2026 Winter Olympics live updates: Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold; USA beats Sweden in OT

Team USA's Quinn Hughes scores in overtime to win the men's hockey quarterfinal, moving on to the semifinal.

Team USA managed to hold Sweden off for almost 60 minutes of regulation in this men's hockey quarterfinal, until the Swedes scored with over a minute left in the third period.

It was an intense third period as the Swedes fought hard to stay alive in this tournament, putting pressure on American goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Sweden's Mika Zibanejad managed to equalize for the Europeans, marking the third overtime quarterfinal game.

Team USA players congratulate Connor Hellebuyck, No. 37, after defeating Sweden 2-1 in overtime during the men's quarterfinals playoff. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

But about four minutes into the overtime period, American captain Auston Matthews was able to get a flyby to Hughes. The Minnesota Wild defenseman was able to hit the puck with his forehand to score.

Matt Boldy is also credited with an assist.

Team USA will face Slovakia in the men's semifinal. Team USA's women play Canada in the gold medal hockey match tomorrow, following an undefeated streak and a record shutout run at these Olympics.

The late Swedish equalizer could be revenge for one of the most famous goals in U.S. history.

Bill Baker's tying goal with 27 seconds left in the third period against Sweden on Feb. 12, 1980, gave America a crucial point on its way to the “Miracle on Ice” gold medal in Lake Placid.

Team USA will go into a 10-minute overtime period after Sweden managed to equalize with less than two minutes of regulation in the quarterfinal men's hockey game.

The overtime is a sudden-death, 3-on-3 match without an intermission. The two teams will go into a penalty shootout if they are unable to score in that time.

This is the third quarterfinal match to go into overtime today.

Sweden has finally found the back of the net in the third period, pulling its goalie and tying 1-1 with the USA in the men's quarterfinal hockey game.

It was Mika Zibanejad, who plays for the New York Rangers, who saved Sweden in those final moments with assists from Lucas Raymond and Gabriel Landeskog.

There are less than two minutes left in regulation.

With less than 10 minutes left in the third period, the USA still leads Sweden 1-0 in the men's hockey quarterfinal.

Sweden has been aggressively trying to equalize the game in the top half of the period, but has failed to get past the American defense or capitalize on a power play. The Swedes have six shots on goal for the period to just three from Team USA.

It's not over until it's over, however, as two other quarterfinal games earlier today showed with third period ties that led to sudden-death overtime.

After slipping into third place, South Korea fought to close the gap, creeping into second before triumphantly regaining the lead in the final two laps of the women’s relay.

The Swedes have the advantage for the next two minutes after American Vincent Trocheck was sent to the penalty box for tripping in the men’s quarterfinal hockey game.

It's the first power play for Sweden, which is lagging 1-0 against the USA.

Things have started back here at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena with Team USA leading Sweden 1-0 in the men's hockey quarterfinals.

The Americans are up by 1 at the end of the second period, giving them a narrow 1-0 against Sweden as they return to the locker room.

It was an intense 20-minute period between the two teams, who went into the period scoreless, but ultimately Team USA was able to find a single opportunity in front of Sweden's net. It was the first goal for Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin at this Olympic tournament so far.

Team USA had more than twice as many shots in the 20 minutes as Sweden, 20 to 9.

Team USA ended the period on a power play but failed to capitalize on the fact that the Swedes were man down in the last two minutes of the second. They'll return with just a small edge in the third period of the final quarterfinal hockey game of the day.

Team USA gets a great chance to score at the end of the second period with a two-minute power play after Sweden's Hampus Lindholm was sent to the penalty box for tripping.

The gloves have yet to come off in this men's hockey quarterfinal, but the Swedes and Americans are certainly getting in some pushes where they can.

Team USA's Brady Tkachuk got into it with a group of Swedes in front of the Swedish goal with around six minutes left in the second period.

It was quickly broken up — though the arena's DJ got the perfect opportunity to play The Offspring's "Come Out and Play (Keep 'em Separated)." And he took it.

Brady Tkachuk, No. 7, of Team United States reacts after a play in the second period during the men's quarterfinals playoff game. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Team USA's hockey team drew first blood in today's highly anticipated quarterfinal game, leading 1-0 against Sweden with less than 10 minutes remaining in the second period.

American Dylan Larkin was able to tap in a hard shot from teammate Jack Hughes, who shot from distance. His brother, Quinn Hughes, was also credited with an assist.

