The 2026 Winter Olympics hit a high-stakes Thursday in Milan-Cortina as American snowboard superstar Chloe Kim takes center stage with a shot at making Olympic history.
Chloe Kim Goes for Three-Peat
The 25-year-old American snowboarder competes in the women’s halfpipe final aiming to become the first snowboarder ever to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals. Kim already qualified in first place on Wednesday while wearing a brace on her left shoulder due to a torn labrum suffered last month. Only Shaun White has won three halfpipe golds, but not in successive Games. Kim’s performance could be one of the defining moments of these Olympics.
U.S. Men’s Hockey Begins Its Quest
The preliminary round of men’s ice hockey gets underway, with the United States and Canada both in action. The U.S. team hasn’t won Olympic gold since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, but this year the mantra is clear: gold or bust. Captain Auston Matthews said the expectation is nothing less than the top prize. The Americans face Latvia at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Other Key Events on Thursday
- Men’s Freestyle Skiing Moguls Finals (6:15 a.m. ET): Americans Nick Page and Dylan Walczyk are in contention.
- Men’s Snowboard Cross (qualifications and finals, 8:35 a.m. ET): High-speed, high-contact racing guaranteed to deliver excitement.
- Women’s Super-G (5:30 a.m. ET): A key alpine skiing event.
The article sets up Thursday as a day full of American storylines, from Kim’s pursuit of history to the high expectations on the U.S. men’s hockey team.