Mikaela Shiffrin is opening up about the moment that helped her reset before winning Olympic slalom gold in Milano-Cortina.
Speaking on TODAY, Shiffrin said she had an “almost out-of-body experience” at the start-gate before her second run. The moment came after she watched the skier ahead of her miss a gate, bringing her back to her disappointing performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
“My biggest fear going into the Games was that I would feel really isolated and alone,” Shiffrin said.
But, thanks to her team, that’s not how she felt on the Italian slopes last month.
“They made me feel very supported and feel very together,”
Shiffrin said of her backers. “It felt like they were skiing it with me.”
The 31-year-old went on to complete a clean second run and top the Olympic slalom podium, earning her third career individual gold medal. The victory only padded Shiffrin’s already-stacked resume, which spans a record 110 World Cup wins and a record-tying six overall World Cup titles.
Will Olympic Skier Mikaela Shiffrin Compete in the Next Winter Olympics?
While she remains at the top of her game, questions still surround Shiffrin’s future — especially when it comes to participating in the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.
“We look forward to seeing you at the next Winter Olympics,” TODAY anchor Craig Melvin told her with a smile, closing out the interview.
“Very good, Very good. We’ll talk later,” she laughed.
Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu credited Taylor Swift for helping her win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics at this week's iHeartRadio Music Awards.
The 20-year-old athlete presented Swift with the Artist of the Year award and thanked the pop star for narrating a video that introduced Team USA's Blade Angels before the Milan Games in February.
"She is the GOAT of music," Liu said on stage. "She lent her voice and music by narrating a video introducing me and the other Blade Angels. I gotta say, I think that's why we won."
Swift appeared visibly moved by the comment. She covered her face with her hands and blushed as cameras captured her reaction alongside fiancé Travis Kelce.
The Olympic video featured Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito. In it, Swift called them "three American showgirls on ice," referencing her latest album The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift praised each skater's unique story, highlighting how Liu walked away from skating at 16 after the 2022 Beijing Games, before returning on her own terms.
"Joy fuels her now," Swift said. "Every jump, a celebration."
Liu won two gold medals at the Milan Olympics. She captured the women's individual singles figure skating title, after previously helping Team USA win the team event. The victories marked the first US women's figure skating gold medal since Sarah Hughes in 2002.
Liu wore her signature "halo" bleached hair to the award show, sitting out this week's 2026 World Championships to attend the iHeartRadio Music Awards, alongside other prior obligations. Her fellow Blade Angels Glenn and Levito are currently competing in Group 4 of the women's free skate in Prague.
The International Paralympic Committee announced record women's participation at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan Cortina, with 160 women's sports athletes competing across six sports.
The milestone marks the fourth consecutive Winter Games to feature a record number of women's sports athletes.
Women's participation increased by 24 athletes compared to the Beijing 2022 Games. The growth demonstrates expanding opportunities for women's Paralympians throughout winter sports.
"That's fantastic," US wheelchair curler Laura Dwyer said of the record. "As a female, as a mom, as someone injured, it feels amazing to be a part of that, to show the way for others."
Dwyer became paralyzed from the waist down in 2012, after a 1,000-pound tree branch fell on her while on the job as a landscaper. She now competes for Team USA in wheelchair curling.
Five sports are seeing record women's participation this year. Para alpine skiing leads with 57 women's competitors, followed by para cross-country skiing with 65, para biathlon with 45, wheelchair curling with 25, and para snowboard with 15.
Para ice hockey will feature a female athlete for the second consecutive Games and fourth time overall since the sport joined the Paralympic program. The sport remains mixed-gender despite excluding a separate women's competition.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics opened Friday with a ceremony in Verona, Italy, as 616 total athletes from 56 nations compete for 79 medal events through March 15th.
The competition coincides with the Winter Paralympics' 50th anniversary, after the inaugural 1976 Games featured fewer than 200 athletes from 18 countries competing in just two sports.
Acclaimed actor Stanley Tucci hosted the US women's hockey team for lunch in Milan earlier this month, shortly before footage of the men's team eating McDonald's at the White House sparked widespread fan reaction.
USA Hockey posted photos on Instagram showing Tucci dining with the women's Olympic team on February 10th, captioning the image "Lunch with @stanleytucci…an absolute dream for members." The post subsequently earned more than 90,000 likes and 574 comments.
