18h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 8:25pm
Thanks for your company!
That’s where we are going to call stumps on day 11.
The heavy snow in Livigno robbed us of the chance to see some of the Aussies in action, however we have Ally Hickman in the women’s snowboard slopestyle final to look forward to when we resume our coverage of the Milano Cortina Games this evening.
Thanks for joining us and bye for now!
18h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 8:06pm
Frostad holds nerve to win gold for Norway
(Getty Images)
Tormod Frostad has produced the highest score of a thrilling men’s freeski big air final to claim the gold medal.
The Norwegian knew he had to dig deep after Mac Forehand of the US posted a monster total of 98.25 on his third run to move into provisional first place.
Showing nerves of steel, Frostad ripped out a 98.50 to pip Forehand with a total score of 195.50 to 193.25.
Austria’s Matěj Švancer (191.25) collected the bronze.
New Zealand’s Luca Harrington (160.50) was sixth on the final standings.
19h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 7:35pm
Frostad eyeing off big air gold
(AP)
Norwegian Tormod Frostad is the clubhouse leader as we head into the third run of the men’s freeski big air final.
Frostad produced a staggering 97.00 on his second run to have a total score of 192.25.
Mac Forehand of the US (190.00) is second, with Austria’s Matěj Švancer (187.00) third.
New Zealand’s Luca Harrington took a fall on his second run, scoring 25.75.
He is in fifth place on the standings with a total score of 119.75.
19h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 7:10pm
New Zealander in big air medals mix
(Reuters)
Our friends across the ditch should be getting excited, with Luca Harrington in provisional fourth place in in the men’s freeski big air final.
The New Zealander — the 2025 world champion — impressed in his first run with a score of 94.00.
Harrington already has a Games medal in his keeping after claiming bronze in the freeski slopestyle.
Norway’s Tormod Frostad led the big air final after the first run with 95.25.
There are two runs to go before the Olympic champion is crowned.
20h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 6:52pm
Italian gold medallist channels Steph Curry
(AP)
Speed skater Andrea Giovannini knew he was going to celebrate with Steph Curry’s ‘Night night’ celebration if he could help Italy beat the favoured US in the men’s team pursuit final.
Giovannini just didn’t want to tell teammates Davide Ghiotto and Michele Malfatti ahead of time, in case things didn’t go well.
Not a problem.
The Italians claimed the gold medal by finishing more than four seconds ahead of the American world record-holders.
The margin was so large that Giovannini pulled his two white-gloved hands together and pressed them to the side of his head at the close, just the way NBA star Curry does.
“The last lap, we were in control,” Giovannini said.
“I was just waiting for that finish line to emulate Steph.”
(AP)
Giovannini said he remembered watching on TV during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics when Curry did his signature move after one of his late 3-pointers sealed a 98-87 victory for the US against France to win gold in men’s basketball.
“Emblematic of having cold blood,” Giovannini said.
The American trio of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepurian — who got the bronze in the event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and set the world record in November — weren’t aware of Giovannini’s gesture.
“It’s better than getting two middle fingers from the Russians four years ago,” Lehman said with a laugh.
— AP
20h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 6:29pm
Men’s freeski big air final delayed
The snow in Livigno has pushed back the start time in the men’s freeski big air final.
At this stage, the earliest it will get underway will be 5:45am AEDT.
We’ll keep you posted.
21h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 5:50pm
Women’s figure skating gets underway
(AP)
One of the blue riband events of the Winter Olympics has made a start.
The women’s singles in the figure skating competition commences with the short program, which includes 29 athletes.
The top 24 will advance to the free skating section.
Reigning world champion Alysa Liu of the United States is among the field.
Liu is chasing her second gold the Milano Cortina Games, having helped the US win the team event.
21h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 5:03pm
Aussies to appear in rescheduled events
(AP)
We mentioned earlier how weather had wreaked havoc with the schedule of some of the outdoor events.
Several, which feature Aussies, have now been held over until day 12 and 13.
Women’s aerials qualification: 8:00pm AEDT, Wednesday
Australians featured: Danielle Scott, Abbey Willcox, Airleigh Frigo and Sidney Stephens
Women’s aerials final: 11:00pm AEDT, Wednesday
Australians featured: TBC
Women’s slopestyle final: 12:30am AEDT, Thursday
Australians featured: Ally Hickman
Men’s aerials qualification: 9:00pm AEDT, Thursday
Australians featured: Reilly Flanagan
Men’s aerials final: 12:00am AEDT, Friday
Australians featured: TBC
22h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 3:58pm
Canada defends team pursuit gold
(AP)
O Canada!
Aiming to go back to back in the women’s speed skating team pursuit, Canada completes its mission with a come-from-behind victory over the Netherlands.
