SI Predicts Medal Winners for 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will showcase an exciting array of sports and athletes, with a total of 348 medals up for grabs across 116 events in 16 disciplines. Taking place in northern Italy, the games will be hosted in five different clusters.
New Sports and Events
This edition of the Winter Olympics will introduce ski mountaineering as a new sport. Additionally, several established sports will feature new events, including:
- Men’s and women’s dual moguls in freestyle skiing
- Women’s doubles luge
- Mixed team event in skeleton
- Large-hill women’s ski jumping
Returning Athletes
Familiar American athletes seeking to add to their medal counts include Chloe Kim, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Jordan Stolz. Traditional powerhouses like Norway will likely excel in Nordic sports, while Germany is expected to dominate in sliding sports.
Predictions for Medal Winners
Based on recent performances and trends, here are some medal predictions across various sports:
Alpine Skiing
- Men’s Downhill: Gold – Marco Odermatt (Switzerland), Silver – Dominik Paris (Italy), Bronze – Franjo Von Allmen (Switzerland)
- Women’s Downhill: Gold – Emma Aicher (Germany), Silver – Sofia Goggia (Italy), Bronze – Lindsey Vonn (U.S.)
Biathlon
- Men’s 10-km Sprint: Gold – Tommaso Giacomel (Italy), Silver – Johan-Olav Botn (Norway), Bronze – Eric Perrot (France)
- Women’s 15-km Individual: Gold – Dorothea Wierer (Italy), Silver – Lou Jeanmonnot (France), Bronze – Hanna Öberg (Sweden)
Cross-Country Skiing
- Men’s Sprint Classic: Gold – Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway), Silver – Federico Pellegrino (Italy), Bronze – Oskar Opstad Vike (Norway)
- Women’s 10-km + 10-km Skiathlon: Gold – Ebba Andersson (Sweden), Silver – Jessie Diggins (U.S.), Bronze – Heidi Weng (Norway)
Figure Skating
- Men’s Gold: Ilia Malinin (U.S.), Silver – Yuma Kagiyama (Japan), Bronze – Shun Sato (Japan)
- Women’s Gold: Kaori Sakamoto (Japan), Silver – Amber Glenn (U.S.), Bronze – Ami Nakai (Japan)
Final Thoughts
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics promises to be a thrilling showcase of athleticism and competition. With new events added and familiar faces returning, fans can look forward to witnessing history-making performances.
