Winter Olympics 2026 in Italy: Kirsty Muir’s near-miss, medals picture, and what’s next
The Winter Olympics in Italy are already delivering high-stakes finishes and tight medal margins, with Great Britain’s Kirsty Muir emerging as one of the early emotional storylines. On Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, Muir narrowly missed the podium in women’s freeski slopestyle, finishing fourth by less than half a point — a result that keeps her in the hunt but underscores how little separates medals from heartbreak at these Games.
With competitions spread across northern Italy and multiple snow and ice clusters running simultaneously, the first full weekend of results has also started to shape the early Winter Olympics medals race.
Where is the Winter Olympics 2026?
The 2026 Winter Olympics are being staged across northern Italy, co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, with events distributed among several venue clusters. Many of the ice sports are centered around Milan, while sliding and snow events run in the mountains, including areas connected to Cortina and other Alpine sites.
The Games opened Feb. 6, 2026, and are scheduled to conclude Feb. 22, 2026. That two-city framework is a defining feature of the event: a major urban hub for indoor arenas paired with historic mountain terrain for speed, freestyle, and endurance disciplines.
Winter Olympics medals: early standings
As of Monday afternoon, Feb. 9, 2026 (ET), the top of the medal table is still fluid, with early titles in alpine, freestyle, and speed events quickly shifting the order.
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | Austria | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Japan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
A notable early marker: the Netherlands opened its gold-medal account with a women’s 1,000-meter speed skating victory that also set an Olympic record, a reminder that a single race can swing the standings in a hurry.
Kirsty Muir ski run ends just short
Kirsty Muir’s slopestyle final on Feb. 9 became a snapshot of freestyle skiing’s unforgiving math. After mistakes in earlier runs, she put down a strong final attempt featuring a big closing jump, only to land fourth — narrowly behind the bronze score.
The result is painful because Muir arrived as a genuine medal contender. In the weeks leading into the Olympics, she had been producing top-end scores on major stages, and her form suggested she could contend for Great Britain’s first Olympic medal in women’s freeski slopestyle.
The comeback context behind the moment
Muir’s Olympic run has carried extra weight because of the road back from injury. In late 2023, she suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery and significant rehabilitation time, and she also dealt with shoulder issues in that same period. Returning to elite form after that kind of disruption is rarely linear in action sports, where confidence and timing matter as much as strength.
Her recent resurgence — including major wins and podiums over the past year — reframed her as a medal favorite rather than simply a young talent gaining experience. That shift is part of why a fourth-place finish hit so hard: the expectation was no longer “promising,” but “podium.”
Kirsty Muir boyfriend chatter and what’s actually public
Interest in Muir has also broadened beyond the slopes, including curiosity about her personal life. Recent coverage has linked Muir to Matt Harris, a BMX rider and ski instructor who has appeared on reality television in the UK.
Even so, relationship details are secondary to the Olympic storyline, and many specifics circulating online are not publicly confirmed. The only reliable takeaway is that she has been publicly associated with Harris, while the focus remains on her competition schedule.
What to watch next for Muir and the Games
For Muir, the immediate next target is big air, where a single landed run can flip the narrative from near-miss to medal. Freestyle events often reward athletes who can reset quickly, and her ability to rebound after Monday’s disappointment will be one of the more compelling short-term arcs for Team GB.
For the broader Winter Olympics picture, the medal table is likely to churn as speed skating, alpine, biathlon, and team events add volume. Early totals can be misleading; the most stable signals will come once the mid-Games rhythm sets in and the heavyweight sports start stacking repeat podiums for the same nations.
Sources consulted: Reuters, Associated Press, ESPN, International Olympic Committee
