Olympic Medal Count: Team USA Enters Final Day with Record 11 Golds
Team USA heads into the final day of the 2026 Winter Olympics having secured more gold medals than at any previous Winter Games, a development that shifts the Olympic Medal Count and solidifies the Americans’ hold on second place in the gold standings. The milestone matters because it breaks a longstanding tie and narrows one historic record for the U. S. medal haul.
Olympic Medal Count — Development details
The United States recorded its 11th gold when the mixed team ski aerials squad of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran and Chris Lillis won on Saturday, surpassing the prior U. S. Winter Games gold total from Salt Lake City in 2002. Earlier in the program, Jordan Stolz contributed two golds by winning the men's 1, 000-meter and the men's 500-meter speed skating events. Following the team aerials victory and additional bronze medals from Mia Manganello in the women's mass start speed skate and the two-woman bobsled team of Kaillie Humphries and Deborah Levi, Team USA’s total stands at 32 medals.
That 32-medal total leaves the Americans two short of the U. S. Winter Games record for total medals set in 2002. Norway remains well ahead at the top of the table with 18 golds and 40 total medals, a performance described as the best in Winter Olympics history. With three more medals in hand, the U. S. has maintained its advantage over Italy for second place in the gold count as competition moves to the final day.
Context and escalation
The U. S. surge in golds unfolded over the course of the Games, with speed skating yielding multiple top-podium finishes and the mixed team aerials delivering the decisive 11th gold on Saturday. The string of recent podiums—two golds by Stolz, the mixed-team aerials victory, and the bronzes from Manganello and the two-woman bobsled—pushed the American totals upward at a late moment in the schedule. What makes this notable is that the gold breakthrough came on the penultimate day, altering the final standings narrative and denying a repeat of the earlier U. S. gold plateau matched with 2002.
Norge’s dominant showing is the counterpoint to the U. S. rise: with 18 golds and 40 medals overall, Norway’s margin atop the standings is substantial enough that no other delegation is positioned to catch the leader. The Americans’ gains, then, are significant chiefly for national records and the fight for the runner-up position rather than an assault on the top spot.
Immediate impact
The immediate consequence of the mixed team aerials triumph is twofold: Team USA now claims its most gold medals in a Winter Olympics with 11, and the Americans close the gap in total medals to within two of the U. S. record set at Salt Lake City in 2002. Individual athletes who contributed to the surge—Jordan Stolz, Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, Chris Lillis, Mia Manganello, Kaillie Humphries and Deborah Levi—moved their events’ results into the national ledger, altering both personal and team tallies.
On the medal table, the U. S. holds second place in the gold race ahead of Italy, a position bolstered by the late addition of medals. Norway’s lead remains decisive, with 18 golds and 40 total medals creating a gap that the standings indicate is effectively insurmountable at this stage of the Games.
Forward outlook
The immediate milestone approaching is the final day of competition on Sunday, when remaining events will determine the last shifts in the medal standings. Team USA will enter that day with 11 golds and 32 total medals, two medals shy of the U. S. Winter Olympics record for total medals. Norway will enter the final day leading with 18 golds and 40 total medals, a pace described in the coverage as the strongest in Winter Olympic history. The coming competitions will finalize medal placements, but the current figures already confirm the U. S. has set a new gold mark for itself while remaining in pursuit of the overall medal record.
