A look at five things to know from Saturday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games

MILAN – From gold and bronze victories on the curling rink to silver in long-track speedskating, here are five things to know from Saturday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games:

GOLDEN TOUCH FOR JACOBS

Brad Jacobs skipped Canada to its first Olympic gold medal in men’s curling since the 2014 Sochi Games, when he also led the team to the top of the podium. Canada defeated Great Britain 9-6 in Saturday’s final. The game turned in the ninth end when Canada scored three for an 8-6 lead that Bruce Mouat’s British rink could not overcome. Earlier Saturday, Rachel Homan won her first Olympic medal after beating American Tabitha Peterson 10-7 in the women’s bronze-medal game, scoring three in both the sixth and eighth ends. It is Canada’s first podium finish in women’s curling since Sochi.

SILVER BULLET ON ICE

Speedskater Ivanie Blondin successfully defended her silver medal at the Games Saturday, winning second-place again in the women’s mass start in a repeat of her result in Beijing 2022. It was Blondin’s second medal at the Games after winning gold alongside Valérie Maltais and Isabelle Weidemann in the women’s team pursuit earlier. It is Canada’s fifth long-track speedskating medal in Milan. Maltais, who also took part in the mass start finals, fell early in the race but recovered to rejoin the pack of competitors vying for the podium, eventually finishing fifth. On the men’s side, Sherbrooke, Que.’s Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu placed sixth in the mass start final.

BAD SNOW AT THE SKI HILL

Weather disrupted freestyle skiing events Saturday, as the women’s halfpipe final was postponed to Sunday, and heavy, wet snow contributed to Canadian star Reece Howden failing to reach the podium in men’s ski cross. Howden, who did not advance past the quarterfinals, sharply criticized organizers for staging the race in conditions that affected speed and passing. Hours later, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation said the halfpipe was delayed because the pipe could not be prepared in a safe and fair condition.

ALL EYES ON CROSBY

The status of Sidney Crosby remains uncertain a day before the gold-medal game between Canada and the United States in men’s hockey. Crosby was injured in the quarterfinals against Czechia and did not play in the semifinal win over Finland. He took part in practice on Saturday and remains an option for Canada as it looks to defend gold from Sochi 2014, the last time NHL players participated at the Games. Defenceman Josh Morrissey, however, has been confirmed by head coach Jon Cooper to be out for the finale due to injury. In the bronze medal game Saturday, Finland defeated Slovakia by a score of 6-1.

A TRUCKLOAD OF GOLD

Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo made Olympic history by winning all six events he entered at the Milan Cortina Games, setting a record for the most gold medals by one athlete at a single Winter Olympics. Klaebo capped his historic run on the penultimate day of the Games with a victory in the 50-kilometre mass start. He broke a nearly 50-year record set at Lake Placid in 1980, when American speedskater Eric Heiden took home five golds. In addition to the mass start on Saturday, Klaebo also won gold in the 10-kilometre interval, the skiathlon, sprint, team sprint, and 4 x 7.5-kilometre relay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2026.