Here's the latest
• Busy Olympic day: Team USA kicks off the weekend with gold in the mixed team aerials. The US and Canada will compete for the women’s bronze in curling, Jordan Stolz heads for another gold, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo goes for more history on Day 15 of the Games.
• Norway makes Winter Games history: The Scandinavian nation has won 17 golds, breaking the record it set previously for most at a single Games. The Norwegians have a chance to add to that tally with plenty of sports on the dockey today.
• Bobsled pilot stretchered off after crash: The men’s four-man bobsled competition was delayed after a heavy crash for an Austrian team at the Cortina Sliding Centre. Jakob Mandlbauer was stretchered off the track after the crash.
CNN Sports has all of the greatest feats of achievement – and funny anecdotes – from the Games. Sign up for our “Milano Memo” newsletter.
This wild blend of horses and skis was the Winter Games’ first demonstration sport
A wild blend between horses and skis is an integral part of a sport which we won’t be seeing at the 2026 Winter Games.
Exhibited at St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1928, skijoring holds the honor of being the first ever demonstration sport at a Winter Olympics, yet the discipline’s origins extend well beyond its Games debut.
Practiced differently across continents, the history of skijoring is a complex one and comes in many different forms. But in recent years, it’s been the American version of the sport which has grown in popularity.
Western-style skijoring sees skiers hurtle around a course of jumps, rings, and gates while being pulled along by a galloping horse.
Megan Smith, a professional western-style skijorer, told CNN Sports all about the wild nature of the discipline: “An average person couldn’t do it. This is crazy.
“It’s super risky. Anything to do with animals is risky. You know, the horses really get into it, and they go really, really, really, really fast.”
Big crash delays four-man bobsled competition
The men’s four-man bobsled competition has been delayed after a heavy crash for one of the Austrian teams at the Cortina Sliding Centre.
The team consisting of Jakob Mandlbauer, Daniel Bertschler, Sebastian Mitterer and Daiyehan Nichols-Bardi were midway through their second run when they crashed.
Approaching one of the big final turns of the track, the team lost control before toppling over and colliding with the nearside wall.
The bob then continued to slide around the track with the Austrians inside.
Three members of the team were able to exit the sled with the pilot, Mandlbauer, receiving medical attention on the track.
After a lengthy delay, Mandlbauer was then taken out of the sled and stretchered off while he was wrapped in a thermal foil blanket.
CNN Sports has reached out to the Austrian Olympic Team for an update.
Team USA kicks off weekend with gold medal in mixed team aerials
We have our first gold medal of the day, and it goes the way of Team USA in the freestyle skiing mixed team aerials.
The team got off to a good start thanks to Kaila Kuhn and it was followed up by a big jump from Connor Curran.
Curran’s score of 113.72 catapulted the US to the top of the leaderboard with a lead of over 23 points ahead of China in second.
And with China crashing on its final jump of the competition, it was all down to Christopher Lillis to secure gold.
Lillis made no mistake and landed his trick when it mattered most; the 27-year-old scored 117.19 to wrap it up for Team USA.
It’s back-to-back golds in this event for the US. Switzerland picks up the silver medal with China finishing in third.
Here's everything you need to know about curling
With some medals on the line today, it’s time for you to learn all there is about curling.
Believed to have originated in the 16th century, teams slide granite stones that weigh up to roughly 20 kilos (44 pounds) across a 150-foot long, 15-foot-7-inch-wide sheet of ice towards a target known as a house.
Each curler has their own brush and a specific type of shoe specialized for the sport.
In each pair of shoes, one sole grips the ice, while the other is more slippery – called a slider – allowing players to slide with the stone when they’re playing it.
The brush is used by players to sweep in front of the stone to warm its path, allowing it to travel further if desired.
A team scores one point for each of its stones in or touching the house that are closer to the center than any of the opposition team’s stones. A curling game is competed over ten ends and the team with the most points wins.
Polish speed skater Kamila Sellier "in good condition" after scary injury
Short-track speed skating is always chaotic and, as shown last night, it can also be quite dangerous.
Polish skater Kamila Sellier suffered a frightening injury to her face during the women’s 1500m quarterfinals on Friday, leaving her with a cut close to her eye.
Sellier was involved in a collision involving Italy’s Arianna Fontana and American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold, with all three crashing out of the race. On her way down, Santos-Griswold’s outstretched skate made contact with her Polish rival’s face.
Sellier was tended to by medics on the ice, with blood staining the track. She was then taken away on a stretcher with a cut just under her eye.
In a statement to CNN Sports, the Polish Olympic team said Sellier had surgery last night for the wound on her cheek.
“She’s in good condition,” they said. “We’re waiting for further tests today. First of all, to check her eye for any signs of damage.”
Why do some athletes have AIN by their name? Russia and Belarus at the Games explained
An Individual Neutral Athlete is the name used to refer to athletes with either a Russian or Belarusian passport who will be competing at this year’s Winter Games. These athletes are referred to by the abbreviation AIN, which comes from the French translation Athlètes Individuels Neutres.
