Winter Olympics 2026: women’s big air final under way, ski jumping men’s super team final, USA reach women’s ice hockey final – live | Winter Olympics 2026
Key events
The women’s monobob final heat has begun as well, this time ordered slowest to fastest on the combined times for the previous three heats. Four racers out of 20 have gone down.
We’re into the second jumps now, so let’s stay here and come back to the skating later. Lara Wolf of Austria falls on her second jump, she’ll have a third to make amends though. Maria Gaslitter is leading for Italy. Six out of ten skiers are yet to jump second though. Naomi Urness, for Canada, falls as well.
(If you’re not sure what this sport is, they’re going down a massive ramp, off a massive jump, and doing various twists and spins mid air to get scored by judges.)
The women’s big air final has got going in the meantime, despite the weather. Heavy snow still. Kirsty Muir for GB has landed a solid 81.75 on her first jump.
What a finish from the Germans! Tight routine from Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel to begin: they’re in sync, and it looks strong rather than exciting to begin with. But their creative flair comes more and more to the fore as it goes, starting with a back outside death spiral, to have a point of difference to the other spirals we’ve seen, and then their choreo element that involves a dazzling acrobatic sequence as Kunkel holds Hocke by one ankle and one wrist and aeroplanes her around and around in a twirling circle, sometimes so low that she seems about to skim the ice, sometimes up at shoulder height. Somehow the judges find a couple of quibbles with technical elements – a catch from one of the throws was too low, yada yada – but that was by far the most spectacular routine so far, it got the crowd jumping at the end.
My only deduction: using Meatloaf as musical backing. Figure skating music choices are almost always so bland.
Here’s an unlikely cultural combo in the figure skating: an Armenian pair doing an Indian-themed routine using the music from Slumdog Millionaire. She’s wearing a miniaturised skating version of a sari, he has a slimmed down shortened kurta. Karina Akopova lands a stunning throw triple lutz! She nearly hit the ceiling there, and still pins it on one skate. A couple of stumbles on the jumps though will bring down the score, and she looks frustrated as she comes off, though her partner Nikita Rakhmanin has a big smile. Their dance section was original, I’m not sure that the whole routine flowed together though. But something different, which takes courage.
Italy leading the US in the women’s curling, and 4-1 is a spicy scoreline in the 7th end. GB is up on the Swiss 4-3, Canada leading Japan, and Korea leading China.
Weather delays at the ski jumping too, they’re doing a gate change rather than postponing the whole event. There is reasonably dense snow falling.
Great Britain’s team up now, Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby. Absolutely crisp synchronisation on their triple toeloop (where they spin upright side by side). Everyone has had a stumble so far, though, and both of them nearly fall on a double axel spin. They’re doing a more low-key musical approach, using The Cinematic Orchestra as backing. They clock in at 112.99 for this round, the lowest score so far, though their score from the first round has them third of fourth overall.
A short break follows to get the next four pairs warmed up, with 16 pairs in the final.
We have our final eight teams for the men’s super team ski jumping. The order will be USA, Switzerland, Japan, Slovenia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Austria.
Aesthetics for Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps: she’s in a red silk choker dress, he’s got a glittery burgundy brocade number with a piratical cummerbund. Some sort of tango passion vibe for the Canadians. They go early with a split triple twist, he tosses her high in the air twirling like a majorette’s baton. Later, in what is supposed to a two-part sequence, she can’t complete it – she doesn’t fall, but has to forgo the second jump in order to stay up. Otherwise, they nail it, and for Deanna, this is an athlete who has reached the Olympic final level again at the age of 42, having spent 16 years retired from the sport before mounting a comeback.
They score a 126, best of the three so far.
A lovely moment from Poland, as Ioulia Chtchetinina collapses to the ice – but only after the routine is done. She’s come back from injuries that cost her the last Winter Olympics, and has just completed an error-free skate with Michal Wozniak, and as she sinks to the floor she’s laughing and crying at the same time. A couple of their lifts were not of the most complex variety, and there are some minor deductions for technical flaws, but they score 120 to the Kovalevs 113.
The worst thing about figure skating, and maybe the best, is that you can watch a couple of people do the most outrageously impossible stuff you’ve ever seen in your life, and then a judge is like, “oh, your head was not lower than your knee while you were bent over backwards spinning around in 17 circles” and they dock scores.
