Mar 26, 2026 | by Kayleigh Herbst, Colearn Chronicle Journalist

Record-Breaking Performances Highlight the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy

Starting on the 6 th of February, the 2026 Winter Olympics across Italy officially came to a close on the 22nd of February. The games entertained millions of viewers around the world and featured amazing performances, with 9 new records set!

One of the biggest moments was Norway’s cross-country skiing star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who won an incredible 6 gold medals, becoming the first athlete ever to win that many gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. His performance helped Norway finish the games with 41 total medals, the most any country has ever won at a single Winter Olympics.

In total, 9 new records were set, with 7 records set in speed skating, and the last 2 in short track speed skating. USA’s Jordan Stolz and Netherlands’ Xandra Velzeboer set two Olympic records each! 4 of the records were set by Dutch athletes. The remaining records were set by Sander Eitrem from Norway, Francesca Lollobrigida from Italy, and Ning Zhongyan from China.

The top 5 countries with the most gold medals were: Norway in first place with 18, USA in second with 12, Netherlands and Italy tied in 3rd and 4th with 10, and Germany in 5th with 8.

The Winter Olympics did not only make waves in the sports world, but also—unexpectedly—in the music industry. After American figure skater Alysa

Liu performed her free skate to Stateside by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson and won a gold medal, the song quickly went viral online. Stateside soon hit #1 on Spotify Charts. Furthermore, former figure skater and current member of the Korean boy band ENHYPEN, Park Sunghoon, became the 2nd ever K-pop idol to become an Olympic Torchbearer.

Overall, the 2026 Winter Olympics proved to be one of the most memorable and record-breaking Games in recent history. Athletes and fans now look ahead to the next Winter Olympics in the French Alps in 2030.

Photo credit: Comcast Corporation

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