The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina became one of the most memorable in history, with new records, unexpected victories, and an unforgettable closing ceremony in Verona. Norway cemented its status as the undisputed leader in winter sports, and several athletes made history with their achievements. Learn more about the medal count, the main finals on the last day, and the results of the 2026 Olympic Games

The 2026 Winter Olympics officially ended on February 22 at the Olympic Arena in Verona. Over the course of sixteen days of competition, nearly 2,900 athletes from dozens of countries competed for 116 sets of medals in 16 sports. Norway rewrote the history of the Winter Games, Johannes Klæbo became the most decorated athlete of all time, and the US team won a sensational gold medal in men's hockey for the first time in 46 years.

Read on for the main results, highlights, and closing ceremony.

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Norway is the absolute leader in the 2026 Olympics medal count

The Norwegian team finished the Games in Milan and Cortina with an unprecedented result — 41 medals in total, including 18 gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze. This number of gold medals set a new record for a single country at the Winter Olympics, surpassing the previous achievement of the Norwegians themselves — 16 victories at the 2022 Games in Beijing. The total number of medals also became the highest in the history of the Winter Olympics.

The victory in the overall team standings in 2026 was Norway's eleventh and fourth in a row. In the overall historical ranking, the USSR remains the closest pursuer with seven victories, and among the currently existing countries, Germany has three. Twenty-nine teams won medals at these Games, and 20 of them had at least one gold medal to their credit.

Top 10 medal standings at the 2026 Winter Olympics

The United States team took second place at the Games with 33 medals (12 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze). The Netherlands rounded out the top three with 20 medals (10+7+3). The hosts of the tournament, Italy, won a record 30 medals (10 gold, 6 silver, 14 bronze), but only took fourth place, losing to the Netherlands in terms of the number of silver medals.

Fifth place went to Germany with 26 medals (8+10+8),followed by France with 23 medals (8+9+6), Sweden with 18 (8+6+4), Switzerland with 23 (6+9+8), Austria with 18 (5+8+5), and Japan with 24 medals (5+7+12). It is worth noting the extremely close competition in the middle of the table: the difference between fifth and tenth place was only three gold medals.

Johannes Klæbo — the most decorated athlete in the history of the Winter Games

The main hero of the 2026 Olympics was Norwegian skier Johannes Klæbo. The athlete won six gold medals at these Games, winning in every discipline in which he competed. Such a result at a single Olympics is outstanding even by the standards of the most successful athletes of the past.

Thanks to his triumph in Italy, Klæbo brought his total number of Olympic gold medals to eleven, making him the most decorated athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics. This record became one of the most talked-about achievements of the tournament and once again confirmed the dominance of the Norwegian school of cross-country skiing.

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Finals on the last day: hockey, curling, bobsleigh, skiing, and freestyle

The final day of the Games featured five final competitions, each of which was exciting until the very last seconds. The most anticipated event was the final of the men's hockey tournament between the United States and Canada. Matt Bouldy opened the scoring for the Americans in the first period, but Cail Makar equalized for the Canadians at the end of the second. The match was decided in overtime, when Jack Hughes scored the winning goal in less than two minutes, bringing the US team its first Olympic gold in men's hockey since 1980.

In women's curling, the Swedish team led by skip Anna Hasselborg defeated Switzerland 6-5, winning Sweden's fourth Olympic title in the sport. Hasselborg became only the second woman in history to win two Olympic gold medals as a skip.

In the four-man bobsleigh, Germany's Johannes Lochner triumphed, ending his career with double gold in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh, ahead of the legendary Francesco Friedrich. Swedish skier Ebba Andersson won gold in the 50 km classic marathon, while China's Eileen Gu defended her Olympic title in freestyle (halfpipe), becoming the most decorated freestyle skier in the history of the Games with a total of six Olympic medals.

Closing ceremony of the 2026 Olympics in Verona

The closing ceremony took place at the Olympic Arena in Verona and combined artistic performances, musical performances, and the official part. Among the musical numbers was a performance by Major Lazer with DJ Snake, MØ, Nyla, and Alfa, who ended the evening with an energetic show. The artistic component was represented by a live performance by pianist Gloria Campaner, who performed a piece by Ludovico Einaudi accompanied by digital visual installations.

The official part was opened by the president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee, Giovanni Malago, who emphasized that Italy had kept all its promises to host the Games at world-class venues. IOC President Kirsten Coventry addressed the athletes, noting their courage and dedication to Olympic values. According to her, the athletes demonstrated excellence, respect, and friendship at the highest level. The Olympic flame was extinguished, marking the official end of the 2026 Winter Games.

The Olympic Games inspire thousands of people to travel to new countries, whether as fans or as tourists eager to discover the venues where the competitions are held. When planning a trip abroad, it is always a good idea to start with reliable medical insurance, as unforeseen health situations can arise anywhere. The Visit World portal offers convenient travel medical insurance policies that will give you peace of mind and protection in any country in the world.

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Reminder! The 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy have already given viewers historic records, unexpected triumphs, and heated debates. We talked about the records, scandals, and main sensations of the 2026 Winter Games in our previous article.

Photo: Shutterstock

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