While the Olympics boast a storied tradition, each cycle brings opportunities for remarkable achievements. The 2026 Winter Olympics saw numerous historic firsts and new records for the United States.
As the Milan Cortina Winter Games come to a close, the United States celebrates various milestones. From Alpine skiing to curling, here are some significant historic firsts and records for Team USA during the 2026 Winter Games:
U.S. Firsts
Bobsled
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Elana Meyers Taylor, at 41, became the oldest American to win an individual gold medal, taking gold in the women’s monobob event.
Curling
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Rich Ruohonen, age 54, became the oldest American to compete in a Winter Olympics, participating in a men’s curling round-robin match against Switzerland.
Mixed Doubles
Freestyle Skiing
Women’s Dual Moguls
Women’s Moguls
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Jaelin Kauf and Elizabeth Lemley earned gold and silver in the Women’s Individual Moguls, marking the first time the United States has achieved first and second place in either men’s or women’s moguls at a single Olympics.
Men’s Big Air
Ice Hockey
Women’s
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In a quarterfinal match against Italy, Team USA scored six goals, maintaining a streak of scoring at least five goals in each of their first five tournament games. This marks the longest streak of 5-plus goals in USA women’s Olympic history, further extended with a 5-0 victory against Sweden in the semifinals.
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Defenseman Caroline Harvey recorded her ninth point during the USA-Italy quarterfinal, setting a new record for the most points by a defenseman in USA women’s Olympic history.
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In the USA-Canada game, Laila Edwards became both the first Black woman to join the USA Olympic roster and the first Black woman to score for Team USA in Olympic history. also, this match marked Team USA’s first shutout against Canada at the Olympics, and their largest victory over Canada ever in Olympic competition.
Men’s
Cross-Country Skiing
Women’s 10km
Men’s Individual Sprint
Snowboarding
Women’s Halfpipe
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Among the five snowboarders who have sought a three-peat in a single event in Olympic history, Chloe Kim became the first to win a medal in this attempt, clinching silver.
Alpine Skiing
Women’s Team Combined
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Team USA’s Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan earned the first-ever bronze medal in this event, which made its debut at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Women’s Downhill
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Breezy Johnson secured the gold medal, marking not only Team USA’s first medal in this event but also her own inaugural Olympic medal. importantly, this win had the narrowest margin of victory between gold and silver medalists in the event’s women’s Olympic history.
Figure Skating
Mixed Team
Records
Medal Count
Team USA has achieved a total of 11 gold medals, surpassing their previous Winter Olympics record.
Speedskating
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Men’s 500m, Jordan Stolz, OR, 33.77
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Men’s 1000m, Jordan Stolz, OR, 1:06.28
Figure Skating
In Ice step, Madison Chock and Evan Bates tied the USA record for the most figure skating medals at the Olympics, achieving three.
Ice Hockey
Hilary Knight set a record with 33 career Olympic points, the most in USA Olympic history, along with 15 Olympic goals, making her the winningest American Olympian in the Ice Hockey discipline. The Team USA women also established a new Olympic record for the most consecutive shutouts at five.
Goalie Aerin Frankel achieved the most shutout wins by any woman in a single Olympics, with three. Quinn Hughes set the record for the longest assist streak by an American player at an Olympics with NHL participation, tying for the longest points streak as well. Zach Werenski matched the record for most assists in a single Olympic game (with NHL participation) by a Team USA player, with three.
Bobsled
In winning the Women’s Monobob, Elana Meyers Taylor extended her record for the most Olympic medals by any American bobsledder, with her sixth medal also tying for the most Winter Olympics medals by any American woman.
Alpine Skiing
Mikaela Shiffrin won her third Olympic gold medal in the Women’s Slalom, the most Olympic alpine gold medals earned by any American skier.
Curling
The Team USA women’s curling team achieved their sixth win, tying the record for most wins in Round-Robin play for the United States.
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