Day 12 of the Winter Olympics 2026 was a masterclass in longevity and elite talent. From legendary skiers reasserting their dominance to rising stars seizing their moment on the snow, the action in Italy delivered a mix of record-breaking milestones and nail-biting finishes.
Here is the breakdown of the major highlights and podium results from Wednesday’s competitions.
Alpine Skiing: Shiffrin Reclaims the Slalom Throne
Mikaela Shiffrin added another chapter to her legendary career by capturing gold in the women’s slalom. This victory marks her second Olympic gold in this specific discipline, coming 12 years after her first.
Entering the race with 108 World Cup wins under her belt, Shiffrin stayed composed through both runs to clock a combined time of 1:39.10. She finished significantly ahead of the field:
- Gold: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – 1:39.10
- Silver: Camille Rast (SUI) – +1.5 seconds
- Bronze: Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE) – 1:40.81
Cross-Country Skiing: Norway and Sweden Sweep Team Sprints
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo continues to rewrite the history books. By anchoring Norway to gold in the men’s team sprint free, Klaebo secured his 10th career Olympic gold and his 5th of these Games. He now holds the record for the most Winter Olympic golds ever.
- Gold: Norway (Anchored by Klaebo)
- Silver: USA (+1.37 seconds)
On the women’s side, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist improved upon their silver from Beijing to take the top spot on the podium.
- Gold: Sweden (Sundling & Dahlqvist)
- Silver: Switzerland (Kaelin & Faehndrich)
- Bronze: Germany (Gimmler & Rydzek)
Freestyle Skiing & Snowboard: Historic Defenses and Birthday Wins
- Women’s Aerials: China’s Xu Mengtao became the first woman to win two Olympic aerials titles. At 35 years old, she defended her crown with a score of 112.90, leading a 1-3 finish for China alongside bronze medalist Shao Qi.
- Men’s Slopestyle: Su Yiming celebrated his 22nd birthday by upgrading his previous silver to gold. His opening score of 82.41 held off Japan’s Hasegawa Taiga for the win.
- Women’s Slopestyle: 19-year-old Fukada Mari (Japan) stunned the field in her Olympic debut, posting an 87.83 on her final run to beat defending champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. Despite the silver, Sadowski-Synnott became the most decorated Olympic snowboarder in history with five career medals.
Biathlon: French Women Dominate the Relay
France showcased their depth in the women’s 4x6km relay. Led by anchor Julia Simon, the team finished in 1:10:22.7, nearly a minute ahead of the competition. This victory gave Simon her third gold medal of the Milano Cortina Games.
- Gold: France (1:10:22.7)
- Silver: Sweden (+51.3 seconds)
- Bronze: Norway (1:11:30.3)
Short Track Speed Skating: Photo Finishes and Records
The ice at the short track rink saw incredibly tight margins:
- Men’s 500m: Canada’s Steven Dubois won gold by a mere 0.06 seconds in a frantic lunge at the finish line, beating out Dutch brothers Melle and Jens van ’t Wout.
- Women’s 3000m Relay: The Republic of Korea reclaimed their title with a time of 4:04.014. Italy took silver, led by Arianna Fontana, who earned her 14th career medal—making her the most decorated Italian Olympian of all time.
