Milan-Cortina 2026: Day 2 – Italy’s Medal Chances & Full Schedule

MILAN & CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – Day 2 of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics promises a full slate of competition, with Italy poised to contend for multiple medals across alpine skiing, biathlon, and snowboarding. The schedule, spanning from early morning to late evening, features key events in curling, figure skating, luge, and ski jumping, offering a diverse range of sporting action.

Alpine Skiing Kicks Off with Women’s Downhill

The day begins with the women’s downhill alpine skiing competition at the iconic Olympia delle Tofane in Cortina d’Ampezzo at February 8th, 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time. All eyes will be on Italian favorites Sofia Goggia and Federica Brignone, but Laura Pirovano also presents a potential surprise contender for a podium finish.

Snowboarding’s Parallel Giant Slalom Takes Center Stage

Moving to Livigno, the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding will showcase Italy’s strength in the discipline. Italian athletes have dominated the World Cup season in this event, securing five victories in seven races. Both the men’s and women’s competitions are expected to be highly competitive, with qualification rounds beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Biathlon’s Mixed Relay Offers Medal Opportunity for Italy

Simultaneously, the biathlon mixed relay at Anterselva presents another medal opportunity for the host nation. The Italian team, comprised of Tommaso Giacomel, Lukas Hofer, Lisa Vittozzi, and Dorothea Wierer, will be aiming for a strong performance in the event, which starts at 8:05 a.m. Eastern Time.

Figure Skating Team Event Continues

The figure skating team event continues with the pairs free skate at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, followed by the women’s free skate at 2:45 p.m. And the men’s free skate at 3:55 p.m. Canada currently sits in fourth place after Stephen Gogolev’s performance, with three skates remaining to determine the medalists. The medals will be awarded on Sunday.

American Skier Lindsey Vonn Involved in Crash

The day also brought concerning news as U.S. Ski racer Lindsey Vonn crashed during the women’s downhill competition. Reports indicate she underwent surgery for a fractured leg and is in stable condition. Vonn, 41, was racing despite a torn ACL and was scheduled to compete in two further events.

Other Events on the Schedule

The schedule is packed with other events, including men’s 10km+10km skiathlon at 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time, mixed doubles curling matches featuring Canada against Sweden at 8:35 a.m. And South Korea at 1:05 p.m., men’s doubles luge training at 7:30 a.m., and men’s singles luge runs at 11:00 a.m. And 12:34 p.m. Men’s normal hill ski jumping training is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Canada’s Performance So Far

Canada won’t be favored for any medals on Day 2, but athletes like Kaylie Buck and Arnaud Gaudet, both recent World Cup medalists in parallel giant slalom snowboarding, offer possibilities. Buck secured her first career World Cup medal in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in December, while Gaudet reached a World Cup podium for the first time last month in Bansko, Bulgaria. Canada finished the figure skating team event in fifth place, with Stephen Gogolev placing fourth in the men’s free program.

United States Claims Gold in Figure Skating

Team USA repeated as gold medalists in the figure skating team event. Breezy Johnson also secured the first U.S. Gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games in the women’s downhill. Ilia Malinin led the U.S. To gold in the figure skating team event, defeating Japan’s Shun Sato.

Italy’s Strong Start to the Games

Italy is enjoying a successful start to the games, having already secured seven medals in the first two days of competition, including a bronze in the men’s 5000-meter speed skating event. This surpasses their total of 17 medals from the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Curling Competition Underway

The mixed doubles curling competition continues with several matches scheduled throughout the day, including Canada facing Sweden, Great Britain versus Switzerland, Italy against the Czech Republic, and the United States against Estonia. Canada will also face South Korea later in the day.