Let the Games begin. Italy officially opened the Winter Olympics with an extravagant display of Italian culture, in a nation constantly struggling to let go of the past. If you are curious about what athletes are in contention to medal, we've got you covered with the predictions of every medal awarded at the Games. Plus, it is time to give cross-country skier Jessie Diggins her flowers, while Lindsey Vonn got back on the slopes one week after rupturing her ACL. |
Mike Segar/Reuters via Imagn Images |
The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially underway with a rousing display of Italian culture in a nation that is constantly struggling with letting go of fond memories from its past. |
By Andrew Gastelum Whether it be a champagne-soaked World Series celebration or the emotion of an Olympic medalist's rejoice, I often wonder if it gets any better than witnessing the catharsis of a champion. It feels like one of the few moments in life where one can truly witness an achievement being celebrated with pure, euphoric jubilation. And we can count on it to happen every year in every sport—or for some, every four. But for us mere mortals, we must settle for subtler moments of joy. Some have the best year of their life; others, similar to Olympians, experience that one summer (or winter) that changed everything. And for some of us, there are but fleeting memories that we can look back upon as destiny-altering. For me, those came in Milan 15 years ago. Milan with its grand boulevards of stoic chaos. Part Paris and part Naples. Milan, the fashion capital and heart of the storied Italian classical music tradition. My first European soccer match came at the San Siro stadium on a melancholy winter's afternoon. I can still smell the mix of cigarette smoke and the gunpowder of red flares as the AC Milan ultras sang to the heavens. The raw energy, the passion: It blew away anything I had ever experienced as an American sports fan. I was hooked; it made me not just want to cover sports, but the people who take a spectacle and make it spectacular. The very next day, on a whim, I took a train from Milan to Lake Como. The winter stillness, the glacial lake reflecting the Alps like a mirror, the idyllic beauty was a portrait of bliss and harmony. And on that very train, I read and re-read a line from the classic Italian poem L'infinito by Giacomo Leopardi: |
By Brian Cazeneuve The Olympics in Milan and Cortina will feature 348 medals in 116 events across 16 disciplines. Reflecting the geography of recent Winter Games, these Winter Games will take place in five clusters, spread across northern Italy. The Olympic program will welcome a new sport, ski mountaineering, also known as skimo. Other established sports will feature new events such as men's and women's dual moguls in freestyle skiing, women's doubles in luge, a mixed team event in skeleton and a large-hill women's event in ski jumping. Familiar U.S. stars Chloe Kim, Mikaela Schiffrin and Jordan Stolz are back to fight for medals. Traditional powers from Norway should dominate the Nordic sports, while athletes from Germany rule the sliding sports. In keeping with our own tradition at Sports Illustrated, here are our predictions for the podium. |
|
|
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated |
By Michael Rosenberg It is time to give Jessie Diggins her flowers, but she will probably say thanks and share them with everybody else in her sport. Diggins is the Michael Jordan of United States cross-country skiing—the best ever—but in some ways, she is Jordan's antithesis. She could begin every post-win press conference by saying, "I did not take that personally." Fellow cross country skier Gus Schumacher calls Diggins "an anti-competition competitor." Diggins says that sometimes before a race, "I look around, and I'm like, 'I like her … I like her … she's super cool … she's worked super hard … she's overcome an amazing injury—what a story!' " Why would she want to beat such lovely people? Diggins plans to retire after the Milan Cortina Olympics. She will do so with at least three Olympic medals (one of each metal), which would be quite a haul for anybody, but especially for somebody who isn't really driven to win. Diggins is driven to do her best. She doesn't enjoy knowing that her best might ruin somebody else's day. "I just don't think I was able to really figure that out, or articulate it very well, until later phases of my career," Diggins says, "and then it was, like, sort of embarrassing." |
Erick W. Rasco/ Sports Illustrated |
By Pat Forde From Friday to Friday, Lindsey Vonn's Olympic return became a comeback within a comeback. Having overcome the preposterously long odds against regaining elite form at age 41, after a six-year retirement, Vonn had to rebuild again in a week's time—from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee to getting back on skis, back on snow and back down a mountain. She did that today, adding another layer of extreme resilience and determination to a career brimming with both. She appears good to go for a run at a fourth career Olympic medal on Sunday, something that seemed remote a week earlier. There is, quite simply, nothing that can stop her, not even one of the most feared injuries in sports. "She's tough, let's put it that way," said her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal. "She's tough." Wearing a brace but making no other overt concessions to her damaged knee, Vonn cruised through a 1.6-mile downhill training run on the Olympia delle Tofane course. She recorded the 11th-fastest time out of 43 competitors who finished and may attempt another training run Saturday, but it's not mandatory. Friday's run at least established that a return to competition was possible. |
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images |
By Kristen Nelson Every day that Hilary Knight wakes up in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics, she will know she's exactly where she is supposed to be. It's been 16 years since Knight first played for the United States national women's hockey team at the Olympics in Vancouver, and 20 years since she first joined the squad as a teenager, but being an Olympian never gets old. "The Olympics are just so special. It's like every day you wake up you feel like a kid because it's the most magical thing ever," she says. Now at her fifth and final Olympics, the 36-year-old is one of the most accomplished players of her sport, the face of the American game both on and off the ice. And as the Team USA captain progresses through the tournament with her team, which is the favorite to win gold, and if her team is successful, she could tie Canadians Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser for an Olympic record five hockey medals (Knight has one gold and three silver medals). |
Deborah Compagnoni and Alberto Tomba light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. |
- 10 a.m. ET: Women's Speedskating 3000m final (NBC) MEDAL 🏅
- 10:40 a.m. ET: Women's Hockey: U.S. vs. Finland (USA Network)
- 11:45 a.m. ET: Women's Ski Jumping normal hill MEDAL 🏅
- 12:30 p.m. ET: Men's Luge singles (Run 2; NBC coverage starts at 12:45 p.m. ET)
- 1:30 p.m. ET: Men's Snowboarding Big Air final (USA Network; airs on NBC at 3:15 p.m. ET) MEDAL 🏅
|
|
|
Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door. |
|
|
| Sign up for SI Newsletters |
Stay ahead of the game—sign up for all of SI's newsletters, from golf and soccer to MMQB, and never miss a moment. |
|
|
We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email.
Sports Publishing Solutions Inc.
625 Broadway, 10th floor
New York, NY. 10012 You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the SI Olympics newsletter. You can unsubscribe here . Privacy Policy – Terms & Conditions © 2026 Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. All betting and gambling content included in the SI Olympics newsletter is intended for individuals 21+ (18+ in DC, KY, NH, RI, and WY). Betting and gambling content, including picks and predictions, are based on individual commentators' opinions and we do not guarantee any success or profits. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER or texting 800GAM. |
Click this link to view the newsletter in your browser. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment