2026 Winter Olympics medals: Team USA adds silvers as Hunter Hess draws spotlight

Team USA’s early medal haul at the 2026 Winter Olympics is growing beyond the opening-weekend golds, with multiple U.S. athletes reaching the podium on Tuesday as the overall standings begin to take shape. At the same time, freestyle skier Hunter Hess has become an unlikely off-snow headline after his comments about representing the United States triggered a political flare-up, even as he prepares for competition later in the week.

Where Team USA stands on medals so far

Through events completed on Tuesday, Feb. 10, the United States has collected medals across alpine skiing, figure skating, curling, cross-country skiing, and freestyle skiing. The mix is notable: two golds already, plus a set of silvers in sports where the U.S. has not always been a lock for podium finishes.

Big Tuesday: cross-country breakthrough and curling heartbreak

Two of Tuesday’s biggest U.S. moments came in very different forms.

Ben Ogden’s silver in the men’s sprint classic was a historic result for American men’s cross-country skiing, snapping a decades-long drought at the podium level. It also served as a reminder that the U.S. team’s depth is not limited to the most TV-familiar winter disciplines.

In mixed doubles curling, the Americans came up one point short in a 6–5 final, settling for silver after a tight gold-medal game. Curling medals often hinge on a single late-end swing, and this one did—leaving the U.S. with a medal, but also with the feeling it was within one shot of gold.

Freestyle skiing adds to the count

Alex Hall’s silver in men’s freeski slopestyle gave the U.S. another high-profile podium in a sport where execution under variable weather and visibility can quickly scramble expectations. His medal is also an early signal that the U.S. freestyle program has arrived in Italy ready to contend across multiple events, not just one marquee final.

That matters for the “overall medal count” conversation: the nations that climb fastest are typically the ones stacking podiums across several sports on the same day.

Hunter Hess: the off-snow story around a halfpipe skier

Hunter Hess, a U.S. freeski halfpipe athlete from Bend, Oregon, has faced an intense wave of attention after he said he had mixed feelings about representing the United States when asked about the political climate back home. The remark drew a sharp rebuke from President Donald Trump, who criticized Hess publicly.

Hess responded with a message emphasizing pride in his country while saying it can still improve, framing the Olympics as a moment that brings people together. The situation has also prompted broader discussion among winter athletes about expressing personal views while competing under a national flag—an issue that tends to flare during the Games whenever a high-profile comment breaks through.

On the competitive side, Hess remains one of the Americans to watch in halfpipe, an event where a single clean run with high amplitude and strong grabs can vault a skier from mid-pack to podium.

Following the medal count online without getting lost

If you’re tracking “2026 Winter Olympics medals” minute by minute, two habits help cut through confusion:

• Use the official Games results portal for confirmed podiums and finalized standings (rather than social posts or partial leaderboards).

• Check the event time and the status label: a country can appear “ahead” mid-competition, then drop once finals are completed.

Also keep an eye on the difference between “gold-first” rankings and “total medals” rankings. Early in the Games, a country can lead in total medals while trailing in golds, or vice versa, depending on how clustered the podium finishes are.

What’s next for Team USA

The next few days will likely determine whether the U.S. turns a strong early base into a sustained climb. Alpine events continue to offer chances, freestyle skiing keeps producing medal opportunities, and several major sports are only just getting into their most medal-dense stretches.

For Team USA, the early theme is breadth: medals arriving from multiple corners of the program. If that continues, the United States’ position in the overall medal count should remain competitive deep into the second week.

Sources consulted: CBS News, Reuters, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times