MILAN, Italy — Day 6 of the 2026 Winter Olympics delivered high drama, emotional moments, and a showcase of host-nation pride as nine gold medals were awarded across a packed schedule on Thursday, February 12. South Korea’s teenage sensation Choi Gaon denied American star Chloe Kim a historic third straight snowboarding halfpipe title, while Italian athletes Federica Brignone and Francesca Lollobrigida thrilled home crowds with golden performances.
The day’s headline story came in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park. Seventeen-year-old Choi Gaon, whom Kim had mentored in the lead-up to the Games, recovered from an early fall to post a sparkling 90.25 on her final run and claim South Korea’s first-ever Olympic snowboarding gold. Kim, the two-time defending champion, settled for silver after falling on her last attempt, while Japan’s Mitsuki Ono took bronze. Kim hugged her protégé warmly afterward, showing grace despite the disappointment of missing a three-peat.
Italy dominated several disciplines on home snow and ice. In alpine skiing’s women’s super-G, 35-year-old Federica Brignone captured gold in a technically demanding, foggy race that saw 17 competitors fail to finish; she became the oldest woman to win Olympic alpine gold. Teammate Francesca Lollobrigida, also 35, won the women’s 5,000m speed-skating title by a razor-thin margin in front of a raucous home crowd in Milan — her second gold of the Games after the 3,000m.
Germany continued its luge dynasty by winning the team relay for the fourth straight Olympics, with Austria taking silver and Italy bronze. The Netherlands enjoyed a short-track speed-skating double: Xandra Velzeboer won the women’s 500m (setting a world record in the semifinals), and Jens van ’t Wout took the men’s 1,000m. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson won the women’s 10km cross-country interval start freestyle ahead of teammate Ebba Andersson, with U.S. veteran Jessie Diggins earning bronze despite competing with bruised ribs.
In freestyle skiing, Australia’s Cooper Woods pulled off a major upset in men’s moguls, tying Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury on points but winning gold on the turns score; Kingsbury took silver for the third time in his Olympic career. Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle successfully defended his men’s snowboard cross title, with Canada’s Eliot Grondin repeating as silver medalist. Canada also earned a short-track bronze through Courtney Sarault in the women’s 500m.
On the ice, several hockey teams opened their tournaments. The United States defeated Latvia 5-1, Germany beat Denmark 3-1 (with Leon Draisaitl scoring 23 seconds into his Olympic debut), and Canada cruised past Czechia 5-0 in men’s play. Canada’s women also posted a shutout victory.
Medal Table After Day 6 (47 of 116 events completed)
As of the morning of February 13:
• Norway: 8 gold, 3 silver, 7 bronze (18 total) — leads in golds
• Italy: 6 gold, 3 silver, 9 bronze (18 total) — leads in overall medals
• United States: 4 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze (14 total)
• Austria: 3 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze (12 total)
• France, Germany, Sweden, and others rounding out the top 10.
Day 6 underscored the depth of competition at these Games, with upsets, narrow margins, and heartfelt stories defining the action. The Olympics continue Friday with more alpine, cross-country, and hockey action as the medal race tightens.
