Yesterday, 8:02amSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:02am
Australians on day two of Winter Olympics
- Snowboard: Australia has two competitors in the big air final, with Meila Stalker sixth and Tess Coady 12th. Teenage debutant Ally Hickman finished 15th.
- Alex Ferlazzo finished 18th in the men’s luge.
- Earlier, Hugo Hinkfuss finished 56th in the cross-country skiing men’s 10km + 10km skiathlon, while Seve de Campo finished 57th.
20h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 10:07pm
That is where we’ll leave it
Japan’s Shun Sato produced a brilliant performance to round off day two of competition (Getty Images)
Day two at the Winter Olympics was an emotional journey, from the devastating injury to American Lindsey Vonn in the women’s downhill, to the unorthodox celebration shirt-off from Austrian parallel giant slalom skier Benjamin Karl.
Alex Ferlazzo improved on every run in the men’s luge in his fourth Games, and the women’s big air qualification delivered thrills, spills and more than its fair share of drama, as Australia secured two spots in the final for Tess Coady and Meila Stalker.
Spare a thought for the team’s second-youngest performer Ally Hickman who missed out on the final but gave it her all.
And the day culminated with a dramatic finale to the Team figure skating.
We’ll be back later this evening with our blog for day three of competition. But in the meantime, this is Andrew McGarry, on behalf of Marnie Vinall, Henry Hanson and Simon Smale in Livigno, saying thank you for joining us and good morning!
21h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 9:52pm
Shun Sato skates the lights out – but the US wins the gold
The United States finished just ahead of Japan to take Team figure skating gold in Milano (Getty Images)
And so it came down to the final routine in the final section of the Team figure skating in Milano.
The margins were tiny, but the United States have won gold – just.
Japan’s Shun Sato skated an incredible routine to the music from Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Firebird.
He thrilled the crowd with an artistic performance that wasn’t as quad heavy as Ilia Malinin, but was just as good overall.
The judges wouldn’t match Malinin’s scores, however, giving Sato a brilliant 194.86 points.
That gave the US 10 team points compared to nine for Japan in the final section, so the Americans won 69 points to 68.
As we said before, Italy won an historic bronze medal in Teams with an overall score of 60, thanks to a fabulous final skate from Matteo Rizzi.
Congratulations to all the medallists.
21h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 9:40pm
The Quad God goes big for United States
Ilia Malinin’s most outrageous move wasn’t even a quad jump (Getty Images)
Ilia Malinin, the American skater known as the Quad God, has just delivered a jaw-dropping routine in the Team figure skating event — and it wasn’t even perfect!
He had seven quad jumps listed, but did not land all of them. However he had the crowd in the palm of his hand, particularly after a quad salchow-triple axel combo.
But it was a move that won’t earn a single point that brought the house down in Milano.
He skated through the centre of the ice and landed a running backflip to an enormous roar from the crowd.
His score was 200.03, giving the US 68 points with one team to go.
Japan has to match it with nine points in their routine – if they do, they will win the gold on a tie-breaker.
21h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 9:26pm
Joy in Milano as Rizzi seals Italy’s first team figure skating medal
Matteo Rizzi (facing away from camera) has brought the house down with Italy’s first Team figure skating medal (Getty Images)
There are scenes in Milano right now at the Team figure skating.
Matteo Rizzi, performing for the host nation, has produced routine from Interstellar that was truly … stellar.
There was emotions everywhere as he hit his jumps and spins to Hans Zimmer’s famous score. Halfway through he landed a jump and pumped his fist, and then looked close to tears in the final minute, as the Milano crowd went crazy.
In the final seconds of his routine, he skated right forward to the nine judges with a beaming smile and then slid back to centre ice for the finishing pose.
The wait was long, but worth it, as Rizzi scored 179.62 for his routine, giving Italy a team score of 59 points, ensuring the host nation would win a medal in Teams for the first time in Winter Olympic history.