The 65-year-old actor is known for his roles in The Devil Wears Prada as well as hosting the food series Searching for Italy. He is also an Olympic sports enthusiast, rubbing elbows with gold medal-winning women's hockey stars Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield during the Milan lunch.
Meanwhile, a video showing the US men's hockey team eating McDonald's at President Trump's White House recently circulated on Reddit and social media. In the clip, players in navy "USA" shirts sat around a long table stacked with burgers and fries.
Fans were quick to point out the difference between the two victory meals. One user tweeted that the women's lunch was "infinitely cooler than a White House visit," while another fan said they would "give anything to share a meal with stanley tucci."
While both US teams won Olympic gold medals, the conflicting meals have followed the conversation off the ice.
Emily Fischnaller returns to Olympic competition this week in Milano-Cortina, seven years after a devastating crash left her with a broken neck and back at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
The US luger lost control on her fourth run in South Korea when her sled lost contact with the ice on the ninth curve. She slammed into the track at high speed, fracturing her neck, back, and pinky finger. Fischnaller initially told reporters she felt fine, but tests subsequently revealed the severity of her injuries.
Despite the physical and psychological trauma, Fischnaller refused to quit. She spent months working with a psychologist to overcome fears that gripped her on the track. Eight months after the crash, she stepped back onto the ice for the first time — an experience she described as terrifying.
"That crash hit me from all angles," she later said. "When you go through something like that, you lose parts of yourself. I was afraid of going through something like that again, afraid because I didn't know, physically, what my body was going to do."
Emily Fischnaller's perseverance paid off. She won bronze at the 2019 World Championships, less than a year after the crash. She went on to compete at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and earned another world bronze in 2024.
However, the 32-year-old does deal with chronic pain, modifying her training routines to manage neck fatigue and muscle spasms. X-rays show permanent changes to her vertebrae.
Fischnaller now lives in Italy with her husband, Italian Olympic luger Dominik Fischnaller, who won bronze in Sunday's men's singles event. She ranks 14th globally heading into this week's singles competition.
The luger also founded Champions 4 Change, a nonprofit connecting Olympic and Paralympic athletes with disabled individuals. While she acknowledges her journey inspires others, Fischnaller remains focused on one goal: winning an Olympic medal.
How to watch US luger Emily Fischnaller at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Fischnaller is currently competing in the women's singles luge, with the sport's medal event kicking off Tuesday at 12:34 PM ET, live Peacock.
Swiss freestyle skier Mathilde Gremaud successfully defended her Olympic slopestyle gold on Monday, scoring 86.96 on her second run to claim the 2026 Winter Olympics title.
Eileen Gu took silver with a score of 86.58, losing out to Gremaud for the second straight Winter Games.
Gremaud dominated the final despite intense pressure. The 24-year-old nailed her winning run on her second attempt, later wrapping a Swiss flag around her neck for a victory lap as she celebrated her fourth career Olympic medal.
Gu led after the first run with a clean routine, before wobbling off the rail on her second attempt. The mistake resulted in a low score. China's freestyle star needed a massive final run to overtake Gremaud, but subsequently skittered off the first rail and toppled to her side, dashing her gold medal hopes.
The rail section proved problematic for Gu throughout the competition. She fell on the same obstacle during Saturday's qualifying round. barely advancing to the final after executing her second attempt perfectly.
Gremaud's collection now includes four Olympic medals, after also taking big air bronze in Beijing and winning slopestyle silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The two-time slopestyle world champion (2023, 2025) is continuing her dominance in Milan.
Gu now turns her focus to defending her Olympic titles in halfpipe and big air. The 22-year-old US-born skier won three medals at the 2022 Winter Games, including gold in both events.
Entering the 2026 Olympics with a newly torn ACL, Team USA skiing icon Lindsey Vonn will race in the women's downhill event on Sunday — with the 41-year-old using it as a test case before committing to additional events at the Winter Games.
Vonn is also hoping to compete in Tuesday's team combined slalom event — possibly alongside fellow US star Mikaela Shiffrin — but the recent knee injury could derail her fifth, and likely final, Winter Olympics run.
"It will be objective performance that will define what our teams look like," USA women's skiing head coach Paul Kristofic clarified. "In the end, my job is to put the best pairings together so we can perform and get a medal and potentially win."
With Vonn's status technically still unclear, Italy is eyeing a home win, as 2018 gold medalist Sofia Goggia teams up with fellow decorated veteran Federica Brignone on Tuesday.
