medals across all his competitions, making him the first athlete to win 6 gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. He now holds the most Winter Olympic gold medals in history, with 11 total.
Alysa Liu had an incredible performance in women’s ice skating, earning a gold medal after returning to the sport. It was her second gold medal after helping the U.S. win the team competition in figure skating.
There were some controversies, most notably in curling, where multiple teams were accused of double-touching the curling stone. The team that sparked the controversy, Canada, went on to win the gold medal in the men’s competition.
There were also complaints about brutal weather conditions in the first run of the men’s slalom as the almost blizzard-like conditions led to 52 competitors not finishing, including many medal contenders. Some argue it should’ve been delayed.
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreidat had a controversial moment where he admitted to his ex-girlfriend on live tv after winning a bronze medal that he had cheated on her and pleaded to her. That moment sparked a wide debate over what the response should be, and the ex-girlfriend said it’s still hard to forgive.
The Olympics cannot be held without some funny and heartwarming moments. One of the funniest moments was when a dog made its way onto the cross-country team sprint and crossed the finish line after some of the athletes. The dog even had its own photo finish.
Team Poland’s mascot, a pierogi named Pieroguszka, went viral for its cuteness. Breezy Johnson from the U.S., who won a gold medal in alpine skiing, got engaged right after her second event with Taylor Swift, even commenting and congratulating them.
During the Olympics, whether winter or summer, the world comes together for 2 weeks in support of the athletes and the moments we will remember for a long time.
The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, and the 2030 Winter Olympics will be held in the French Alps.
