Notable quotes from the Milan Cortina Olympics: Feb. 21, 2026

MILAN – Here are some notable quotes from the Milan Cortina Olympics on Feb. 21, 2026:

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“The dream is this, the dream is the top of the podium. And to now be here with these guys and just stand at the top of the podium and have our gold medals … It’s just great that it all came true.”

— Canadian men’s curling team skip Brad Jacobs on winning gold in a 9-6 victory over Great Britain.

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“The first thing that came to my mind was what a way to wrap my Olympic journey. I’m having fun and I’m skating with passion and I am so excited to share that with Canada.”

— Canadian speedskater Valérie Maltais on being named a flag-bearer for the closing ceremony alongside short-track speedskater Steven Dubois.

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“If I look back at my entire career, I would say that it was defined with grit. Every single time that I failed, I just got back up and pulled myself through again. So that is kind of what it means to me.”

–Canadian speedskater Ivanie Blondin, on winning a silver medal in the women’s mass start in her final Olympic race.

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“It’s the weight of wearing that maple leaf and representing Canada with as much tenacity and pride as we can. We never want to let up, and we showed that this week. We were kind of in single elimination for what felt like the entire week. And you know, we just kept staying in the process and staying in the moment.”

— Skip Rachel Homan, on Canada’s curling victory over the United States in the women’s bronze-medal game.

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“It was not that long ago that we were those kids in the classroom, and they wheeled those TVs in, and they put the antenna up so they can get the signal and watch Team Canada. I remember being one and seeing the watch parties at the local rink. That is why we are here for our country, to make them proud.”

— Canadian hockey forward Tom Wilson, on playing in Sunday’s gold-medal game.

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“This is the right call. It’s hard to accept but sometimes health, family, friends, life, it’s bigger than sports, even when it’s the Olympics.”

— Canadian freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe, who crashed during the qualifier of the women’s halfpipe event and wasn’t medically cleared to compete in the final.

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“It’s a lot of sacrifices, but on the other hand, when you’re starting to feel that it’s sacrifices, I think it’s time to find something else to do. There are choices to make and we’ve made all the right choices this year. Mentally, I’ve been in a better place than I was last year and I have a lot of fun racing out there now.”

— Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, on winning all six men’s cross-country events at Milano Cortina 2026.

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“It’s tough when you go four years and you feel like you’re skiing the best you ever have. And you get robbed a little bit. It’s hard to wrap my head around it. I don’t really know what to make of it.”

— Canadian ski cross racer Jared Schmidt, who did not advance to the men’s quarterfinals after given a yellow card

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“This is just a joke really. We would never run a downhill race in these conditions … I bet you we were going 10 to 15 seconds slower than this morning, at least. You can’t pass, it’s a whole different course. This is not ski cross.”

— Canada’s Reece Howden, unhappy at the conditions of the men’s ski cross race. Howden, considered a favourite, exited the Milan Cortina Olympics unexpectedly in the quarterfinals.

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“Any sport has risks. You know about them, and you try not to think about them for too long, and try to perform on race day, on training days to keep yourself safe.”

— Canadian 4-man bobsleigh pilot Jay Dearborn, after watching another team crash at Cortina Sliding Centre.

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