For France, it’s the Kovalevs to begin, Camille and Pavel. Very fun routine, they do a rock and roll theme, black leather and some Beatles and some White Stripes. Camille has a fall early on that costs them some points, but probably makes some back with a triple salchow throw that she lands divinely – so, the feller has hurled her into a spinning rotation mid air, she’s done three spins and then landed on one skate as cleanly as a bread knife going into a new loaf. Such flair. She gives the crowd a rev-up motion as she feels the landing stick.
Right, it’s time for figure skating! My favourite winter sport, and soon to be yours if I have anything to do with it. This is the free skating part of the pairs event, and medals will be won tonight.
The final heat is set for the women’s bobsled, with the top 20 competitors going through. The four heat times will be counted cumulatively. Germany sit first and fourth via current leader Laura Nolte and Lisa Buckwitz, and the Americans are second, third and fifth thanks to Elana Meyers Taylor, Kaillie Armbruster Humphries, and Kaysha Love. Australia’s Bree Walker is eighth.
In short, it’s hard for a racer to make up much time unless those ahead of them make serious mistakes.
The second round of the men’s super team ski jumping runs as follows: Kazakhstan, Italy, USA, France, Switzerland, Finland, Poland, Norway, Germany, Japan, Slovenia, Austria.
Weather threatens the women’s big air final
Per the Reuters update: “The start of the women’s big air competition at the Winter Olympics was delayed on Monday because of heavy snow in the Italian mountain town of Livigno. Organizers were awaiting further weather updates to determine if the event can take place later on Monday, a spokesperson for the Livigno Snow Park said.
It’s a tough sliding track. We saw some of the luge participants struggle on those corners, but the monobobs are much heavier and harder to manoeuvre. Several racers now have clipped the walls or come up high enough on the curves to hit the wooden ceiling. Lots of wobbles, the noses of the sleds sniffing about. The first few corners are where most of the trouble is.
Women’s big air skiing delayed by snow
Weather delay in the freeski Big Air for the women’s final. Three runs per competitor, but we haven’t started the first. It’s snowing fairly heavily and there’s enough wind speed to concern the officials.
Sean Ingle reports from the venue:
The temporary press tent where the hardened members of the press corp are working is being blown and buffeted about. And, more importantly, such is the level of snow by the Big Air ramp in Livigno it is almost impossible to see. Yet the competition has not been postponed … yet. We are delayed for a second time until 8pm GMT.
We’re into the third heat in the women’s monobob. Australia’s Bree Walker was bullish about medal prospects before the Games, but currently sitting 8th and adrift by a second and a half. The GB sledder is Adele Nicoll, back in 12th at the moment.
At the ski jump hill, we have 17 teams in the first round and 12 will qualify. This is the team event, so two jumpers per team. Of those who’ve had both jumps, the teams in the drop zone currently are Estonia, Ukraine, Turkey, China, and Romania.
Ah, the curling is back. This is the women’s team round robin. Four teams out of ten will go through. Italy, who can’t qualify, are taking on USA, who could still drop out of the semis from second spot. Korea, in third spot, play China, who will struggle to make it. Same deal for Switzerland, equal third, against Great Britain, with only two wins from five so far. And Japan, second last, play Canada, who need a boost with only two wins of their own.
USA book place in women’s ice hockey final
A cross-check and penalty going Sweden’s way, but the US team stifles that chance efficiently, and even with a powerplay there’s nothing going Sweden’s way. The clock runs out before the final powerplay does, and the US women’s hockey team will play off for gold.
At the ski jumping hill, the trial round is over for the men’s super team. Gregor Deschwanden had the best result, after bronze in the individual event. The final three teams on the start list for the first round will be Japan, Slovenia, Austria.
An injury problem for Sweden, Lisa Johansson created a scoring chance, saw her shot deflected away by the goalie, then on crossing to the far side of the ice got her arm clipped by Joy Dunne and landed heavily. Johansson is getting some treatment on the bench and looking distressed. There’s still a bronze medal match to come.
Meanwhile, if you prefer schadenfreude to Olympicfreude, the Australians are just about out of the T20 World Cup. Catch up with Jim Wallace’s description.
