Team USA came up empty on medals after the first full day of competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, despite several dramatic moments across the schedule.
After five medal events on Saturday, the U.S. medal count remains at zero, though no country has separated itself early. Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland each captured one gold medal, while Italy, Japan, and Norway are tied atop the overall standings with one gold, one silver, and one bronze apiece.
There is no immediate cause for concern for the Americans, who are well positioned in several upcoming events — most notably team figure skating, where the U.S. holds a five-point lead entering Sunday despite a rare down performance from reigning world champion Ilia Malinin.
Closest Calls for Team USA
The closest an American came to the podium on Day 1 was 17-year-old snowboarder Ollie Martin in men’s big air. Martin briefly sat in bronze-medal position heading into the final run, but defending Olympic champion Su Yiming of China surged past him after landing a high-difficulty jump despite an imperfect execution.
Still, Martin’s performance marked an encouraging start for a young U.S. snowboard team expected to contend throughout the Games.
Day 1 Highlights Around the Olympics
Saturday featured medal events in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, speed skating, and snowboarding, setting the tone for a packed opening weekend. With no country winning more than one gold, the early medal table remains tightly contested.
Meanwhile, the U.S. women’s hockey team opened pool play, and multiple American athletes advanced through qualifying rounds in freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
What’s Ahead on Sunday
Day 2 brings multiple medal opportunities for Team USA, including:
- Figure skating team medals
- Alpine skiing women’s downhill
- Snowboarding parallel giant slalom
- Men’s cross-country skiathlon
- Speed skating men’s 5,000 meters
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics run through Feb. 22, with all events streaming live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com, and coverage airing across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC.
With more than two weeks of competition remaining, Team USA’s medal chase is just getting started.