That said, Vonn successfully completed an early Friday training run — on the same Cortina course where she holds a record 12 World Cup wins.
"She was smart. She didn't go all in," said Vonn's coach Aksel Lund Svindal after her 11th-place run. "There was reserves today.... It's going to be hard but I think she could possibly [medal] on Sunday."
"No one would have believed I would be here…but I made it!!" Vonn posted to social media prior to Friday's downhill training. "I'm not going to waste this chance.... Let's go get it!!"
How to watch Lindsey Vonn at the 2026 Winter Olympics downhill event
Vonn will make her 2026 Olympic debut in the women's downhill event at 5:30 AM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on USA Network.
Figure skating took center stage on Friday morning, with defending champion Team USA securing a narrow lead on the first day of the must-watch Winter Olympics event's three-day team competition.
The team event showcases 10 nations competing across women's and men's singles, pairs, and dance categories, with each performance earning team points based on leaderboard positions.
Reigning world champion Alysa Liu skated the women's short program for Team USA, with the 20-year-old scoring a 74.90 to finish second to Japanese favorite Kaori Sakamoto's 78.88 tally.
Japan also took first in the pair's skating short program, with Team USA's Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea coming in fifth, but it was US duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates who topped the morning's rhythm dance event with a season-high score of 91.06.
The US performances ultimately secured 25 team points, earning the nation a day-one lead with Japan (23 points) and Italy (22 points) close behind.
Despite earning points for their countries on Friday, this weekend could see several roster shifts as the field narrows to the Top 5 nations on Saturday, with each team allowed to swap out skaters in up to two categories prior to the free dance and free skates.
For Team USA, rumors have three-time national champion Amber Glenn taking over the women's singles spot in Sunday's free skate, though the swap is not officially confirmed.
"We all signed a NDA for that!" joked Liu when asked about the US roster plan in the lead-up to the team event.
How to watch Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Team USA currently sits two points ahead of Japan heading into the second day of team competition. Five nations remain in contention to advance to the final round, with Italy, Georgia, and Canada also in the running.
Liu might return to the ice on Sunday, when the figure skating team event concludes with women's free skate at 2:45 PM ET, live across NBC and Peacock.
Speed skating champion Erin Jackson has been tapped to lead Team USA at Friday's 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The 33-year-old Ocala, Florida native shares flag-bearing duties with bobsledder Frank Del Duca, after her teammates voted her into the prestigious role.
Jackson made history in 2022, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Games. After capturing the 500-meter speed skating title in Beijing, she returns to defend her crown while also competing in the 1,000-meter event.
Milan will host the main Opening Ceremony at San Siro Stadium, with simultaneous celebrations across Predazzo, Livigno, and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The ceremony will make history by lighting two Olympic cauldrons, with one in Milan and another in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
In a pre-ceremony interview, Jackson spoke about the significance of representing her country, saying the honor goes beyond than one individual. As an Olympic flag bearer, she feels she's standing in for her family, teammates, hometown, and everyone who believes in the power of sport. And she takes pride in being an inspiration to aspiring Black athletes around the world.
After retirement, the three-time Olympian plans to start an organization helping young Black speed skaters pursue their dreams. She stressed that representation is crucial, discussing how winter sports have historically lacked diversity. She now sees herself as someone trying to change the game.
Jackson will join Team USA in wearing a Ralph Lauren-designed uniform on Friday, becoming the ninth US speed skater to carry the Olympic flag. She follows her longtime friend Brittany Bowe, who served as flag bearer at Beijing 2022.
What time is the Milano-Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony?
The Olympics opening ceremony starts at 2 PM ET, live on Peacock.
Afterwards, NBC will air a primetime encore with special coverage at 8 PM ET.
The 2026 Winter Olympics have officially arrived. After years of planning, the world's best on snow and ice are descending upon Northern Italy for the Milano-Cortina Games.
And in addition to all the normal reasons to celebrate, the 2026 Olympics will feature a record-breaking 47% participation rate for women's sports athletes — the largest in Winter Games history.
From the streets of Milan to the peaks of Cortina d'Ampezzo, here is everything you need to know about the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Basics: 2026 Winter Olympics Schedule in Milano-Cortina
Dates
The Winter Olympics schedule runs from February 6th through February 22nd, 2026, with preliminary ice hockey matches beginning February 4th.
