Klæbo secures fifth gold at Winter Olympics 2026 with live women’s slalom and curling coverage
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has carved his name into Winter Olympic history, securing a historic tenth career gold medal for Norway in the men’s cross-country team sprint free event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games. This fifth gold of these Games alone cements the Norwegian’s legendary status, surpassing the record of eight golds held by fellow Norwegians Marit Bjørgen, Ole Einar Bjørndalen, and Bjørn Daehlie, and joining an elite global pantheon of double-digit Olympic champions.
The American duo clinched silver in the team sprint, while Italy secured a surprise bronze. Great Britain, having qualified for the final in 13th place, achieved a creditable fifth-place finish in the race, which saw a stream of lithe racers rush down the course. The Norwegian anchor for the decisive leg was the record-breaking Klæbo, a man in a white hat who held on to take the gold.
Snowboard and Skiing Drama in Livigno
Over at the Livigno Snow Park, the men’s slopestyle snowboarding final delivered a dramatic conclusion amidst challenging weather conditions. China’s Su Yiming claimed the gold medal, adding to his Olympic collection, with Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa taking silver. The bronze medal went to a very relieved Jake Canter of the United States, who jumped into the podium position during the final runs.
The competition saw heartbreak for others. Norway’s Marcus Kleveland produced a “protractor perfect” run but fell just out of the medals into fourth after an agonising wait for his scores. Canada’s Mark McMorris, a three-time bronze medallist, crash-landed and hobbled off the course with a grin and a wave. The event concluded with New Zealand’s final rider, Dane Menzies, crashing out on his last attempt.
In freestyle skiing, the first final of the women’s aerials at the Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park saw 12 skiers launch off a ramp to perform aerial tricks before landing on a steep slope. The reigning Olympic champion, Xu Mengtao of China, executed the highest-spec jumps and twists, triumphantly raising her fists to slot into an early top spot with a score of 107.75.
Her compatriot Kong Fanyu did not allow her to stay there for long. Kong went next, taking the lead with a score of 113.33 after achieving better height and managing the harder tricks in the air. Winter Vinecki of the US had also led earlier with a score of 99.89. The top six from this first final advance to the second final.
Curling and Slalom: Precision Under Pressure
On the curling sheet, the women’s tournament is reaching a critical phase. Sweden, skipped by Anna Hasselborg, has secured the first playoff berth despite a recent loss, leading the standings with a 6-2 record. Switzerland and the United States, both with 5-2 records, are also close to semi-final berths after important wins.
Great Britain’s women, needing a win to keep their knockout hopes alive, staged a remarkable comeback against the USA. Trailing 7-4, they took two points in the penultimate end and, in the final end, skip Rebecca Morrison executed a shot of extraordinary difficulty to take out two American stones and snatch a 7-6 victory. “The degree of difficulty is off the charts,” was the commentary on Morrison’s match-winning shot, with the skip herself acknowledging it was a tight “line call”.
In other curling results, South Korea delivered one of the upsets of the competition by thrashing previously unbeaten Sweden 8-3, while Italy defeated Japan for its second win.
On the mountains, the women’s slalom provided a moment of redemption for the USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin. After the disappointments of Beijing, Shiffrin skied a commanding first run under forget-me-not skies to take a 0.82-second lead, with Germany’s Lena Dürr in second. “I just wanted her to silence everyone, and today, finally, she’s had the freedom to fly,” said former skier Chemmy Alcott of Shiffrin’s performance. The course, set by Austria for the first run, saw several contenders, including Switzerland’s world champion Camille Rast and France’s Marion Chevrier, fail to finish.
Ice Hockey Quarter-Finals Begin
The men’s ice hockey tournament has reached the quarter-final stage, with Slovakia establishing a commanding 3-0 lead over Germany in the first matchup. The Germans missed a perfect chance to claw one back after Slovakia’s goalkeeper Samuel Hlavaj was penalised for tripping by throwing his stick, but they failed to muster much during the resulting power play.
Slovakia, who topped Group B, face a German team that advanced through a qualification playoff. Historically, Slovakia defeated Germany 4-0 in the 2022 Olympic quarter-final, though that tournament did not feature NHL players. Key players in this year’s clash include Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky and Germany’s NHL stars Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stützle.
Other quarter-finals will see Canada face Czechia, Finland take on Switzerland, and the USA meet Sweden.
Further Medal Action and New Sport Debuts
Elsewhere, Sweden’s cross-country skiers continued their success, with Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist combining to win gold in the women’s team sprint. Switzerland took silver and Germany the bronze.
In freestyle skiing, Megan Oldham of Canada won gold in the women’s big air event, with China’s Eileen Gu taking silver and Italy’s Flora Tabanelli earning bronze. The women’s snowboard slopestyle final, however, was postponed due to a heavy snowstorm.
The 2026 Games also see the debut of ski mountaineering, a new sport that combines ascent and descent disciplines. The day’s action was set to conclude with two short-track speed skating finals: the men’s 500m and the women’s 3000m relay.
