2026 Winter Olympics: The Games as told by photos from each day
After just over two weeks, the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games have come to an end, with thrilling action and memorable moments in spades.
In an effort to provide both a general overview of the scale of competition taking place at the Games as well as some of the more specific individual moments, we have compiled collages that take a look at the history of each of the days of the Games as a whole, as well as a specific snapshot of particular importance.
Here are the 2026 Winter Olympics, told in photos.
Day 1:
Time of day: Every Games needs its first gold medal, and Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen provided that moment in Milan, winning the men’s downhill in what was the 24-year-old’s first Olympic race.
Day 2:
Time of day: Breezy Johnson put the United States ahead in the gold medal picture on the second day of the Games, giving the American team a small boost to cap off a downhill event that had been dampened by Lindsey Vonn’s crash earlier in the day.
Day 3:
Time of day: The U.S. mixed curling duo of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin earned a thrilling 9-8 victory over Italy in the event’s semifinal, securing the U.S. team’s first trip to the final since the event’s Olympic debut in 2018.
Day 4:
Time of day: A rivalry clash that appeared to be a preview of the gold medal game turned into a surprising rout, as U.S. women’s hockey earned an emphatic 5-0 victory over Canada in the group stage, punctuated by two goals from Hannah Bilka and three assists from Abbey Murphy.
Day 5:
Time of day: Jordan Stolz, 21, entered Milan as a competitor in four different speed skating disciplines, and he kicked off his Games with a thoroughly impressive debut in the 1000 meters, setting an Olympic record in a gold medal-winning performance.
Day 6:
Time of day: Chloe Kim entered Milan having won back-to-back gold medals in the women’s halfpipe, but had her bid for a hat-trick upended by an unlikely suspect: Choi Gaon, a 17-year-old South Korean. Choi scored a 90.25 on her final run to capture her first Olympic gold medal.
Day 7:
Time of day: While Ilia Malinin went into the men’s singles figure skating event as the heavy favorite, the American fell twice in the free skate, part of a surprisingly poor outing that saw him finish eighth. Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won gold, with a lead of more than 11 points over the rest of the field.
Day 8:
Time of day: Remember that mention of Stolz’s suitor status a few paragraphs ago? And his Olympic record to win gold in the 1000 meters on the third day? Well, day 8 brought a similar story. Stolz shined in the 500 meter event, setting another Olympic record and adding another gold medal.
Day 9:
Time of day: Canadian skier Mikaël Kingsbury had declared the 2026 Games would be his last, and he made the most of his final ride on the big stage. Kingsbury won his fifth career Olympic medal – and Canada’s first gold in Milan – with a victory in the men’s parallel moguls on Day 9.
Day 10:
Time of day: Elana Meyers Taylor has been practicing bobsleigh for some time: Milan marked the American’s fifth matches, with three silver medals and two bronze for her previous experiences. Meyers Taylor, 41, finally won his first gold medal in 2026, winning in monobob.
Day 11:
Time of day: Norway’s Tormod Frostad needed to land his final jump to win a gold medal in the men’s big air, with American Mac Forehand edging him out on the penultimate jump of the event. Frostad did just that, finishing with a final score of 195.50 points out of a maximum of 200 to take gold.
Day 12:
Time of day: Once the youngest Olympic slalom champion in Sochi in 2014, Mikaela Shiffrin returned to the top step of the podium after a disappointing, medal-less 2022 Games in Beijing. Shiffrin became the second skier to win slalom gold twice at the Olympics on Day 12.
Day 13:
Time of day: Despite the U.S. women’s hockey team’s dominance over Canada in the two teams’ group stage meeting, the gold medal game saw an opposite dynamic. Canada held a 1-0 lead for most of the final two periods of the game, before American captain Hilary Knight sent the game into overtime. Megan Keller provided the winner with an iconic goal.
Day 14:
Time of day: Finland took a two-goal lead in the men’s hockey semifinal, but Canada rallied for a 3-2 victory that earned it a spot in the gold medal game. Nathan MacKinnon was Canada’s hero, scoring the game-winning goal on a power play with less than a minute remaining in regulation.
Day 15:
Time of day: After all the drama of figure skating at these Olympics, Saturday’s ice dance exhibition was a chance for fans to see the biggest stars one last time. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and more wowed the crowd with beautiful and creative finale routines.
Day 16:
Time of day: Although Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the U.S. men’s hockey team, the Americans wouldn’t have been there without the performance of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg Jets goaltender made 41 saves against Canada – none more notable than denying Devon Toews with his paddle in the third period.
