The 2026 Winter Olympics are firing on all cylinders. The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games have officially begun after an opening ceremony spread across four different venues in northern Italy, and Day 5 brought the kind of drama, records, and plot twists that get people talking.
Jordan Stolz came into the 2026 Winter Olympics as the best speedskater in the world and faced plenty of pressure to live up to that title in Milan. In his first event of these games, the 1000 meter, he did just that by setting a new Olympic record with a 1:06.28 in a thrilling race. The 21-year-old speed skater still has the 500m and 1500m coming up, so watch this space. But not everyone walked away a winner on Wednesday. Figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates took the silver medal in ice dancing, with Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron from France taking the gold. It was a heartbreaking moment for the US pair, who came to Milan determined to finally snag that elusive Olympic gold after dominating the ice for years. Chock and Bates have accomplished everything in the world of ice dancing outside of winning Olympic gold and came in determined to finally capture that elusive gold medal in Milan, but the newly formed French powerhouse team edged them out on both nights of the competition to leave them with a hard-fought silver medal.
The moguls course was pure American dominance. The U.S. got one of its biggest "medal count today" boosts in freestyle skiing, where Elizabeth Lemley won gold in women's moguls and teammate Jaelin Kauf took silver. Meanwhile, Chloe Kim looked every bit like the reigning champion despite limited preparation following a recent shoulder injury. Kim posted the top score in women's halfpipe qualifying with a 90.25, punctuated by a smooth 1080, as she chases a record third consecutive Olympic gold. The medal standings are tightening fast. Norway leads with the most amount of gold medals with seven, and the US and Italy trail right behind with four each. Norway and Italy are tied for the highest number of total medals, with thirteen each. With the Games still in full swing, these numbers will keep shifting, so stay tuned for updates as the competition heats up over the next two weeks.