Dylan Larkin celebrates after scoring a goal against Team Sweden. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Team USA's Charlie McAvoy got into yet another scuffle, this time with Swedish forward Joel Erikksson, after the Americans tried to gain an advantage in the still scoreless quarterfinal men's hockey game.

The Swedes have been on top of the American defense and net, but Team USA had a breakaway to get in front of Swedish goalie Jacob Markstrom. Despite a shot on net and a rebound, the Americans failed to find the back of the net.

McAvoy and Erikksson got into a small tussle by the boards after the Team USA pressure on Markstrom.

A reminder: The Olympics have a firm no-fighting rule for hockey.

Midway through the first period, Team USA's Charlie McAvoy decked Sweden's Gabriel Landeskog into the bench with a huge hit that caused a roar from the crowd.

USA's Charlie McAvoy battles with Sweden's Gabriel Landeskog during the quarterfinal game. Alexander Nemenov / AFP - Getty Images

It's been a wild day for hockey fans watching the men's quarterfinals today, with two teams going into sudden-death overtime and one more game left to determine who advances to the semifinals.

The day began with a relatively decisive 6-2 win for Slovakia against Germany, but things went off the rails in Canada's game against Czechia. It was a surprise to see the Canadians trailing the Czech team 2-1 at the end of the first period.

Canada eventually tied it in the second period, losing captain Sidney Crosby in the process, and went into the third 2-2. The Czech struck first in the third, but with just minutes left in regulation, Canada's Nick Suzuki forced an extra 10 minutes of 3-on-3 play to determine a winner. His teammate Mitch Marner sealed the deal and the Canadians will advance to the semifinal after a nail-biter of a game.

It was looking good for the Swiss men's hockey team against Finland as it led 2-0 going into the third period. But the defending gold medalists refused to go down without a fight and scored twice in the third.

It was Finland's Miro Heiskanen who made a miraculous goal in the final minute of regulation, tying 2-2 with Switzerland. Finland eventually won in the sudden-death overtime and sent Switzerland home.

Now, Sweden and the USA are battling it out in an evenly matched game of their own in what is becoming an exciting day of hockey in Italy.

Canada scored all of its points in four straight ends on the way to an 8-3 victory today in men’s curling round-robin action.

A couple of minutes till the second period starts between Team USA and Sweden in the men's hockey quarterfinals and the audience is engaged in a sing-along to John Lennon's "Imagine."

With Team France’s sizeable lead, Julia Simon did a victory lap in the final leg of the women’s 4x6 km biathlon relay to mark another gold medal for her country.

Reigning world champion Steven Dubois won the men's 500-meter gold medal at short track speedskating in a four-man race that quickly came down to three when Teun Boer of the Netherlands was bumped off the track by Canada's William Dandjinou, who was later penalized.

With Boer and Dandjinou largely out of the race, brothers Melle van ‘t Wout and Jens van 't Wout won silver and bronze and hugged each other for half a lap after crossing the finish line as Netherlands team personnel leapt in place out of bounds. The brothers later held a Netherlands flag aloft as they took a lap.

Melle van 't Wout, right, and Jens van 't Wout of Team Netherlands celebrate claiming silver and bronze respectively after the short track speedskating men's 500-meter final. Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

The first period of the USA and Sweden hockey game ends with no goals as both of the men's teams fight to advance in today's quarterfinal game.

It was a fast-paced first period as both offenses tried to put pressure on the opposing goals, managing to hit 10 shots on goal each in the first 20 minutes.

Team USA's best opportunity was a power play after Sweden's Gustav Forsling was sent to the penalty box after a little more than three minutes had gone by. Though the Americans gained momentum, and were boosted by frequent "USA" chants, they failed to get on the scoreboard.

Great chance for USA just now after Brady Tkachuk stepped in to poke away the puck from Sweden on their end. He got it back himself before finding Jack Hughes, who ripped a slap shot, but it was glove-saved.

1:28 left and still 0-0.

Lucas Raymond of Sweden broke free and had a clear shot on goal, but his slap shot was stopped by USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

There is less than seven minutes left in the first period and the score remains 0-0.

Team USA's quarterfinal against Sweden has begun.

Six minutes in, no score but the U.S. leads in shots on goal, 7-6. Both goalies, Jacob Markstrom of Sweden and American Connor Hellebuyck, have made great saves so far.

