Team USA won 40 gold medals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, en route to 126 total medals. Stephen Curry (basketball), Simone Biles (gymnastics), and A’ja Wilson (women’s basketball) were among the top competitors to represent America.
Fast forward two years, and Chloe Kim (snowboarding), Ilia Malinin (figure skating), and Jack Hughes (hockey) will look to lead Team USA back to the top of the podium at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
So far, two gold medals have been awarded to the Americans, with more to come. Here’s a look at who has performed well for Team USA across the first two days.
Breezy Johnson wins gold in place of Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn entered the women’s downhill race looking to defy the odds after sustaining a torn ACL, among other injuries, earlier in the week. But her run came to a grinding halt when she clipped a race gate and twisted around until losing her balance.
The 41-year-old Vonn fell down the Alpine Skiing Center’s snow and tumbled until coming to a complete stop. After the crowd went completely silent, she was taken into a helicopter and airlifted to a medical center. It was later revealed that she broke her leg and underwent surgery to repair it. This ended Vonn’s return to the Winter Games.
In came Breezy Johnson, a teammate of Vonn. She won the United States’ first gold medal after missing the 2022 Winter Games due to an injury she sustained on the same course.
The 30-year-old Johnson added another medal to her collection, which she expanded after a double-championship win in Salbaach, Australia. She is the second American woman to win the downhill competition, with the first being Vonn 16 years ago.
Women’s hockey shut out Finland 5-0
Team USA women’s hockey started their tournament run in the win column, as they shut out Finland 5-0 in the preliminary round. Hilary Knight of the PWHL’s Seattle Torrent tied Natalie Darwitz and Katie King for the most career goals ever scored at 14.
Alex Carpenter of the Torrent scored the first goal of the evening off an assist from Laila Edwards and Megan Keller in the first period. Taylor Heise scored the next goal off an assist from Abbey Murphy in the second period. A minute later, Keller scored her first goal, giving Team USA a 3-0 lead.
Later that period, Edwards and Keller found Knight for her record-tying goal. Murphy completed the shutout by scoring her second goal during the third period with 15:56 remaining.
With momentum on their side, Team USA will look to remain in the win column heading into their next preliminary round game against Switzerland on Monday.
Ilia Malinin clinches gold
Ilia Malinin’s final routine helped the Americans edge Japan by just a single point for the team gold medal on Sunday.
The 21-year-old, who already has a world championship under his belt, overcame a stumble by pulling off his second backflip in as many nights. It comfortably beat Shun Sato’s final performance, ensuring the seven-person American team topped the podium.
