Top 10 Moments to Watch at the 2026 Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics don’t really start when the first event begins.They start earlier. When expectations pile up. When athletes arrive knowing this might be their only shot. When fans argue online before anyone has even competed.

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina feel heavier than usual. Part of that is Italy hosting. Part of it is timing. A lot of big names are either at their peak or close to the end. Younger athletes are coming in fearless, sometimes too fearless. And the schedule itself is split between city ice rinks and mountain slopes, which changes how these Games feel day to day.

Not every moment will be perfect. Some races will be ruined by weather. Some judging calls will make no sense. A few favorites will fall early and pretend they’re fine with it. That’s normal. That’s the Olympics.

But there are certain moments you don’t want to miss. Moments where pressure actually shows. Where preparation either pays off or doesn’t. Where the result sticks with people long after the medal ceremony ends.

This isn’t a list about hype or predictions. It’s about the moments that already feel important, the ones that people are still talking about hours later. Some are loud. Some are quiet. All of them say something about what these Games really are.

Here are ten moments from the 2026 Winter Olympics that matter, whether you’re watching every event or just checking highlights at 2am.

1. Francesca Lollobrigida Winning Italy’s First Gold

Italy didn’t have to wait long for its first gold, and that helped. Francesca Lollobrigida won the women’s 3,000m speed skating event early in the Games. She did it on her birthday, which sounds scripted but wasn’t.

She set an Olympic record, beat skaters from Norway and Canada, and immediately became a national headline. The crowd reaction said everything. People weren’t just happy. They were relieved. Home Games pressure is real, and she handled it calmly, like someone who knew exactly what she was doing.

Not flashy. Just clean skating and confidence.

2. Italy’s Mixed Short Track Relay Gold (and That Celebration)

Short track is always chaos. This race was no different. But Italy’s team — Arianna Fontana, Elisa Confortola, Thomas Nadalini, and Pietro Sighel — stayed clean and fast.

Fontana added another medal to an already ridiculous Olympic career. At this point, she’s not chasing records. She is the record.And Sighel skating backward across the finish line? That wasn’t necessary. But it was fun. And honestly, after winning Olympic gold at home, you earn that moment.

Canada and Belgium pushed hard, but Italy didn’t crack.

3. Kokomo Murase Owning Snowboard Big Air

Snowboard big air doesn’t need much explanation. You either land the trick or you don’t. Kokomo Murase landed them. Cleanly.

She threw huge spins under the lights in Livigno and made it look normal, which is kind of the scary part. This was her Olympic gold moment, and she didn’t hesitate. No checking speed. No backing off.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott pushed her, but Murase didn’t flinch. That’s what separates gold from silver in this sport.

4. Max Langenhan Taking Control in Men’s Luge

Luge is one of those sports where viewers quietly wonder why anyone would choose this. And then the run starts, and it’s over in seconds.

Max Langenhan didn’t just win gold. He controlled every run. Smooth lines, no visible panic, no mistakes. That’s rare in luge.Italy’s Dominik Fischnaller took bronze, which meant a lot to the home crowd. But this race belonged to Langenhan.

Fast, precise, no drama. Sometimes dominance looks boring. This wasn’t.

5. Jutta Leerdam’s Speed Skating Redemption

Jutta Leerdam came into these Games with expectations and pressure. She left with gold in the 1,000m.

Her race was sharp. Every turn clean. Every push aggressive. She set an Olympic record, and for once, nobody argued with the result.

Considering her rough lead-up to the season, this wasn’t just a win. It was a reset. And it showed that when she’s locked in, she’s very hard to beat.

6. Ilia Malinin and the Backflip Conversation

Figure skating fans knew this moment was coming. Ilia Malinin landed a legal backflip on one skate, something that wasn’t even allowed at the Olympics until recently.

The reaction was split. Some loved it. Some hated it. Which usually means the moment mattered.

Malinin already pushes technical limits with quads. This just added fuel to the debate about where figure skating is headed. Like it or not, this performance will be talked about for years.

7. Italy’s Record Medal Day

At one point, Italy picked up six medals in a single day. That’s not normal for them at the Winter Games.

Sofia Goggia earned bronze in downhill. Other medals came from snowboarding, skating, and biathlon. It felt like everything clicked at once.

Home Olympics momentum is a real thing. When it hits, it hits fast.

8. Sofia Goggia Doing Sofia Goggia Things

Downhill skiing is not forgiving. Sofia Goggia knows that better than most. She didn’t win gold, but her bronze in Cortina still mattered.

She attacked the course the way she always does. No fear. No playing it safe. That style doesn’t always win, but it always makes races worth watching.

And honestly, Cortina downhill without Goggia in the mix would feel wrong.

9. Team USA’s Size and Balance

Team USA brought its largest Winter Olympic team ever. That’s not just a flex. It’s a strategy.

You’ve got veterans who’ve done this before and younger athletes who don’t overthink things yet. That mix matters. Some events went as expected. Others didn’t. But overall, the team stayed competitive across sports.

Depth shows up late in the Games. That’s when this matters most.

10. The Emotional Weight of These Games

This isn’t just about medals. For some athletes, this is their last Olympics. You can see it in how they compete.

They take risks. They don’t hold back. They react harder to losses and wins. The closing ceremony will show that side clearly. Some smiles. Some blank stares. Some relief.

That’s always the quiet moment people remember later.