Gabriel Landeskog, No. 92, of Team Sweden controls the puck against Clayton Keller, No. 91, of Team United States in the first period during the men's quarterfinal playoff game. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

In the women's 3,000-meter relay at short track speedskating, a crash wiped out the Netherlands, a favorite to defend its 2022 gold medal in this event. There were audible gasps in the crowd, which is full of Dutch fans clad in the country's signature orange color.

South Korea finished in first, with Italy earning silver and Canada bronze.

The silver medal gives Italian star Arianna Fontana, 35, her 14th career Winter Olympics medal for the host country.

Michelle Velzeboer of Team Netherlands crashes out during the short track speedskating women's team 3,000-meter relay. Andrzej Iwanczuk / NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Canadian men’s hockey team outlasted Czechia 4-3 in overtime of the quarterfinals. Mitch Marner scored the winning overtime goal to send Canada to the final four.

Only five skaters advanced to the men's 500-meter final at short track speedskating, and two of them are from the same family. Jens van 't Wout and his older brother, Melle, will both represent the Netherlands in the final. Jens has already won two gold medals at these Olympics.

The brothers were born in the Netherlands, moved to Canada when Jens was 2, then moved back a decade later. The brothers are extremely close, Jens said in a 2023 interview:

“We’re always together, from morning to evening, eating together, training together, playing PlayStation together, sharing hotel rooms. If Melle does something, then I do it too. He has a real drive. Even if it doesn’t work out, he will keep going. Of course we are competitors on the ice. We want to beat each other, but we also want to help each other. If possible, we try to work together. If Melle wins a medal, I’ll train harder to get one too. Because if he has something, I want it too." 

We're only minutes away from the final of the women's 3,000-meter relay at short track speedskating, which could be a showdown between South Korea, a longtime gold-medal threat since this event began in 1992, and the upstart Netherlands.

The Netherlands won the gold medal in the 2022 Olympics in an Olympic-record time, and tonight they'll have one of the most successful skaters of these Olympics on their side in Xandra Velzeboer. She has already won gold at 500 and 1,000 meters in Milan.

Also watch out for Canada, which is led by Courtney Sarault, who has already won two silver medals and a bronze in Milan.

Finland has defeated Switzerland with a 3-2 win a few minutes into a sudden-death overtime period in the men's hockey quarterfinal game.

The Swiss team led for the majority of the game, but Finland found new life in the third period, managing to equalize in the last few moments of regulation to force an overtime period. It was a fast-paced overtime period as the two teams played 3-on-3 in the hopes for a decisive victory into the semifinals.

Finnish foward Artturi Lehkonen is ultimately the hero of the game, finding the back of the net to save the team's chances for a medal at these Games.

Finland, the defending gold medalist in this event, will advance in the Olympic tournament while the Swiss go home.

Finland's Miro Heiskanen, No. 41; Switzerland's Nico Hischier, No. 13; and Finland's Eetu Luostarinen, No. 27, vie for the puck during the men's playoff quarterfinal ice hockey game. Julien De Rosa / AFP - Getty Images

For the second time today, a men's hockey quarterfinal game will go into a 10-minute, sudden-death overtime period.

Finland, the defending gold medalists, managed to save themselves from a two-goal deficit in the third period to force a 2-2 tie against Switzerland. The two teams will play 3-on-3 for the overtime period.

Finland has made magic happen in the final moments of regulation, tying 2-2 with Switzerland with just over a minute left in the third period of the men's hockey quarterfinal.

With just over six minutes left in the third period, Finland's Sebastian Aho managed to score the first goal for the nation in today's men's hockey quarterfinal.

Aho capitalized on a pass from Eetu Luostarinen, using a Swiss player as a screen as he shot just under the goalie to find the back of the net.

The Swiss lead the game 2-1.

Andrew Heo, the only American in the quarterfinals of the men's 500 meters in short track speedskating, was eliminated in the first heat when he placed fourth out of four.

The game starts in about an hour, at 3:10 p.m. ET. Winner advances to the semifinals.

Good evening from south Milan, where I made the trip tonight to watch a sport I can't believe isn't a bigger deal in the U.S.: short track speedskating. The crashes, speed and fast passes have instantly pulled me in. But I'm really here tonight to watch Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands as he tries to win a third gold medal in short track at these Olympics.

To put that into context, a man from the Netherlands — a longtime power in long track speedskating, but not short — had never won an Olympic gold medal on the short track entering these Olympics. Then van 't Wout won the 1,000 and 1,500 meters. Tonight, during three rounds of the 500, he'll try to add a third.