These athletes will be permitted to compete if they meet eligibility requirements, which are the same as those established for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
No reference to either country will be made at the Games through the athletes’ participation.
“No flag, anthem, colors or any other identifications whatsoever of Russia or Belarus will be displayed at the (Olympics) in any official venue or any official function,” the IOC said in a 2024 statement.
The AIN anthem – without any lyrics – and the AIN flag will be used in medal ceremonies.
Though AINs are eligible to compete and win Olympic medals, they will not be displayed in the medal table of nations.
AINs will also be excluded from the parade of delegations at the Opening Ceremony on the basis that they are individual athletes rather than a team, though the IOC has said “an opportunity will be provided for them to experience the event.”
Thirteen Russians and seven Belarusians have qualified for and been cleared to compete in Milan Cortina in the following sports:
- Alpine skiing
- Cross-country skiing
- Figure skating
- Freestyle skiing
- Luge
- Short track
- Ski mountaineering
- Speed skating
A Michelin-starred chef explains why this Olympic ring-shaped pasta is unique
Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco explains why this year’s Olympic ring-shaped pasta is so unique. CNN’s Antonia Mortensen goes behind the scenes to try it.
Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco explains why this year’s Olympic ring-shaped pasta is so unique. CNN’s Antonia Mortensen goes behind the scenes to try it.
After making its Olympic debut, skimo closes with mixed relay event today
After the individual sprint races on Thursday, all attention turns to the skimo relay later today.
The relays involve one man and one woman who together complete four alternate laps of the course. The relay course is slightly bigger than the sprints and involves two ascents and two descents per lap.
Team USA will be pinning its hopes on Cam Smith and Anna Gibson, who both made it to the semifinals in the individual competition.
Fun fact: The US duo qualified for this year’s Olympics after becoming the first American team to win a World Cup mixed relay event in December.
Read more about Smith, Gibson and the new Olympic sport here.
Germany in front after opening four-man bob heat
Germany leads the way after the opening heat of the men’s four-man bobsled.
The Germans currently sit in first and second with another team in fifth, but there are lots of teams positioned nicely to disrupt Germany’s dominance.
Great Britain sits in third, Switzerland in fourth and there’s just 0.09 seconds separating the German team in fifth and the USA in ninth.
Heat 2 gets underway later this hour.
IOC president says it will look into Gianni Infantino's Board of Peace involvement
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry has said the organization will look into Gianni Infantino’s association with President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
Infantino, who is the president of FIFA and an IOC member, was present at Thursday’s meeting – a notable exception from the world leaders in attendance.
Coventry said that the IOC will now research Infantino’s involvement with the Board of Peace.
“Now that you have made us aware, we will go back and, of course, look into it. The Olympic Charter is very clear about what it expects from IOC members, and we will go and research into the alleged signing of documents.”
Infantino has aligned himself on multiple occasions with Trump’s political positions, even culminating in him presenting Trump with the inaugural so-called FIFA Peace Prize, a nod to Trump’s repeated gripes of having not been selected to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Here’s some of CNN’s reporting on Infantino:
Alysa Liu on what she’s most excited for after winning gold
Alysa Liu says she hasn’t even checked her phone after winning Olympic gold and is just ready for sleep. CNN Sports’ Coy Wire caught up with the figure skater a day after her winning performance.
Alysa Liu says she hasn’t even checked her phone after winning Olympic gold and is just ready for sleep. CNN’s Coy Wire caught up with the figure skater a day after her winning performance.
Read more: Liu didn’t just win Olympic gold for figure skating. She wins one for her style too. CNN takes a look at her “tree ring” hairstyle and “smiley” piercing.
Hilary Knight and Evan Bates will be USA flag bearers at the closing ceremony
Team USA has chosen hockey hero Hilary Knight and veteran figure skater Evan Bates as its flag bearers for the closing ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games.
Knight called it a “tremendous honor.”
Knight scored a late equalizer against Canada in the women’s hockey final as Team USA completed an epic overtime comeback in the gold medal game. With that, she also became the US women’s leading goal and point scorer in Olympic Games history.
Bates also had a successful Olympics, winning a gold medal in the team figure skating and a silver medal in ice dancing.
He said he’s “deeply grateful to be selected as flag bearer.”
Men's four-man bobsled underway
The men’s four-man bobsled competition is underway and it’s already starting to get interesting.
Teams would have been wary that the trio of German bobs could have run away with things in the opening heat, but it’s not gone all their way so far.
Saying that, Germany still sits 1-2 but Great Britain is currently in third with Switzerland in fourth.
It’s all a lot closer than expected, but there’s still a very, very long way to go.
Norway wins 17th gold medal, breaking record for most won in a single Winter Olympics
More history was made on Friday after Johannes Dale-Skjevdal took home a gold medal in the men’s 15km mass start biathlon race for Norway. The win gave the country its 17th gold of the Milan Cortina Olympics, breaking the record for the most won by a nation in a single Games.