It’s almost certainly a bronze, but the crowds and his team do not care one jot.
21h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 9:05pm
Team figure skating going down to the wire
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto has given her country the edge over the US going into the final of Team figure skating (AP)
It’s been a tight contest at the Team figure skating, and it could not be closer at the top going into the final section.
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto delivered the goods in the women’s singles event to give Japan the full 10 points.
This left the scores at Japan and United States level on 59 points, with Japan ahead on a tie-breaker.
Italy is on 52 in bronze medal position, with Georgia on 50 and Canada on 47.
We are left with the final men’s singles.
Nika Egadze will lead off for Georgia with a routine with Sailing, Verve, Sail – he has four quads listed
Matteo Rizzo will complete Italy’s competition with a routine from the soundtrack of Interstellar. One quad listed, lots of triples and combination jumps.
Canada’s Stephen Gogolev will be next, skating to Rachmaninov’s piano concerto number 2. He has three quads listed.
Then there is the Quad God himself, Ilia Malinin for the United States. If you don’t know why he has that nickname, one look at his program will tell the story.
He has SEVEN quad jumps listed in a four-minute skate. He will be performing his routine to The Ball, The Smell of the Sea and Code Duello, three individual tracks linked together.
The last skater of the competition is Shun Sato for Japan, and he is going for music from Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird. His routine has three quads listed.
It’s not just a case of simple maths, but it has to be said – no one has proven they can do quads any better than Malinin. If he lands his program, you’d think the gold will be going to the US.
But who knows?
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:53pm
Two Aussies go through!
(Getty)
The last two competitors fail to land their jumps, and that’s it!
Meila Stalker finishes in sixth spot, and Tess Coady has hung on for 12th and last spot. What a nervewracking finale!
Commiserations to Ally Hickman who performed well but could not get the points she needed in the final round.
She finishes in 15th.
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:49pm
Tess Coady hanging on
Belgium’s Sky Remans is the third last competitor, and she falls trying for a frontside 1080.
Now there are two people left, and Tess Coady is STILL in 12th spot.
Breathe, people.
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:46pm
Incredible run just misses from American Jess Perlmutter
Good grief, that was close!
American Jess Perlmutter just stunned everyone with what’s apparently known as a “double sloth roll.”
It’s like a double front flip, stopping her body’s momentum late in the move. It looks incredible, it looks downright scary, and sadly for her she missed it and landed front down on the snow.
But she got up smiling and the crowd went crazy for her.
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:40pm
Tess Coady is on the bubble!
Well, this is getting close to the line.
China’s Xiaonan Zhuang is through, she has landed a 74.75 to grab 11th.
That means tess Coady is on the bubble. She is in the 12th and final qualification spot.
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:35pm
Meila Stalker’s third run
Meila Stalker showed nerves of steel to seal a final spot in her last run (AP)
Now it’s debutant Meila Stalker’s moment of truth.
She runs down and delivers several revolutions with a long holod almost all the way down – and she lands it!
Now we wait. And wait.
And she’s in!!!!!!
Meila Stalker serves up a final round score of 87.75. She is up to sixth! What a moment.
But Tess Coady is in 11th spot … and 12 go through.
There are an uncomfortable number of competitors still left.
Hold onto your hats, folks.
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:28pm
Ally Hickman goes for the final
Here we go for 16-year-old Ally Hickman, who is trying to crack the final.
She has gone for a backside 700, and she’s landed it!
But it’s only 64.25. She is in 13th position, she misses out on the final.
That’s really tough for the Aussie.
But she still has the slopestyle to come. Big effort from the teenager from Sydney.
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:18pm
Things are getting very tight
The people are starting to come from the back now!
Britain’s Mia Brookes, who had a rough 29.75 in round one, then hit back with an 89 in round two.
And she’s leaped into third position with a final run of 78.
Tess Coady is now in ninth position, with both Ally Hickman and Meila Stalker still to come.
Who will make it?
