United States at the Winter Olympics: early golds and a fast start in Milan-Cortina

The United States has opened the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics with early gold medals across marquee events, a strong early medal pace, and a men’s hockey debut that looked every bit like a contender. With the Games still in their first full week, Team USA’s early story has been depth: medals from established stars and breakthrough wins from athletes outside the usual spotlight.

Medal pace and early standings

As of early Friday, February 13, 2026 (ET), Team USA sits near the top of the medal table with 15 total medals: 6 gold, 2 silver, and 7 bronze. That mix reflects a familiar American pattern at recent Winter Games: a heavy early contribution from skating and speed events, plus a handful of big moments in the mountains.

A key thing to watch over the next several days is whether the U.S. can keep converting podium chances into gold as more high-variance events (alpine, freestyle, snowboard) move into their finals-heavy stretch.

Figure skating delivers a headline gold

The U.S. figure skating team has already provided one of the signature moments of the Games by winning gold in the team event on Sunday, February 8, 2026 (ET). The finish was tight, decided in the final segment, with standout performances across disciplines—ice dance, pairs, and singles—stacking points steadily rather than relying on one blowout skate.

Beyond the medal itself, the team-event win matters because it builds momentum heading into the individual competitions, where pressure rises and the margin for error narrows. The U.S. skaters now move into the rest of the figure skating schedule with an early confidence boost—and with attention shifting to whether they can add individual medals to the team title.

A breakthrough alpine gold from Breezy Johnson

In alpine skiing, Breezy Johnson delivered a major U.S. highlight by winning Olympic gold in the women’s downhill on Sunday, February 8, 2026 (ET). Downhill is one of the sport’s most unforgiving events—speed, risk management, and course conditions all collide—so a win there tends to stand up as one of the “purest” skiing medals of any Games.

Johnson’s victory also strengthens the U.S. position in the overall medal race because alpine medals can be hard to stack consistently. A single gold in downhill is the kind of result that can swing a team’s early narrative from “competitive” to “dangerous.”

Speed skating: Jordan Stolz sets the tone

On the oval, Jordan Stolz has already given the U.S. a defining moment by winning gold in the men’s 1000m with an Olympic-record time of 1:06.28 on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 (ET). The performance wasn’t just a win—it was a statement result, built around pace control and finishing speed that separated him clearly from the field.

For Team USA, that kind of victory has a ripple effect: it’s a medal, it’s a marquee highlight, and it sets expectations for additional chances in other distances as the speed skating program continues.

Men’s hockey opens with a convincing win

Team USA’s men’s hockey tournament began with a 5–1 win over Latvia on Thursday, February 12, 2026 (ET). Brock Nelson scored twice, and the U.S. attack spread production around a lineup stacked with high-end NHL talent.

Early group games can be tricky—teams are still finding lines, special teams are settling, and opponents often play their most structured hockey of the tournament—but the U.S. looked composed once the game opened up. The immediate goal now is simple: keep racking up points in group play to earn a favorable quarterfinal path and avoid an early knockout matchup against another medal favorite.

Snapshot of Team USA’s early gold medals

What to watch next

The next phase of the Games is where medal tables can swing quickly. For the United States, three practical pressure points stand out:

• Sustainability in the mountains: Downhill gold is huge, but alpine and snowboard events can be volatile. Another conversion or two into gold would keep the U.S. in striking distance of the overall lead.

• Figure skating individual rounds: After winning the team title, the question becomes whether U.S. skaters can turn momentum into more podium finishes as the spotlight tightens.

• Hockey path management: The U.S. has the talent to chase gold, but the bracket matters. Banking group-stage points early can be the difference between a manageable route and a high-risk quarterfinal.

The U.S. is off to a sharp start in Milan-Cortina. The next week will decide whether that start becomes a sustained run at the top of the table—or a solid haul that’s still short of the overall target.