The Scandinavian nation had previously held the record with 16 at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Norway can add more medals to their count on Saturday in the men’s 50km mass start classic, ski mountaineering mixed relay and women’s 12.5km mass start biathlon race.
Events to look out for today
Good morning! Here are today’s medal events:
Freestyle skiing: Mixed team aerials finals from 4:45 a.m. ET. Men’s ski cross finals from 7:10 a.m. ET. Women’s halfpipe from 1:30 p.m. ET.
Cross-country skiing: Men’s 50km mass start classic at 5 a.m. ET.
Ski mountaineering: Mixed relay at 7:30 a.m. ET.
Curling: The US and Canada compete for the women’s bronze medal at 8:05 a.m. ET. Great Britain and Canada compete for the men’s gold medal at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Biathlon: Women’s 12.5km mass start at 8:15 a.m. ET.
Speed skating: Men’s and women’s mass start final at 10:40 and 11:15 a.m. ET.
Ice hockey: Finland and Slovakia compete in the men’s bronze medal game at 2:40 p.m. ET.
Bobsled: Two-woman final heat at 3:05 p.m. ET.
Yesterday was another chaotic day at the Olympics. Here's what you need to know
Another great day of action yesterday with Team USA ending the evening on a high note. There was a heavy American presence in the men’s freeski halfpipe finals, and not without success, as Alex Ferreira won gold. Team USA’s men’s hockey team rolled Slovakia 6-2, cementing a highly anticipated rivalry showdown against Canada for the gold.
Norway continues to lead the overall medal count with 37 total and 17 golds – a new Winter Olympic record (but more on that shortly…). The US is the runner-up with 29 medals and 10 golds, while Italy is in third with 27 medals and nine golds.
Catch up on other exciting medal moments from yesterday:
First gold of the day: Germany’s Daniela Maier won gold in the women’s ski cross in a closely-fought victory.
South Korea’s one-two: South Korea’s Kim Gilli won gold and Choi Minjeeong took silver in the women’s short-track speed skating 1500m race. USA’s Corinne Stoddard earned bronze.
The Dutch won speed skating again… and again: Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong skated her way to gold in the women’s 1500m final. The Netherlands then won the men’s 5000m relay short-track final, with Olympic favorite Jens van ‘T Wout earning his third gold of the Games.
Swiss curling bronze: Switzerland crushed Norway 9-1 in the bronze medal curling match, after beating the US yesterday morning.
Canadian semifinal win: Team Canada will play for gold after a remarkable comeback in men’s ice hockey, defeating Finland by a score of 3-2.
Another Norway victory: Johannes Dale-Skjevdal won gold in the men’s 15km mass start biathlon race.
Husband joins wife in glory: Wang Xindi took gold in the men’s aerials after a nail-biting final. Xu Mengtao, Wang’s spouse, won the women’s aerials three days ago. Talk about a power couple.
In other news:
Unexpected IOC - Board of Peace overlap: International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry said the organization will look into IOC member and FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s presence at President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace meeting this week.
Stars at figure skating gala: Team USA stars Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin will headline today’s Olympic Figure Skating Gala, among other prominent skaters.
Hunter Hess doubles down: The Team USA freestyle skiier doubled down on comments he made about representing the US at the Winter Olympics which drew the ire of Trump. Hess placed 10th in today’s men’s halfpipe finals.
CNN’s Kyle Feldscher and Thomas Schlachter contributed to this report.
Goedemorgen (Good morning)!
Hello everyone and welcome to Day 15 of CNN’s Olympic coverage!
Today, we’re welcoming you in Dutch as it occurred to me we haven’t done so at all throughout these Games despite the fact the Netherlands is dominating speed skating (all 18 of their medals are from short-track and long-track).
As we rapidly approach the end of these Games, I have started to reflect on all that’s gone on – and there has been A LOT – and it’s got me kind of in a nostalgic mood. In a very odd way (Note: it’s been a long Games and we need a vacation), I really wish we could relive everything once again. We’ve had drama with Lindsey Vonn’s downhill crash, Ilia Malinin’s free skate collapse, Mikaela Shiffrin’s Dante-esque journey to Olympic Paradiso and Alysa Liu’s quest to find herself that ended in golden glory.
We’ve also had the stories of the underdogs with a Brazilian cross-country skier whose path to the Olympics took 16 years, Spain’s first Winter Olympic gold in 54 years and a Chinese speed skater finally conquering his “mountain” to beat Jordan Stolz in the 1500m.
Finally, we’ve also had the bizarre and hilarious with giant pierogis and a relatively obscure animal mascot getting all the attention, Stolz’s sister being a world-class taxidermist (more on this later…) and a dog named after a JRR Tolkien character joining Olympic competition.
Yes, it’s been an amazing Games and we wish we could live it all again, but alas, time marches on and we must make do with two more days before we live it all again in two years’ time with the Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Let’s jump right in.
