The 2026 Winter Olympics roared into full competition on Day 1, with five medal events delivering drama, breakthroughs and standout performances across Europe’s alpine slopes and indoor arenas.
First Medals of 2026 Winter Olympics
The first gold medals of the 2026 Winter Olympics were handed out across a range of disciplines:
Men’s Downhill Alpine Skiing – The very first gold of the 2026 Winter Olympics went to Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland, who stunned the field at the iconic Stelvio course with a winning time of 1:51.61. Italians Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris secured silver and bronze, giving the home crowd plenty to celebrate.
Women’s 3000m Speed Skating – Host nation’s Francesca Lollobrigida produced one of the day’s most emotional moments, winning gold on her 35th birthday in record-breaking fashion with a time of 3:54.28, securing her first Olympic gold and the first speed skating Olympic title ever for an Italian woman.
Women’s Skiathlon Cross-Country Skiing – Swedish duo Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson claimed gold and silver in the gruelling skiathlon, with Norway’s Heidi Weng taking bronze.
Women’s Normal Hill Ski Jumping – Norway’s Anna Odine Strøm soared to victory in a tight competition, edging out Slovenia’s Nika Prevc by just 1.1 points. Japan’s Nozomi Maruyama rounded out the podium.
Men’s Big Air Snowboarding – In snowboarding’s head-turning big air final, Japan celebrated a one-two finish as Kira Kimura took gold ahead of teammate Ryoma Kimata, while China’s Su Yiming earned bronze.
Standout Performances & Moments
Team USA in Ice Hockey and Figure Skating- Although not medal events on Day 1 of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA’s women’s hockey squad kept up its dominant pace with a convincing 5-0 win over Finland, extending a remarkable Olympic unbeaten streak against non-Canada teams. In figure skating’s team event, stars like Ilia Malinin and Madison Chock / Evan Bates kept the U.S. leading early on, including Malinin landing a legal Olympic backflip — a rare sight in competition.
Medal Table after Day 1
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy 🇮🇹 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Japan 🇯🇵 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Switzerland 🇨🇭 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Sweden 🇸🇪 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Norway 🇳🇴 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Slovenia 🇸🇮 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | China 🇨🇳 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | Germany 🇩🇪 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