Location
The Winter Games will take over Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, with additional venues in Valtellina, Val di Fiemme, and Anterselva.
Time Difference
Italy is six hours ahead of New York (ET) and nine hours ahead of Los Angeles (PT).
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
The Opening Ceremony takes place on February 6th at Milan's San Siro Stadium, with the Closing Ceremony capping things off at the historic Verona Arena on February 22nd.
Women's Sports Stars and Storylines Headlining the Winter Olympics Schedule
From figure skating to ice hockey, here are the buzziest Olympic names and most compelling narratives playing out in Milan.
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA, Alpine Skiing)
The sport's undisputed GOAT enters the 2026 Games as the winningest alpine skier of all time. And after a dominant 2025 season, Mikaela Shiffrin has emerged as the gold-medal favorite in both the Slalom and Giant Slalom events. According to the Winter Olympics schedule, alpine skiing runs February 8th through the 22nd at Cortina's Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Tune in to see if she can add to her growing legacy as the most decorated skier in history.
Lindsey Vonn (USA, Alpine Skiing)
The most talked-about comeback in sports is finally hitting the Olympic stage. At 41, Lindsey Vonn has overcome the odds — and a partial knee replacement — to return to the slopes in winning fashion. To complicate matters, Vonn tore her ACL just last week, but the five-time Olympian says she'll still compete despite the injury. Regardless of her performance in Milan, her presence alone has already redefined perceptions of veteran athletes in high-impact sports.
Chloe Kim (USA, Snowboarding)
25-year-old Team USA favorite Chloe Kim is chasing a historic three-peat in the women's snowboard halfpipe. Already the first women's snowboarder to win back-to-back golds in the event, Kim remains the technical standard-bearer for the sport — though her performance in Milan might hinge on her health, as she continues to recover from a recent shoulder injury. The snowboarding competition runs February 8th through the 16th in Livigno.
Eileen Gu (China, Freestyle Skiing)
Following a triple-medal performance in Beijing, China's Eileen Gu returns to the Games as a global icon. With high marks in Halfpipe, Slopestyle, and Big Air, the 22-year-old remains one of the most versatile — and promising — threats on powder.
Amber Glenn (USA, Figure Skating)
Known for explosive athleticism, captivating storytelling, and a powerful triple Axel, Amber Glenn is a cornerstone of the US figure skating team. Becoming the first openly queer woman to win a senior US title after picking up gold at the 2026 US Championships, Glenn's journey to the 2026 Games makes for especially good TV and even better on-ice competition. Figure skating events take place February 7th through the 21st at Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Kaori Sakamoto (Japan, Figure Skating)
The reigning queen of consistency, Kaori Sakamoto is a widely expected contender in the women's figure skating field. Armed with immense speed and technical precision, the 25-year-old enters 2026 looking to add an elusive individual gold medal to her resume.
Women's Ice Hockey
Marking the first Winter Olympics of the PWHL era, expect rosters across the field to be deeper and more game-ready than ever before. Most storylines will undoubtedly revolve around Canada and Team USA's heated rivalry, led by longtime captains Hilary Knight (USA) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada).
But count on European powerhouses like Finland and Czechia to close the competitive gap thanks to the sport's overall professionalization. Women's ice hockey is set to take over the Winter Olympics schedule from February 5th through the 19th.
New Events Debuting at the 2026 Winter Games
The IOC introduced several new medal events this year, primarily in an effort to improve gender parity throughout the Games.
Ski Mountaineering (AKA Skimo)
A high-endurance sport that involves racing up mountains on skis using specialized skins for grip, covering steep terrain on foot, and cruising quickly through backcountry.
Women's Individual Large Hill (AKA Ski Jumping)
This February, women's sports athletes will additionally compete on the same high-altitude, long-distance jump hills as the men's event, moving beyond the traditional Normal Hill.
Women's Doubles Luge
This sled racing event features two women sharing a single sled, navigating an icy track at speeds exceeding 80 MPH.
Freestyle Dual Moguls
This freestyle skiing event showcases two athletes racing side-by-side down a mogul-studded slope, picking up points for speed, technical turns, and aerial tricks in a head-to-head knockout format.
How to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina
NBC and Peacock have signed on as the exclusive broadcasters of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Peacock will offer 24-hour livestreamed coverage of the complete Winter Olympics schedule, while NBC and USA Network subsequently handle primetime action as well as highlights.