Last February, in Milan and the areas surrounding it, the 2026 Winter Olympics occurred. Some countries came out overjoyed – and some came out not so overjoyed. One such country that came out pleased was the Host Nation: Italy. Italy, in her best Winter Olympics result in history, finished 3rd with 30 medals. Many athletes say there is nothing more exciting in sports than winning in front of a home crowd; and the Italian athletes made sure they experienced the euphoria of doing so.
Some of the best storylines in the Olympics had nothing to do with countries; however, and instead focused solely on individual brilliant athletes. The story of Alyssa Liu, the American Figure Skater who took home Olympic Gold being the most celebrated. Figure Skating is the centerpiece of any Winter Olympics; boasting the highest viewership numbers by quite a bit (Speed Skating is second in viewers for anyone wondering – Hockey is barely Top 5). Liu took home Gold with an attitude that not too many skaters possess – one of pure joy and laughter. Her happiness set her apart in a sport in which many athletes appear as if they are on the brink of tears. Not only did Liu bring a much appreciated change of personality to the sport; she won Gold after having retired just two years before. In something that had never been done before, Alyssa Liu won a Gold Medal after having quite literally retired not long before the Olympics. It is likely that will never be seen again.
Alyssa Liu was not the only American to take home hardware from the Olympics; with Speed Skater Jordan Stolz proving to the world he is the fattest man on skates. With a confidence projected that was evident even on the viewers’ TV; Stolz breezed past the competition, set numerous World records, and took home 3 medals (2 Gold and 1 Silver). Still only 21, the Wisconsin native stated to the media that this Olympics was “just the beginning,” with him hoping to win more Gold Medals and set more records in Winter Olympics’ to come.
Not all storylines, however, were positive. Alyssa Liu may have come home as a very happy American Figure Skater: Ilia Malinin did not. Malinin came into the Olympics as being hailed as possibly the greatest Male Figure Skater of all time despite him having never even been to the Olympics before. Malinin was considered a revolutionary force in Men’s Figure Skating – with him being able to perform jumps that had previously been deemed impossible by literal physicists. Unfortunately for Malinin, Olympic pressure proved to be too much to handle. In his Free Skate, Malinin fell numerous times, failed to perform any of his signature jumps, and looked razzled. Announcers and audience members alike gasped in surprise as they watched the Gold Medal favourite collapse out of Medal contention entirely and winding up down in Eighth Place. Despite the Americans having a successful Winter Olympics overall, Malinin’s collapse will stand out as an Olympic moment to remember from Milan.
Boasting the highest viewership titles in Olympic History, the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics will go down as one of the most memorable and exciting in history. As is with all Olympics, there were moments of utter joy and bliss whilst on the flip side there were moments of true heartbreak. In Milan, however, these moments seemed a little more memorable.