Canada successfully defended its women’s team pursuit title in speed skating on Day 11 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, while Norway strengthened its position at the top of the medals table with additional gold medal performances across disciplines.

Canada Repeats in Women’s Team Pursuit

Ivanie Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann and Valerie Maltais delivered a composed performance to retain their Olympic crown in the women’s team pursuit, defeating the Netherlands in a tightly contested final. The Canadian trio crossed the line in 2:55.81, nearly a second ahead of the Dutch skaters.

It marked Canada’s third gold medal of the Games and the second consecutive Olympic title in the event for the same trio, who also won gold in 2022. Japan secured bronze after defeating Team USA in the B-final.

Maltais had earlier opened Canada’s medal account in Italy with a bronze in the 3,000 meters on Day 1. Weidemann won three medals at the 2022 Olympics, while Blondin claimed two.

The victory also carried added significance after the Netherlands had beaten Canada at last year’s world single-distance championships, where the Canadians finished third. Canada advanced to the final after defeating the United States in the semifinals.

Weather Disruptions Alter Schedule

Adverse weather conditions reduced the number of medal events from seven to six on the day’s program. The women’s snowboard slopestyle final was postponed due to poor conditions.

Despite the disruptions, competition continued across venues, producing several notable performances on snow and ice.

Frostad Claims Big Air Gold for Norway

In men’s freeski big air, Norway’s Tormod Frostad secured gold with a decisive final run. After being overtaken by USA’s Mac Forehand, who posted 193.25, Frostad responded with a competition-best 98.50 on his final jump for a total of 195.50.

Forehand finished with silver, while Austria’s Matej Svancer claimed bronze with 191.25. The gold was Norway’s 14th of the Games.

Germany Sweeps Bobsleigh Podium

Germany dominated the men’s two-man bobsleigh event, securing a 1-2-3 finish. Johannes Lochner, along with brakeman Georg Fleischhauer, won gold in 3:39.70 after building a consistent advantage over four heats.

Francesco Friedrich took silver, becoming the joint most decorated bobsleigh driver in Olympic history alongside compatriot André Lange. Both athletes now hold four gold medals and one silver. Adam Ammour and Alexander Schaller completed the German sweep with bronze.

Oftebro Completes Nordic Combined Double

Norway’s Jens Luraas Oftebro captured his second individual gold of the Games in the Nordic combined Gundersen large hill/10km event. Starting the cross-country leg in fifth place after ski jumping, Oftebro erased a 22-second deficit to win in 24:45.0.

The 25-year-old now holds all three Nordic combined Olympic titles, including a team gold from Beijing 2022. Austria’s Johannes Lamparter finished second, 5.9 seconds behind, with Finland’s Ilkka Herola taking bronze.

France Wins Historic Biathlon Relay Gold

France earned its first Olympic gold in the men’s 4×7.5km biathlon relay. The team of Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Fabien Claude, Emilien Jacquelin and Eric Perrot finished in 1:19:55.2, holding off defending champions Norway by 9.8 seconds. Sweden secured bronze.

With the victory, Fillon-Maillet became the most decorated French Winter Olympian, winning his eighth career Olympic medal.

Italy Delights Home Crowd in Men’s Team Pursuit

The Italian trio of Davide Ghiotto, Andrea Giovannini and Michele Malfatti won gold in the men’s speed skating team pursuit, finishing in 3:39.20, nearly five seconds ahead of Team USA. The victory marked Italy’s first Olympic gold in the event since Turin 2006.

Team USA claimed silver in 3:43.71, while the People’s Republic of China secured bronze after defeating the Netherlands.

Medal Table Update

Norway became the first nation to surpass 30 total medals, leading the standings with 14 golds and 31 overall medals. Italy followed with 24 medals, including nine gold. The United States remained third with six gold medals among 21 total.

Japan led Asian nations with 19 medals, including four gold. Canada climbed to 12 total medals, three of them gold.

With weather challenges affecting the schedule, athletes continued to deliver high-level performances across events as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics moved into its final stretch.

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