Canada’s Ivanie Blondin, Valérie Maltais and Isabelle Weidemann took the lead ahead of the bell lap and pulled away to win in a time of 2:55.81.
The Dutch team — Joy Beune, Marijke Groenewoud and Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong — stopped the clock in 2:56.77 to pick up the silver.
Japan defeated the US in the B final to finish with the bronze medal.
23h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 3:40pm
Italy pulls off massive speed skating upset
(AP)
Italy triumphs!
The Italian trio of Davide Ghiotto, Andrea Giovanni and Michele Malfatti has won gold in the men’s team pursuit on the speed skating program.
In front of a raucous home crowd, Italy defeated the United States, who were the hot favourites for the gold.
The American team of Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman — who hold the world record — had led for much of the race, but Italy stayed in touch until launching its attack late.
They eventually posted a comfortable victory, winning in a time of 3:39.20 to 3:43.71.
Earlier, China held on to pip the Netherlands to claim the bronze medal.
23h agoTue 17 Feb 2026 at 3:03pm
France wins biathlon gold as Jurgen Klopp makes a surprise appearance
Jurgen Klopp was there to ring the bell lap in the men’s 4×7.5km relay in biathlon on day 11 (Getty Images)
We have had a big finish at the Anterselva Biathlon Arena, with the men’s 4 x 7.5km biathlon relay concluding.
Norway were leading, but on the final leg Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen had a tough time on the prone shooting section, losing 10 seconds and letting France hit the front.
Christiansen tried to close the gap, but Eric Perrot crossed the line first to win his second gold of the Games (plus mixed team relay) in one hour 19 minutes, 55.2 seconds.
Norway finished second in 1:20.05, with Sweden taking the bronze.
There was a bit of spot-the-celebrity at the biathlon, with former Liverpool football manager Jurgen Klopp on hand to ring the bell to signal the final lap.
Sadly for Klopp, he wasn’t able to see a German medal – the team finished fourth.
Yesterday, 2:11pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 2:11pm
Canada, Netherlands to meet in women’s team pursuit final
Joy Beune (front) and the Netherlands are into the women’s team pursuit speed skating final, but they will have a big task against Canada (Getty Images)
The final two has also been decided in the women’s team pursuit in speed skating.
Four years ago Canada took gold, Japan silver and Netherlands bronze.
This time round, Canada had an easy win in their semifinal over the United States, winning by more than four seconds. They stopped the clock in 2 minutes 55.94 seconds.
The second semifinal was a bit of an upset, with Japan leading Netherlands before fading near the end.
Japan finished in 2:55.95, just behind the Dutch in 2:55.84.
Japan will face the US for bronze, while Canada will take on Netherlands for gold.
Yesterday, 2:03pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 2:03pm
United States, Italy into final of men’s team pursuit in speed skating
(Getty Images)
There is a big program of speed skating on the day 11 agenda in Milano and we have sorted out the finalists in the men’s team pursuit.
Italy gave the home crowd something to cheer about, winning the first semifinal against Netherlands. The Italians stopped the clock in 3 minutes 38.88 seconds, compared to 3:40:67 for the Dutch.
The second semifinal was a much simpler affair, with the American team of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran taking the lead after four laps and cruising away from China.
The US finished in 3:44:29 ahead of the overmatched Chinese team in 3:52.22.
The Americans were able to conserve energy, and will be favourites when they come up against Italy later on.
Yesterday, 1:53pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 1:53pm
Germany, Switzerland through to men’s ice hockey quarterfinals
Nico Hischier ensured hosts Italy were out of the men’s ice hockey with a goal in Switzerland’s 3-0 playoff win (Getty Images)
The first two play-off games are over in men’s ice hockey, with Switzerland beating Italy 3-0 and Germany downing France 5-1.
The Swiss and the Germans go through to the quarterfinals, where they will face Finland and Slovakia respectively.
Yesterday, 1:33pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 1:33pm
Norway’s Oftebro wins his country’s 13th gold medal
Jens Luraas Oftebro does the Individual Gundersen Large Hill / Normal Hill / 10km double at Milano Cortina (Getty Images)
It turned out that a 22-second margin was nowhere near enough to stop Norway’s Jens Luraas Oftebro from winning his second gold medal of the Games in Nordic Combined.
Oftebro had taken out the Individual Gundersen Normal Hill / 10km earlier at these Winter Olympics.
He trailed Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto by 22 seconds going into the cross-country section of the Individual Gundersen Large Hill / 10km event on day 11.
However the 25-year-old was not to be denied, stopping the clock in 24 minutes, 45 seconds exactly in the final 10km cross country leg.