His main competition is William Dandjinou of Canada, who has yet to win an individual medal in Milan even though he was considered a serious medal threat in the 1,000 and 1,500.

Switzerland remains ahead of Finland with a 2-0 score at the end of the second period in the men's hockey quarterfinal.

Both of the Swiss goals occurred in the first period, but Finland has been unable to respond despite taking twice as many shots on goal as the Swiss in the second period. It's a surprising game from Finland, which won gold in the 2022 Beijing Games.

Jordan Binnington, the much-maligned goalie for Team Canada, came up big when it counted most.

Binnington, who plays for the NHL's St. Louis Blues, stopped Marty Necas’ breakaway late in regulation to preserve the tie and then stoned Radim Simek in overtime, moments before Mitchell Marner's winner for Canada.

Binnington’s 3.65 goals against and .864 save percentage are among the worst in the NHL.

Canada’s ongoing goaltending woes have been one of the sport’s most talked-about issues.

While Canada and Czechia were playing a nail-biter game that led to a Canada overtime win, Switzerland has put up a comfortable lead against Finland.

The Swiss are up 2-0 against Finland in their own men's hockey quarterfinal game, which has under 10 minutes left in its second period.

Less than two minutes into overtime, Mitch Marner took the puck up the ice, angled past a few Czechia defenders and flipped the puck past the goaltender. With that, Canada survived the test from Czechia, won the game 4-3 and advanced to the semifinals of this men's hockey tournament.

Canada and Czechia have ended regulation in a 3-3 tie in the men's hockey quarterfinal game.

The two teams will go into a 10-minute, sudden-death overtime period, where the teams will play 3-on-3 hockey. If they fail to score in that time, the teams will go into a shootout.

Canada scored and tied 3-3 with Czechia in a last-ditch effort to stay alive in the third period of the men's hockey quarterfinal game. Just over three minutes remain in regulation.

If the third period ends in a tie, the teams will go into an extra period of sudden-death overtime.

Czechia just took the lead with less than 10 minutes in the quarterfinal against Canada. The score is now 3-2 in the men's hockey quarterfinal game.

Czechia blocked a shot, and it led to a breakaway. Martin Nečas raced up the ice with the puck and then dropped a pass back to a trailing Ondrej Palat, who ripped a shot past Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington, who stretched in vain and was left splayed on the ice.

Neither Czechia nor Canada has managed to score in the third period, as we approach the final 10 minutes in this men's hockey quarterfinal game.

The score remains 2-2 despite the fact that Canada began this period with a power play advantage and Czechia just had a flurry of chances with multiple shots on net denied by the Canadian goalie.

American Gus Schumacher bravely chased Joahnnes Klaebo across the finish line of the men's cross-country skiing team sprint free, winning a silver medal. With his teammate, Klaebo claimed his fifth gold medal at Milan Cortina.

Despite a late period dominance by Canada at Czechia's net, the teams remain tied as they enter the third period of this men's hockey quarterfinal game.

Canada pressured the Czechia goalie in the last several minutes of the period but was unable to take the lead despite quite a few shots on net. One notable miss was a shot that bounced off the post of an otherwise open net.

Czechia's Radko Gudas had a late second period penalty for roughing, meaning Canada will begin the third with a power play.

It's unclear whether Canadian captain Sidney Crosby will return to the game after exiting with a limp in the second period.

Canada capitalized on a power play to tie against Czechia 2-2 in the second period of the men's hockey quarterfinal.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, a leading scorer in the NHL, found the back of the net while Czechia was a man down.

Canada's captain and star player Sidney Crosby has exited the game in the second period, according to announcers.

It's unclear whether Crosby will return, but commentators noted that he walked with a limp in the tunnel as he left.

Sidney Crosby of Team Canada returns to the bench in the second period during the men's quarterfinals playoff. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Mikaela Shiffrin offered fans insight into her mindset earlier today as she stood at the starting gate of her final event of the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she ended an eight-year medal drought.

Shiffrin wrote on Instagram that she was staring down the mountain as she stood at the starting gate of her slalom race. The Alpine skier said that she was facing fear, adrenaline and "the potential for criticism and backlash."

"Still, when the countdown started, I pushed," Shiffrin said. "I pushed to chase, I pushed to earn. I pushed to dare and to dream. I pushed to believe."

Czechia maintained its 2-1 lead over Canada at the end of the first period of the men's hockey quarterfinal.