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:04pm
Tess Coady hits her final run
Australia’s Tess Coady has done her final run at Livigno.
And she has landed it! It’s a switch backside 900 similar to her second run, but this time she stuck the landing.
It’s not a huge one, but it gets her 75 points. Together with her first run of 78.50, that gives her 153.50.
Will that be enough?
New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott smiles and wanders off after nailing her third straight run, with another 82.25.
Her best two scores are 172.25, with Japan’s Kokomo Murase on 171.25 in second.
And now Japan’s Mari Fukada throws one into the mix, hitting an 88.25 to go third on 165.75.
22h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 8:01pm
Aussies all in the mix with one round to go
With one run left of three in the Big Air at Livigno, all three Australians are in with a shot of making the final.
Ally Hickman is in 8th position, Tess Coady is in 11th.
Meila Stalker is in 23rd position, but don’t let that fool you. her second round 82.25 puts her right in the mix if she can nail her final run.
23h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 7:53pm
Results are in from the pairs figure skating
The results are in for the pairs component of the team figure skating final, with Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara storming to a dominant victory.
Their 155.55 points were over 15 more than Georgia’s 139.70 in second.
Italy finished third, the USA fourth and Canada fifth.
So, that means, heading into the penultimate leg of the team figure skating, the standings are as follows.
- USA 51
- Japan 49
- Italy 45
- Georgia 41
- Canada 41
23h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 7:50pm
It’s time for the women’s singles in the Team figure skating
Here we go for the penultimate leg of the Team figure skating event, the women’s singles
The previous leg, the pairs, was won by Japan, with Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara scoring a 155.35.
The points score after the section is US on 51, Japan on 49, Italy on 45 and Georgia and Canada on 41.
Canada’s Madeline Schizas will skate first, to the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto.
Then Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova will perform a routine to Ghost the musical.
Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann will change the vibe completely with a routine to the soundtrack of Jaws.
Amber Glenn will go next for the US with a routine from I Will Find You and The Return.
Finally Kaori Sakamoto will skate for Japan with a French-themed routine with La vie en rose, No je ne regrette rien and Hymne a l’amour.
23h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 7:46pm
Meila Stalker pulls one out of the bag in round two!
Australia’s Meila Stalker is up for her second run.
She needs a big score after a first run of less than 20.
Can she find it? She can!
That was a big run, the debutant pulls out a backside 1080 with a mute grab, landed perfectly.
She’s clapping her hands, and clearly happy with that.
And so are the judges! She scores an 82.25.
So she can kind of ignore her first rounder and go for a big one in the third round to put her right up the leaderboard.
Job half done, but she’s much better placed now.
23h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 7:42pm
Ally Hickman does her second run
Here comes Ally Hickman for her second run.
The 16-year-old goofy footer nailed her opening run with 85.25.
Can she do it again?
And that was a simple effort, a backside 700.
That was to get another score on the board. She gets 61.75.
Her total is 147 points, she is in sixth position right now with one run to go for her.
That’s two scores locked in, now she can go for it on her final run.
I’m counting at least a dozen competitors who have either a first or second round score of less than 32 points, so this is a smart play from Hickman.
23h agoSun 8 Feb 2026 at 7:34pm
Lindsey Vonn has surgery on fractured leg after crash
Lindsey Vonn was flown to hospital after suffering a broken leg in the women’s downhill (AP)
American superstar Lindsey Vonn was helicoptered off the mountain at Cortina after she crashed hard in the women’s downhill.
Now we have confirmation that the 41-year-old has had surgery on a fractured left leg.
Vonn lost control within moments of leaving the start house, clipping a gate with her right shoulder and pinwheeling down the slope before ending up awkwardly on her back, her skis crisscrossed below her and her screams ringing out soon after medical personnel arrived.
She was being “treated by a multidisciplinary team” and “underwent an orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg,” the Ca’ Foncello hospital said in a statement.
The U.S. Ski Team said Vonn was “in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”
– With reporting from AP