Geoff Lemon
Greetings all. It’s raining goals now, Hayley Scamurra making it 5-0, the third in less than two minutes of time off the clock. So that streak started with Abbey Murphy finding a tiny sliver of space over the goalie’s shoulder from almost lateral to the goal, then Leila Edwards looked the scorer with a long-range shot but her teammate Kendall Coyne got a tiny bit of stick to it as it passed by, helping deflect past Ebba Svenson Traff. The Swedish goalie was then subbed out for Emma Soderberg, who was immediately left stranded when a cross found Scamurra camped in front and unattended, able to flick low and score. End of the second period.
Aha, just as I’m about to pass on to Geoff Lemon, USA score again to lead Sweden 4-0. They’re going into the final, where they’ll face Canada or Switzerland; Geoff will be with you for that one. Peace out, people.
Here come USA again, the puck going around the net before Murphy lasers a riser high inside the far post as the keeper ducks. Brilliant finish and USA lead 3-0 with 4.40 to go in the second.
It’s remarkable, really, that, in 2026, people are still trying to tell us that a competition featuring nation-sates along with their national flags, colours and anthems, isn’t political – and let’s not forget that doing nothing is also a political act.
USA are all over Sweden now and, with 7.13 to go in the second, look far more likely to extend their lead than have it reduced.
It was coming. A big double-save from Svensson in the Swedish goal kept it to 1-0, but then Bilka squared to Heise, who finished off the keeper’s body. USA lead 2-0 and are on their way to the final.
Sri Lanka need 21 off 20 to eliminate Australia, Pathum Nissanka absolutely taking it off the set.
With 13.30 to go in the second, it’s still USA 1-0 Sweden. The longer there’s only one in it, the more of a chance the underdogs have…
This was hard to watch. Sport hurts.
“Bruce Mouat not only has lovely eyes, he’s a lovely person,” advises Joanne McNair. “There’s a great interview with him from last year available on YouTube.”
That’s great to hear. Let’s hope he finds his best form in GB’s next two matches.
We’re away again in the women’s ice hockey semi, USA leading Sweden 1-0 after the first period.
I wasn’t surprised to learn, in Andy Bull’s piece below, that Team GB spends more on skeleton than anyone else. Success in cycling has a lot more to do with exchequer than any kind of natural aptitude or coaching skill; the countries best at it are those with the money to spend on it.
We’ll soon be back with ice hockey action, but it doesn’t really look like Sweden have the firepower to seriously test USA, though they’re keeping it tight for now.
Sweden win it high, there’s a shot, a save, a scramble … and USA clear. Seconds to go in the periods and there’s the hooter; the underdogs are still in the match, which all they’ll have wanted at the end of the first.
Back on the ice, it’s 11 shots to 1 in USA’s favour, but they lead only 1-0 with three minutes left in the first. Sweden are doing a pretty good job of protecting their defensive third.
It’s building in Pallakele, Sri Lanka needing 106 from 72 to rubber-stamp Australia’s dismissal from proceedings.
Mouat acknowledges a good battle but is disappointed to lose, fessing up to his error during the eighth end. They know what it’s like trying to bounce back in games, and what it’s like to make mistakes on the big occasion having prepared for a while.
To the ice hockey we go, and USA have just scored through Barnes. They lead Sweden 1-0 with 14.14 left in the first.
…and there it is. A tremendous shot from Ramsfjell does everything it needs to, meaning Norway win 7-6 and GB probably need to beat USA and Canada in their final two matches to move into the knockouts.
Last go for Mouat, looking to drift one on to the button, close to the other red stone just to its side, and he’s nailed a beauty! Norway have one shot, under pressure, to get by the guard, take the reds away, and avoid his own stone. Here it comes….
We’re under way in the first semi of the women’s ice hockey, USA meeting Sweden. We’ll focus on that shortly, once this match is over.
Norway knock the two GB stones out of the end, leaving one of their own on the button, almost dead centre; GB have a chat, trying to work out the best route to the steal that is on. Here comes Bruce, looking to freeze right on to the yellow, and … it’s not a bad effort. It’s at the bottom of the button but, going last, you still have to fancy Norway to get rid of this one and whatever GB do with their final go.
Poor stone from Norway, inadvertently knocking two that are loitering before the house out of the road. That wasn’t what they intended, then GB respond by sending down a guard which stops maybe two-thirds of the way down, so their opponents take a timeout.