Canadian Macklin Celebrini, who plays for the San Jose Sharks, was the first to score today and found the back of the net just three minutes into the game. But Czechia's Lukas Sedak scored an equalizer just five minutes later.

It was David Pastrnak, a right winger for the Boston Bruins, who gave Czechia the extra shot with about five minutes left in the period.

This note from ace NBC Sports reporter and researcher Nick Zaccardi lays out how unusual it is for the Canadian men's hockey team to be trailing as it is right now to Czechia.

Czechia is fighting hard in the men's hockey quarterfinal, leading 2-1 against the Canadian team in a rematch of one of the preliminary round games.

Canada won against Czechia 5-0 during the preliminary game, but the Czechs have made a strong showing in this game's first period to keep their Olympic run going.

Speedskater Brittany Bowe may not have medaled, but she is leaving the Winter Olympics with at least one piece of hardware after longtime girlfriend Hilary Knight proposed while they are at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Knight, who is about to play in the women’s hockey gold medal game, got down on one knee to pop the question to Bowe, according to an Instagram video they posted today. They were both decked out in their Team USA gear to boot.

“Olympics brought us together,” Knight wrote. “This one made us forever.” 

Read the full story here.

Canadian Marion Thenault led the way by nearly 9 points after the aerials qualifiers. Danielle Scott was in second, and three Chinese skiers rounded out the top five. Kaila Kuhn led all Americans tied for fifth.

It’s been a star-studded Winter Olympics, with superstars competing at the highest level and high-profile celebrities present to watch.

The Games started with a celebration at the opening ceremony that included the likes of Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, but that was not the end of high-profile figures making appearances, as many stars have come out to watch.

Of course, NBC correspondent Snoop Dogg is at the Games, heavily involved in everything going on, including serving as an honorary coach for Team USA in addition to his NBC duties. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made an appearance as a torchbearer during the opening ceremony through the streets of Milan, a city in which he spent eight years during his career. The Swedish superstar was one of many big figures featured as part of the torch relay.

Slovakia men’s hockey team thrashed Germany 6-2 in an Olympic quarterfinal round matchup. Slovakia advances to the semifinals.

Team USA's medal hopes are over in men's curling after being beaten 9-2 by Great Britain, conceding the match after the sixth end with Team GB holding an unassailable lead.

Ukraine said today that its officials will not attend the Winter Paralympics next month over the decision by organizers to allow a handful of Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their flag.

Ukrainian athletes will still take part in the Milan Cortina Games, slated for March 6-15, but no officials from the country will be present at the opening ceremony or any events, Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi said.

In a statement to NBC News, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which operates separately from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) currently running the Winter Olympics, said that 10 Para athletes from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete at the Paralympics, and will do so under their respective country’s flags.

Mikaela Shiffrin was dominant in the women's downhill — her winning margin of 1.5 seconds is the largest margin of victory of any Olympic Alpine skiing event since the 1998 Games.

After Jake Canter took bronze for Team USA in the men's snowboard slopestyle earlier, the women's final is underway.

We're into the second runs in Livigno, with the battle for gold widely tipped to be between Japan’s Kokomo Murase and New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, the gold and silver medalists in the big air event earlier in the Games.

It's Murase that currently leads after the first of three runs as Sadowski-Synnott makes an error on her run, but both have plenty more tricks left in their lockers.

Team USA's men's curlers need to beat Great Britain to have any chance of progressing to the semifinals, but it's looking like an uphill task for Daniel Casper and his team.

Daniel Casper, Aidan Oldenburg, and Luc Violette of Team USA compete against Team Great Britain during the Men's Curling Round Robin today. Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

U.S. skip Casper made a mistake with the hammer in the third end. With Great Britain having four stones in the house, Casper missed all of them with the final stone of the end as the American stone sailed straight through.

Great Britain leads 6-0 after four ends, leaving Team USA with a mountain to climb.

After everything that went wrong for Shiffrin in Beijing four years ago, after her huge crash in Killington in 2024 that left her traumatized, this is a full-circle moment for Mikaela Shiffrin as she adds this slalom gold to the gold she won as an 18-year-old teenager in this event on her Olympic debut in Sochi in 2014.

She is now a three-time Olympic champion — those two slalom titles added to gold in PyeongChang in the giant slalom in 2018. The Colorado native now has more Alpine ski golds than any other American.

