Day 12 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics delivered a whirlwind of athletic excellence, heart-pounding finishes, and historic milestones on February 18. From Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited gold medal redemption in alpine skiing to Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo extending his legendary status in cross-country, the action-packed schedule saw nine medal events across multiple disciplines, with powerhouses like Norway, the United States, and China dominating the podiums. Upsets, comebacks, and record-breaking performances kept fans on the edge of their seats as the Games hurtled toward their climax.
In alpine skiing, American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin silenced doubters with a commanding victory in the women’s slalom, clocking a combined time of 1:39.10 to claim gold. The 30-year-old, who endured a medal drought since her 2018 triumphs, outpaced Switzerland’s Camille Rast by a staggering 1.5 seconds for silver, while Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson secured bronze at 1:40.81. Shiffrin’s win marked her second Olympic slalom title, a feat achieved 12 years after her first, underscoring her enduring dominance with 108 World Cup victories to her name.
Cross-country skiing provided double the excitement with team sprint events. In the women’s free technique, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist upgraded their previous silver to gold, finishing ahead of Switzerland’s Nadja Kaelin and Nadine Faehndrich in second and Germany’s Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek in third with a time of 20:35.86. This victory boosted Sweden’s haul to four golds at these Games. The men’s event saw Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo anchor his team to gold, edging out the United States by 1.37 seconds for his record-extending 10th Olympic title. Klaebo’s fifth win in Milan Cortina positions him one shy of Eric Heiden’s single-Games record, with eyes now on the upcoming 50km classic.
Freestyle skiing’s women’s aerials showcased China’s prowess, where Xu Mengtao soared to gold with a score of 112.90, becoming the first to win two Olympic aerials titles in her fifth Games appearance. Australia’s Danielle Scott took silver at 102.17, and China’s Shao Qi earned bronze at 101.90, completing a 1-3 finish for the nation.
Snowboarding slopestyle finals brought birthday magic and debuts. On the men’s side, China’s Su Yiming celebrated his 22nd birthday with gold at 82.41, improving on his prior silver, followed by Japan’s Hasegawa Taiga in silver (82.13) and American Jake Canter in bronze (79.36). The women’s competition featured a stunning upset as Japan’s Fukada Mari claimed gold on debut with 87.83, dethroning defending champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand, who settled for silver at 87.48. Japan’s Murase Kokomo repeated her bronze from four years ago at 85.80.93bed4 Sadowski-Synnott’s medal made her the most decorated Olympic snowboarder with five career podiums.
Biathlon’s women’s 4x6km relay was a masterclass in precision shooting, with France’s quartet—Julia Simon, Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot, and Océane Michelon—storming to gold in 1:10:22.7, over 51 seconds ahead of silver medalists Sweden and bronze winners Norway (1:11:30.3). Simon’s anchor leg sealed her third gold of the Games, highlighting France’s flawless performance.
Short track speed skating rounded out the medals with nail-biting races. Canada’s Steven Dubois lunged to gold in the men’s 500m by a mere 0.06 seconds over the Netherlands’ Melle van ’t Wout in silver, with compatriot Jens van ’t Wout taking bronze. In the women’s 3000m relay, the Republic of Korea—featuring Kim Gilli, Choi Minjeong, Shim Sukhee, and Noh Dohee—reclaimed their title from 2018 with a time of 4:04.014, narrowly beating Italy (4:04.107) anchored by Arianna Fontana, who earned her record 14th Olympic medal.427677 Canada grabbed bronze at 4:04.314.
Beyond the medals, men’s ice hockey quarterfinals produced overtime thrillers. The United States edged Sweden 2-1, Canada survived Czechia 4-3, and Finland topped Switzerland 3-2, setting up intense semifinals.
As the medal tally climbs—Norway leading the pack—these moments encapsulate the spirit of Milan Cortina 2026: resilience, rivalry, and raw talent pushing boundaries. With more drama ahead, the Winter Games continue to captivate the world.
