Team USA Adds Silvers in Freeski & Speed Skating Team Pursuit, Plus Shiffrin's Slalom Gold on Action-Packed Days 11-12 of Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics
- Rex Ballard
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Milan, Italy – February 18, 2026 – Days 11 and 12 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics delivered a mix of dominance from Norway, home triumphs for Italy, and resilient performances from Team USA, who added three medals across the two days – including Mikaela Shiffrin's gold in women's slalom on Day 12. Norway surged with four golds, pushing their total to 33 medals, while the U.S. reached 24 with silvers in men's freeski big air and speed skating team pursuit. With 89 of 116 events now complete, the Games are building toward a dramatic finale amid snowy conditions in the Italian Alps.
Watch Mikaela Shiffrin's golden slalom run: Mikaela Shiffrin Wins Slalom Gold | Milano Cortina 2026 (NBC Sports Highlight)
Latest Medal Count by Country
As of the end of February 18 (local time), Norway leads convincingly, with Italy and the U.S. in a tight race for second overall.
Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
1 | Norway (NOR) | 15 | 8 | 10 | 33 |
2 | Italy (ITA) | 9 | 5 | 12 | 26 |
3 | United States (USA) | 7 | 11 | 6 | 24 |
4 | Germany (GER) | 5 | 8 | 8 | 21 |
5 | Japan (JPN) | 4 | 5 | 10 | 19 |
6 | Austria (AUT) | 5 | 8 | 4 | 17 |
7 | France (FRA) | 5 | 6 | 2 | 13 |
8 | Netherlands (NED) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
9 | Sweden (SWE) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
10 | Switzerland (SUI) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
11 | Canada (CAN) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
12 | Australia (AUS) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
13 | Republic of Korea (KOR) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
14 | Czechia (CZE) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Key Event Results from February 17-18
Ten medal events across the two days showcased endurance, speed, and precision, with U.S. athletes earning key podium spots.
Day 11 (February 17)
Freestyle Skiing - Men's Big Air (Final) Norway's Tormod Frostad landed gold with a massive 195.50 score, just ahead of USA's Mac Forehand (silver, 193.25). Bronze went to Japan's Ryoma Kimata. Forehand's creative tricks highlighted U.S. freestyle strength. Watch the big air final: Norway vs USA Freeski Duel | Milano Cortina 2026 (Olympics.com)
2026 Winter Olympics live updates: Medals, scores, results, highlights from Milan Cortina Day 11 on Feb. 17 | NBC Olympics
Speed Skating - Men's Team Pursuit (Final) Italy thrilled the home crowd with gold (3:36.28), holding off USA's Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, and Ethan Cepuran (silver, +4.5s). Norway took bronze. This marked Italy's ninth gold. Watch the pursuit highlights: Italy Edges USA in Team Pursuit (NBC Sports)
Biathlon - Men's 4x7.5km Relay (Final) France upset Norway for gold (1:19:55.2, +9.8s), with Germany bronze. The U.S. finished outside the medals but showed improved shooting.
Speed Skating - Women's Team Pursuit (Final) Canada defended their title (2:55.81), pipping Netherlands (silver) and Japan (bronze).
Nordic Combined - Individual Gundersen Large Hill/10km (Final) Norway's Jens Luraas Oftebro earned his second gold, ahead of Austria (silver) and Germany (bronze).
Day 12 (February 18)
Alpine Skiing - Women's Slalom (Final) USA's Mikaela Shiffrin soared to her first gold of the Games (1:42.15), overcoming early challenges. Silver went to Sweden's Frida Hansdotter, bronze to Austria's Katharina Liensberger. Shiffrin's win was a highlight for Team USA. Watch Shiffrin's slalom victory: Mikaela Shiffrin Slalom Gold Run (NBC Sports)
Other Key Medals Norway added golds in additional endurance events, pushing their tally. Italy secured a silver in a postponed Alpine event, and Canada won in curling-related action.
Other Notable Updates
Women's Ice Hockey (Gold Medal Game): In a tense rematch, Canada edged USA 3-2 for gold, with Hilary Knight scoring twice for the Americans' silver. This marked Canada's back-to-back titles. Watch the gold medal game highlights: Canada vs USA Women's Hockey Final (NBC Sports)
Gold medal favorite US women dominate a Canada team missing its captain in 5-0 win | Olympics | clevelandjewishnews.com
Men's Ice Hockey (Semifinals): USA advanced to the gold-medal game with a 4-3 overtime win over Sweden, setting up a clash with Canada.
Curling: U.S. women's team defeated Sweden 8-6 in a key round-robin match; men's team secured playoff spots with wins over Denmark and Germany. Watch U.S. curling victories: USA Curling Day 12 Highlights (Olympics.com)
Looking Ahead
Days 13-14 (February 19-20) feature finals in men's hockey gold medal game, women's curling semifinals, and snowboard parallel events. Team USA has strong contenders in hockey and curling to potentially climb the medal table as the Games near their close in the Italian venues.