Shiffrin came into this event with the weight of the world on her shoulders, her legacy on the line as she faced down the barrel of going a second straight Olympic Games medalless. But boy, did she deliver. She was faultless in both runs today and ended up winning by 1.5 seconds — a chasm in this sport.

This result, if it wasn't already assured, cements Shiffrin's status as one of the greatest skiers of all time.

She's done it! Mikaela Shiffrin is once again an Olympic champion!

She's won it by quite a distance, too. A combined time of 1:39.10 is 1.5 seconds clear of Switzerland's Camille Rast in second place. Shiffrin looked stunned when she crossed the line. Sweden's Anna Swenn Larsson takes bronze.

Mikaela Shiffrin competes in the Women's Slalom Run today. Julian Finney / Getty Images

Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after winning gold. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

We're into the last few medal-contending skiers. Camille Rast of Switzerland, who is the only person to beat Mikaela Shiffrin in a World Cup slalom this season, currently occupies the leader's chair with a combined time of 1:40.60, but that leading benchmark is constantly changing.

Shiffrin's chance for gold is coming up any minute now!

Mikaela Shiffrin and Simone Biles discuss the low points in their careers and how perspective is so valuable when looking to reach the top of the mountain.

The women's downhill is the last alpine skiing event of these Games on the Olympia Delle Tofane, and the crowds are making the most of it.

Cowbells are ringing out, the stands are full, and the sun is shining under a crystal blue sky. That's great news for the crowd, though maybe not so much for the skiers, particularly those going later in the order as the snow warms up and becomes less grippy.

Team USA's Paula Moltzan recovered from an error-shrewn first run to go a second quicker than anyone else so far on her second run after the first 15 skiers, though the top-ranked skiers will likely clear that benchmark. Remember, the times from this morning's first run are combined with the time from this run to give a skier their overall time. Shiffrin will be the last of the medal-challenging athletes to take their run in around 15 minutes.

We already have two Team USA medals today — are we about to get a third?

Mikaela Shiffrin made a statement to the rest of the women's downhill field earlier, topping the leaderboard in the first run with a time of 47.13 seconds, putting her 0.82 seconds ahead of her next-closest rival.

The top 30 skiers from this morning's first run will go down in reverse order. That means Mikaela Shiffrin will be 30th down the course, and will have the advantage of knowing exactly what she needs to do to secure gold. We can expect her to take her run at around 8:15 a.m. ET.

Jake Canter had a long wait to find out if he would claim bronze in the men's snowboard slopestyle with half of the field still to go after him.

Jake Canter celebrates after competing in run three of the Men's Slopestyle Final today. Michael Reaves / Getty Images

Mark McMorris falls, having looked strong throughout his run. Norway's Marcus Kleveland also looks good — he lands his run, and it looks razor tight between him and Canter. The judges' scores take an absolute age to come, ramping up the tension. But eventually they do, and Kleveland misses out by 0.4 points to his devastation.

New Zealand's Dane Menzies, who topped qualifying, was last to go. He pulls out all the stops, but he too falls. He has his hands on his head as he skids across the snow.

So it's bronze for Canter in his Olympic debut! He jumps for joy with his arms aloft as he realizes bronze is his.

The cross-country skiing competitions at these Olympics have been dominated by Norway in the men's side, and Sweden in the women's. But one finisher during today's qualifying for the women's team sprint free was definitely a surprise.

A dog.

A dog crosses the finish line in Lago di Tesero today.  Omega

Because the dog crossed the finish line, it triggered the high-speed cameras stationed at the line that are operated by Omega, the Olympics' official timekeeper. Sadly, the animal did not register an official time, however, because it did not first cross the start line.

Johannes Klaebo has just made yet more history. He's just taken yet another gold medal, this time in the men's cross-country team sprint, to join Michael Phelps as the only two Olympians ever to win 10 Olympic gold medals in their careers.

Johannes Klaebo celebrates crossing the finish line for Sweden to win gold during the men's team cross country free sprint final. Javier Soriano / AFP via Getty Images

Klaebo has five gold medals from five events in these Games, with one more event to go. With this gold, he also ties Eric Heiden's record of being the only athlete to win five golds at a single Winter Olympics.

Norway, with Klaebo, teamed up with Einar Hedegart, led pretty much the entire race, but it is Team USA who came from nowhere to finish just behind them to claim silver.

Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher were 12th after the fourth of six exchanges, with both going for broke in their last legs to finish just 1.37 seconds behind the Norwegians.

Team USA's Jake Canter left it all out there on his final run. A backside 1980 off the final jump of his run is huge!