He beat Austria’s Johannes Lamparter by 5.9 seconds, with Finland’s Ilkka Herola a further 8.9 seconds back in the bronze medal position.
Yamamoto finished 15th.
Oftebro’s win means Norway has 13 gold medals in these Games.
Yesterday, 1:07pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 1:07pm
Speed crucial for safe aerials
The reason that the snow falling is so important is that skiers need an exact speed to correctly perform the dangerous skills, and when they are off by any more than 2kmph it can be quite disastrous. Unfortunately unlike many other sports, coming in too slow or too fast is not an option. Whilst the snow is very nice for the landing, it is crucial that the in-run is consistent as much as possible in between jumps so that the correct adjustments can be made by the coaches, who also have to consider the wind conditions and direction.
– David Morris (Olympic Silver medallist: Aerials)
– David Morris
David,
Thank you very much for joining in the blog, and for the explanation of the mechanics of the event.
There is a reason why aerials are one of the most dangerous events on the Winter Olympic program.
I think we all would understand why the frustration of having competition postponed is more than balanced by the priority of ensuring the safety of those competitors launching 15m in the air and completing double and triple twisting somersaults in quick time before landing.
Yesterday, 12:52pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 12:52pm
Japan leading Nordic Combined event at Predazzo ahead of cross-country finale
Ryota Yamamoto has an eight second lead ahead of the cross country finale of the Nordic Combined event on day 11 (Getty Images)
Predazzo seems to have escaped the snow that has been hammering Livigno on day 11, which is good news for the competitors in Nordic Combined.
The Individual Gundersen Large Hill/10km Cross Country event is on today, and we have completed results from the first ski jumping section.
Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto topped the lists with a score of 150.0 points exactly. He didn’t do the longest jump — he landed 136.5m, while Austria’s Thomas Rettenegger and Estonia’s Kristjan Elves achieved a distance of 137 metres but they finished fourth and sixth respectively.
The top six scores after the ski jumping:
- Ryota Yamamoto (JAP): 150.0
- Johannes Lamparter (AUT) 148.0 (8 seconds back)
- Andreas Skoglund (NOR) 146.1 (16 seconds)
- Thomas Rettenegger (AUT) 145.4 (18 seconds)
- Jens Luraas Ofgtebro (NOR) 144.6 (22 seconds)
- Kristjan Elves (EST) 144.0 (24 seconds)
As you can see, we have a time in brackets after names two to six, etc.
The points difference after the ski jumping is converted into a time difference in the cross-country section, which will happen at the Tesoro Cross-Country Skiing Stadium.
The finale began a few minutes ago, we’ll let you know how things go.
Yesterday, 12:25pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 12:25pm
Actual Olympic event cancellations a rarity
What happens if the weather doesn’t clear enough in time to hold all the events before the Games end? Has this ever happened in the past?
– Ladybird
Ladybird,
According to our Olympic reporter, Simon Smale, nearly a century ago there was an infamous event at the St Moritz Games in Switzerland in 1928.
The 10,000m speed skating cancelled halfway through due to a sudden thaw that melted the ice on, what was then, an outdoor rink.
No medals were handed out.
But that is not a regular occurrence.
This is not a great thing for organisers or competitors, but I don’t think we’re running out of time to get things done at this point.
Yesterday, 12:13pmTue 17 Feb 2026 at 12:13pm
Aerials postponed for the day
First the aerials were delayed, now both the women’s and men’s qualification has been postponed (Getty Images)
We are getting word that all the aerials competition has been postponed for the day.
The weather was improving slightly, but perhaps organisers were concerned whether they would be able to clear things up in time for the 1:45pm local time (11:45pm AEDT) start.
Livigno has been copping a bit from the weather this week.
The only positive news out of all this is that no one is affected more than anyone else.
The aerials had not begun, so no one has had to jump in these conditions before everything was put off.
Frustration no doubt for Danielle Scott, Abbey Willcox, Airleigh Frigo and Sidney Stephens, and for Reilly Flanagan in the men’s event.
The official word:
Due to weather conditions, the Women’s and Men’s Aerials Qualification originally planned for February 17 has been postponed.
More information regarding new date and time will be provided by FIS and MiCo (Milano Cortina organisers).
Yesterday, 11:41amTue 17 Feb 2026 at 11:41am
What’s wrong with a bit of snow?
It’s hard to get your head around winter sports being cancelled because it’s snowing ! Is it just snow or is it wind ?
– Phillip
Phillip,
My understanding is it’s a combination of things.
First off, particularly with the aerials, the amount of snow that is falling on the in-run to the jumps makes it difficult for competitors to generate the speed they need to allow them to complete the tricks they are attempting.
The other issue is that the level of visibility at Livigno is not great, and that general safety is a priority.
