Heartbreak struck twice for Mikaela Shiffrin, but history was rewritten by Ben Ogden — who became the first American man in 50 years to medal in Olympic cross-country skiing — as the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games delivered one of its most emotional days yet for Team USA.
Shiffrin’s Tug-of-War with History
Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated Olympic skier of all time with seven medals entering Tuesday, once again fell short of the podium. In the alpine combined team event, the slalom specialist finished 15th in her section, derailing a promising start from teammate Breezy Johnson in the downhill. It’s her third missed podium moment in as many events at these Games, echoing the struggles she faced in Beijing in 2022.
“She looked tentative, taking rounder turns than usual,” reported official Olympic coverage. The team’s bronze-closing finish was salvaged by Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan, but the collective breath the nation held for Shiffrin has yet to exhale.
Ben Ogden Rewrites the Nordic Playbook
While the downhill narrative spiraled, Vermont’s Ben Ogden silenced 50 years of silence in U.S. men’s cross-country skiing by seizing silver in the individual sprint. It’s the first time since Bill Koch’s silver in 1976 that an American man has stood on the podium in the discipline. Ogden, who only joined the World Cup circuit full-time three years ago, trailed only Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klaebo, the GOAT of the sport with seven Olympic golds.
Fontana Carves More History for Hosts
Italy’s Arianna Fontana etched her name deeper into Olympic lore by adding one more medal — gold in the speed skating mixed relay — to complete a record-setting sixth straight Winter Games with hardware. Fontana, now boasting 12 career Olympic medals (3 golds, 4 silvers, 5 bronzes), keeps extending her legacy as the poslateral face of short-track sprinting.
Canada and Belgium took silver and bronze behind Italy, while Team USA, hindered by Corinne Stoddard falls in both Qualifying and Semi, missed the podium entirely.
Ruud Knocks Hall off Slopestyle Summit
In freestyle skiing, America’s Alex Hall failed to retain his slopestyle gold, sliding to silver behind Norway’s top-ranked Birk Ruud. Hall’s second-run rally vaulted ahead of compatriots Konnor Ralph (9th) and Mac Forehand (11th), but it couldn’t depose Ruud, who accumulated 71 total World Cup podiums coming into Milan.
Cupping the silver is still impressive because it keeps Hall’s podium streak alive and delivers Team USA’s 10th medal across the nine editions of the event, cementing America’s place atop slopestyle’s historical pyramid.
Swedish Speed and Haitian Spirit Close the Book
- Juniors Julia Kern (6th Platz) and Jackie Wiles—Paul assist on the women’s sprint.
- Sweden swept all three women’s cross-country sprint medals—Linn Svahn out-kicked Jonna Sundling, with Maja Dahlqvist closing the podium. Sundling’s bronze ensures that she leaves Milan with multiple Games medals in 2022 and 2026.
- Haiti’s Stevenson Savart slid into the record books as the Caribbean nation’s inaugural male Winter Olympic skier. Fan chants punctuated his celebratory shudder to the finish ribbon.
Our comprehensive coverage continues later today with the U.S. Women’s Hockey MSCs finale versus arch-rivals Canada and Ilia Malinin’s attempt to erase Saturday’s “Quad God Inverted” stumble in the men’s figure skating short. Keep it onlytrustedinfo.com for the deepest analysis, straight from the medal stand.
