By Noah Schuessler
The world once again gathered for the biggest multi-sport event in the world, the Winter Olympic Games, this time, in the majestic Italian Alps. For the first time in history, the Olympics were held in two separate cities, Milan and Cortina D’Ampezzo, over 250 miles apart. The Italians pulled off an unforgettable two weeks of competition. For a moment’s time the world finally seemed united as one.
The opening ceremony began on a cold Friday night in Milan, and the focus of the games shifted towards political commentary, as it usually does when the games roll around. Controversy swirled in the San Siro Stadium as Team USA marched into thunderous applause, meanwhile when shown on the big screen, Vice President JD Vance received mixed reactions from the Italian crowd.
For our homegrown athletes, Team USA brought a record 232 athletes to the games, and they sure made the entire country proud over those two weeks. Team USA racked up 33 medals, 12 of them gold. Stars were born like Olympic champion in ladies figure skating, Alysa Liu, who captivated the world and showed us that sometimes the most important thing to do is simply have fun. Her joy radiated through the country as all of her programs went viral both in the United States and abroad, her Instagram following surging from 221,000 to over 6.5 million.
In the snow and on the ice, we all got the chance to witness incredible athletic feats that only the Olympics can provide. Take 41-year-old Elana Meyers-Taylor, a bobsledder who has more medals than anyone else in history, winning her first gold medal by .04 seconds before celebrating with her two sons, both with disabilities. Breakout star, Jordan Stolz, showed the world why he’s the fastest man on ice, bringing home two gold medals and a silver in speed skating. In ice hockey, one of the marquee events of the games, Team USA delivered overtime goals in both the men’s and women’s gold medal games, both against Canada. For the first time in history, the U.S. had won gold in both events.
With the Olympics being every four years, if it doesn’t go your way the night of competition, you have to wait four more years for the next chance. It’s a grueling reality of the games. No one understands that more than alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and figure skater Ilia Malinin. Shiffrin had a disastrous 2022 games; this time she won gold in the Women’s Slalom event by the largest margin in decades, proving to everyone that one bad performance doesn’t define who you are as an athlete. The same can be said for Malinin, who had seemed to be a shoe-in for the gold. With all the global attention, Malinin delivered a rough free skate that placed him eighth. Afterward, we saw an example of what type of athlete Malinin is. Not only did he immediately congratulate the winner, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, but he also opened up about the mental struggles that the games bring. Malinin was shown support from the entire sporting community. He still walked away from the games as a gold medalist because the USA won the team event.
It was also a big Olympics for the rest of the world. Norway continued its dominance at the Winter Olympics, again topped the medal count with stars like Johannes Klaebo, a cross country skier who won six, yes six, gold medals – one for every event he entered. These Olympics also gave some countries their first ever Winter Olympic medals. Georgia won silver in pairs figure skating, while Brazil made history for all of Latin America by taking gold in the men’s giant slalom.
Overall, these games weren’t just a success for Team USA, but these were milestone games for Team Italy. The host nation brought in 30 medals, the most they had ever won in a winter games, much to the delight of the roaring home crowd. Crowds that were filled to the brim with screaming fans and venues with stunning backdrops, these were an Olympics that Italy needed, and the world desperately needed.
Viewership for the games had gone down in recent years, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those fears were laid to rest as NBC brought in some of the highest viewership numbers they have seen in decades. The opening ceremony alone brought in 24.4 million viewers. With the Olympics now concluded, the games aren’t done just yet. The Winter Paralympics begin on March 6.
It truly felt as if the Winter Olympics were “big” again, and as a diehard Olympic fan, I couldn’t be happier. Milano Cortina delivered on the highest level, and now it’s our turn, as the next Olympic games head to the sunny skies of Los Angeles as they host the summer games in July 2028.
Photo courtesy of Emily Gorsuch