Norway Dominates Early Medal Count as Winter Olympics 2026 Reaches Halfway Point of First Week

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, have produced thrilling competition through the first week, with Norway establishing itself as the early leader in the medal standings as of February 10. Norway has claimed 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals for a total of 6, while the United States sits in second place with 2 gold medals. Host nation Italy has delighted home crowds by collecting an impressive haul of 9 medals: 1 gold, 2 silver, and 6 bronze.

Thirteen of the 116 scheduled events have been completed at the Games, with nine separate medal ceremonies taking place on February 10 alone. The day featured finals in cross-country skiing sprint classic events for both men and women, the men's 20-kilometer biathlon, men's freeski slopestyle, women's team combined slalom, mixed team ski jumping, curling mixed doubles gold medal match, women's singles luge, and mixed team relay in short track speed skating. The concentration of medal events on a single day created an electric atmosphere across the various venues in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Norwegian sensation Sander Eitrem delivered one of the standout performances of the Games so far, smashing the Olympic record with a time of 6:03.95 in an Alpine skiing event. The 24-year-old's dominant display showcased the depth of Norway's winter sports program and continued the Scandinavian nation's tradition of excellence at the Winter Olympics. Norway's success has come across multiple disciplines, demonstrating their well-rounded approach to winter sports development.

For host nation Italy, the medal tally represents their best start to a home Winter Olympics. Speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida opened Italy's gold medal account on February 7, while Giovanni Franzoni claimed silver in the men's downhill and Dominik Paris secured bronze on the same day. Dominik Fischnaller captured his second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in skeleton, and Lucia Dalmasso won bronze in the snowboard parallel giant slalom. The six bronze medals tie Italy's record for most bronze medals in the first week of a Winter Olympics.

The United States made history when Ilia Malinin delivered a spectacular free skate performance to help Team USA become the first nation to successfully defend the figure skating team event gold medal. The 18-year-old phenom landed multiple quadruple jumps, drawing standing ovations from the crowd and cementing his status as one of the sport's rising stars. The Americans have also shown strength in freestyle skiing and speed skating events.

Japan rounds out the top four in the medal standings with 1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze for 4 total medals, demonstrating their consistency across winter sports disciplines. Over the next week, competition will intensify as more marquee events take place, including additional Alpine skiing races, more figure skating disciplines, and the highly anticipated ice hockey preliminary rounds. With 103 medal events still to come, the current standings remain fluid, but the early performances have set the stage for what promises to be a memorable Winter Olympics. The Games continue through February 22, with the closing ceremony scheduled to celebrate what organizers hope will be a successful showcase of winter sports in Italy.