"Let's go, come on!" he yells as he crosses the line. And he's moved into bronze medal position with that run with a score of 79.36.

Jake Canter competes in run one of the Men's Slopestyle Final today. David Ramos / Getty Images

Canter reacts after competing in the snowboard men's slopestyle final run 3. Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP via Getty Images

There is a huge amount of talent still to come down the run, so Canter now faces a nervous wait to see if he will medal in his Olympic debut. Red Gerrard won't challenge — he doesn't have enough rotation to land off his fifth jump.

Two runs down, one to go in the men's snowboard slopestyle final, and Red Gerard finds himself just outside the medals in fourth.

Gerard was solid on his first run, landing himself a score of 76.60. He tries to go bigger on his second run but doesn't quite stick it coming off a jump. China's Yiming Su sits at the top of the leaderboard with an 82.41.

Can Gerard deliver in the third and final run to claim a second career Olympic medal? New Zealand’s Dane Menzies and Canada’s Mark McMorris are other big names who haven’t yet nailed a run and need to deliver in the final run — it should make for box office viewing.

Team USA looked on the brink of securing a semifinal spot in women's curling, but the celebrations will have to be put on ice after Great Britain came from behind to beat the U.S. 8-7 this morning.

Ahead by a point and with the hammer in hand heading into the final end, Team USA looked as though they would lock up the win. The U.S.'s stone looked well protected in the centre of the house, but Great Britain's Rebecca Morrison, with their final stone, sent an astounding shot out wide, clipping another stone to get around the U.S.'s guard before dislodging the U.S.'s stone for two points for an unlikely victory.

Team USA have one more round robin match against Switzerland tomorrow, where a win would secure a semifinal spot.

We've just got underway in the men's slopestyle final with three Coloradans representing Team USA.

Red Gerard won this event in his Olympic debut at PyeongChang in 2018. Now in his third Games, having also finished fourth in Beijing, Gerard leads the U.S. contingent. He's posted a solid first run score of 76.60 with his first run down the course this morning, though he'll almost certainly need to improve into the eighties to contend for a medal.

Red Gerard during the Men's Snowboard Big Air Qualification at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games earlier this month. Michael Reaves / Getty Images

Oliver Martin and Jake Camter are also in action for the U.S. in this final. New Zealand's 20-year-old Dane Menzies topped qualifying, while Canada's Mark McMorris is looking to become the first snowboarder to win four Olympic medals in the same event.

Slopestyle sees boarders pull off tricks and flips as they run down a snowpark course featuring rails and jumps. Judges award borders scores for their runs, with each rider getting three runs down the course. The best score of an athlete's three count, and the gold medal goes to the rider with the best score.

There is a lot of action across the Games this morning. Over at the curling stadium, Team USA leads 7-4 after eight ends of their women's round-robin match against Great Britain. Victory this morning would put Tabitha Peterson's U.S. squad through to the semifinals.

Taylor Anderson-Heide of Team USA competes against Team Great Britain during Women's Curling Round Robin today. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

Meanwhile, qualifying for the women's aerials is underway in Livigno after it was postponed due to yesterday's heavy snowfall. Team USA's leading contender, Kaila Kuhn, is safely through to the final later today after setting the sixth biggest score in the first qualifying round. Winter Vinecki narrowly missed out on an automatic spot in the final but has secured a finals berth after the second round of qualifying. Kuhn and Vinecki will compete in the finals shortly.

And Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern have secured their place in the women's cross-country sprint final after finishing seventh in qualifying this morning. That final is coming up at 5:45 a.m. ET. Diggins won bronze in this event in the 2018 Olympic Games.

That was a statement run by Mikaela Shiffrin this morning. With the top-ranked skiers having set their times, she leads Germany's Lena Duerr by 0.82 seconds after the first run, with reigning world champion and one of Shiffrin's biggest threats for gold, Switzerland's Camille Rast, sitting over a second behind Shiffrin in fourth.

"It was a really good run," Shiffrin told NBC's Cara Banks following her first run. "For me, it felt really clean, really active, but also a little bit on the limit. There were a couple of moments I thought I could be easily off this course right now, but I [thought] keep pushing and keep fighting, and in the end, I got to the finish."

Shiffrin was the first athlete of the field to arrive for an inspection of the Tofane course this morning. With it being a chilly morning in Cortina, the snow on the course is nice and firm, conditions Shiffrin loves as she looks to put her eight-year Olympic medal drought to an end.

