Medal count Olympics 2026: Norway leads as Team USA posts early surge in Milan–Cortina
One week into the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the medal count for the 2026 Olympics is beginning to take shape. Norway sits atop the standings for gold medals, while the United States has collected a string of headline-making wins and historic moments that keep the overall race tight.
Where the podiums stand after seven days
Through the first week of competition, Norway has emerged as the early leader in gold medals, also carrying one of the largest overall tallies. The host cities have provided a packed schedule of alpine, skating and Nordic events that have shuffled leaders in the table almost daily. Italy, buoyed by depth across multiple disciplines, has climbed near the top of the total-medal list, and a wide field of nations have logged their first podiums in these Games.
Notable milestones have altered the usual hierarchy: a South American nation recorded its first Winter Olympic medal in alpine skiing, and a veteran Norwegian cross-country star extended a record run with another gold on Feb. 15 (ET). These results underscore the combination of established powerhouses and surprising breakouts shaping the medal count for Olympics 2026.
Team USA’s haul and standout performances
The United States arrived with its largest Winter Olympic delegation ever and has already converted that depth into headline moments. Breezy Johnson captured the country’s first gold in the women’s downhill, standing alone atop the podium in a breakthrough performance. American figure skaters followed with a gold in the team event, driven by a dominant singles free skate that sealed victory.
Speedskater Jordan Stolz has become one of the sport’s breakout stars at these Games. He claimed gold in the 1, 000 meters and then again in the 500 meters, each time setting an Olympic record and becoming the first American since 1980 to win multiple speedskating golds at a single Winter Games. In Nordic and freestyle events, U. S. athletes added to the medal ledger: a rare cross-country medal for an American man in the sprint, moguls gold for a 20-year-old Olympic debutant, and multiple podiums in dual moguls and freestyle skiing. The U. S. mixed doubles curling squad reached the final and secured silver, further padding the overall total.
Records, firsts and turning points to watch
Several individual achievements have reshaped expectations heading deeper into the schedule. A Norwegian skier extended an unparalleled run in cross-country by earning a ninth Olympic gold on Feb. 15 (ET), setting a new benchmark for Winter Games success. In alpine skiing, the giant slalom podium included a historic moment for South America, as a Brazilian racer produced a powerful final run to give his country its first Winter Olympic medal.
These landmark results matter for the medal count olympics 2026 because they illustrate how single performances can tilt momentum. Hosts and traditional leaders have been challenged by emerging nations and young stars whose Olympic debuts have translated into immediate impact. With more events still to come across skating, skiing and sliding sports, the leaderboard is likely to remain fluid.
As competition moves past the opening week, attention will turn to marquee events that can swing both gold and overall-medal rankings. Expect tight margins in the coming days as favorites and newcomers collide for spots on the podium and nations jockey for position in the evolving medal count.
