Article body analysed
Olympics 2026 Winter Olympics LIVE 1m ago U. S. figure skater Ilia Malinin is going for his second gold in these Olympics. Gabriel Bouys / Getty Images The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics. U. S. figure skating sensation Ilia “Quad God” Malinin and the U. S. women’s hockey team take the ice on Friday the 13th, hoping their luck doesn’t change in Italy. Malinin already helped Team USA win gold in the team event, and his acrobatic efforts in the men’s short program earlier this week set him up for another on Friday. Meanwhile, the American women will put their unbeaten streak on the line in another day chock full of Olympic hockey action. Advertisement And let’s not forget a trio of U. S. snowboarders also hoping to slide onto the podium on Day 7 of the Milan Cortina Olympics. Time: 1 p. m. (ET), 7 p. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: After a stunning performance in the short program on Tuesday — a routine that included a quad flip and quad lutz triple toe loop — the “Quad God” is in prime position to win his second gold medal Friday. Malinin leads the pack with 108. 16 points, ahead of Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama (103. 07) and Adam Siao Him Fa (102. 55) of France. Time: 1: 30 p. m. (ET), 7: 30 p. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: Three American snowboarders were among the 12 qualifiers for Friday’s medal competition: Alessandro Barbieri, Chase Josey and Jake Pates. Barbieri was fourth among all qualifiers with a score of 88. 50 on Wednesday. He will go fourth from the end on Friday. Pates (75. 50) will go first, followed by Josey (76. 50). Japan has four of the top six qualifiers, including 2022 Olympics champion Ayumu Hirano. Time: 3: 10 p. m. (ET), 9: 10 p. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: Each team will be playing its second of three preliminary games. Canada is loaded with NHL stars — Connor Mc David, Nathan Mac Kinnon, Cale Makar and Sidney Crosby, to name a few — and leads our projections for winning the gold medal. The Swiss also boast NHL stars Nico Hischier and Roman Josi, but only have a 13% chance of getting a medal, per our prognostications. Time: 3: 10 p. m. (ET), 9: 10 p. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: The Americans have steamrolled four opponents by a combined score of 20-1, including a 5-0 shellacking of fellow tournament favorite Canada. Hannah Bilka scored two goals for Team USA, while Caroline Harvey, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards each added one. Canada was without team captain Marie-Philip Poulin in the loss after she suffered a lower-body injury against the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, earlier this week. Italy is a respectable 2-2, having given up two goals or fewer in three of its four games. Advertisement Time: 10: 40 a. m. (ET), 4: 40 p. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: Czechia had trouble with tournament favorites U. S. and Canada, losing by a combined score of 10-2. The Swedes are undefeated through four games and have scored four or more goals each time they’ve hit the ice. Time: 5: 45 a. m. (ET), 11: 45 a. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, dubbed the “Michael Phelps of winter” by one publication, dominated his two earlier competitions in these Olympics, and the Norwegian is going for his third gold medal as he tries to sweep all six cross-country events. Time: 10 a. m. (ET), 4 p. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: Davide Ghiotto of Italy holds the world record in the 10, 000 with a time of 12: 25. 69 at the World Cup last year. American Casey Dawson, who placed eighth in the 5, 000, is also seeking a podium spot. Time: 1: 30 p. m. (ET), 7: 30 p. m. in Italy
TV: Peacock What to watch for: As expected, three-time defending World Cup champion Matt Weston of Great Britain is leading the competition after the first two heats, posting a track record of 1: 52. 09. He is 0. 30 seconds ahead of Axel Jungk of Germany. German Christopher Grotheer, trying to defend his 2022 Winter Olympics title, is 0. 46 seconds off the lead. There are two Americans in the final two heats — Austin Florian in 13th place and 1. 45 seconds behind Weston, and Daniel Barefoot in 19th place, 2. 60 seconds behind. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Alex Valdes is a trending news reporter for The Athletic. Alex was previously a writer at CNET and Money Talks News, a web content manager at Tipico, a sports editor at NBC Sports and MSNBC, and had various content roles at Microsoft.