"Today I felt pretty excited," Shiffrin said. "It's hard not to be excited for days like today. It's sunny, it's just beautiful.

"I had a little bit of butterflies for sure. That's just part of this day, but I feel pretty prepared to take on that nervousness. It's all about just doing my skiing."

Shiffrin posted a time of 47.13 to top the leaderboard so far.

Mikaela Shiffrin has set herself a brilliant foundation to challenge for a gold medal — setting a time of 47.13 seconds down the course.

Mikaela Shiffrin competes in the first run of the women's slalom event today. Stefano Rellandini / AFP via Getty Images

She's fastest by a hefty 0.82 seconds after the first seven skiers, who happen to be the seven top-ranked skiers on the FIS World Cup circuit so far this season.

She sent the crowd wild and Shiffrin looks incredibly relieved at the bottom of the course after that run. There's a huge amount of pressure on her shoulders today.

There is still plenty of talent, including Sara Hector and Emma Aicher, to set a time, but that is a great start for Shiffrin.

Germany's Lena Duerr is heading down the course, so this is your warning that Mikaela Shiffrin is up next.

Switzerland's Camille Rast has set the benchmark at 48.18 seconds so far. Team USA's Paula Moltzan has already been down the course and started off strongly, but slipped all over the place on the bottom half of the course.

She looked devastated as she crossed the line — she's well behind after the first run and looks out of medal contention.

Paula Moltzan competes during the Women's Slalom Run today. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

We're underway on the Stelvio in Cortina, where Mikaela Shiffrin headlines the women's downhill field.

Shiffrin will be the seventh skier down the course this morning, so expect to see her in around 10 minutes.

Others to look out for include Germany's Emma Aicher, who has already won two silver medals at these Games — she posted the fastest time of the slalom portion of the team combined event earlier in the games. Reigning slalom world champion Camille Rast of Switzerland, and 19-year-old phenom Lara Colturi, who is looking to win Albania's first ever Winter Olympic medal, are also contenders.

Paula Moltzan, Nina O'Brien and AJ Hurt join Shiffrin in making up the U.S. contingent on the slopes this morning.

Each skier will have two runs, with their times combined to give them their overall position on the leaderboard.

Mikaela Shiffrin's Olympics haven't gone according to plan so far.

When Breezy Johnson posted the fastest time in the downhill portion of the team combined event, it would have been easy to think that gold would have been a formality for the U.S. pair with Shiffrin skiing her favored slalom discipline.

Mikaela Shiffrin inspects the course during the Women's Slalom Run at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre today. Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom / Getty Images

But Shiffrin was miles off the pace, posting the fourth slowest time to send the pair out of the medals. Shiffrin also missed the podium in the giant slalom, though that is not her favored event.

So that brings us to today's women's slalom and Shiffrin's last chance to medal at these Olympics. It's been eight years since Shiffrin, a dominant force on the skiing circuit with a record 108 World Cup wins to her name, has stood on an Olympic podium. Her Beijing 2022 Games were a nightmare: six events, three DNFs, no medals.

Today is her last chance to end her medal drought for another four years.

“I’ve won a lot of slalom this year, and I’ve won a lot of slaloms in my career," Shiffrin told NBC News' Molly Hunter after Sunday's giant slalom. "It doesn’t make it easier. It doesn’t make it a sure thing. It’s never guaranteed.”

Max Valverde previews ski mountaineering at the Winter Olympics, breaking down the intricacies of the sport and what fans can expect as it makes its debut at Milan Cortina.

Fresh from a big win over Denmark yesterday, Team USA's women's curlers are back on the ice this morning as they take on Great Britain, knowing that a win will take them through to the semifinals.

Sitting at a record of 5-2 so far in round-robin play, Team USA needs one more win to confirm their spot in the last four with two games to go.

Highlights today include Mikaela Shiffrin’s last, best chance at a medal when she competes in women’s slalom. Plus, the U.S. men’s hockey team will play its quarterfinal game.

All times are in Eastern, and an asterisk signifies a medal event:

3:05 a.m.: Curling, women’s round robin (China vs. Denmark, USA vs. Great Britain, Sweden vs. Korea)

3:45 a.m.: Cross-country skiing, women’s team sprint qualification

4 a.m.: Alpine skiing, women’s slalom run 1

4:15 a.m.: Cross-country skiing, men’s team sprint qualification

5:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s aerials finals*