The United States delivered a record-breaking performance at the Winter Games, highlighted by a major victory in 2026 winter olympics freestyle skiing. The American team secured its 11th gold medal on Saturday, surpassing its previous Winter Olympics record set at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
The milestone gold came in mixed aerials, where the trio of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran and Chris Lillis captured the country’s second consecutive title in the event. The victory further cemented Team USA’s dominance in freestyle skiing and marked a significant achievement heading toward the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The previous U.S. gold-medal record had stood since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City — an Olympics widely regarded as a turning point for American winter sports. This year’s performance may represent another major shift, not just in gold count but in competitive depth.
With medals earned across 12 of the 17 Winter Games disciplines, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland emphasized the nation’s strategy of competitive breadth.
“Our focus and our strategy has always been about breadth,” Hirshland said. “We want to win in everything. We want to make every sport better.”
Later in the day, Mia Manganello added a bronze medal in speedskating, pushing the U.S. total to 31 overall medals with one day remaining. That placed the Americans second behind Norway, which led with 18 gold medals and 40 overall.
Freestyle skiing proved to be one of the strongest disciplines for the U.S., contributing two gold medals — matching top performances in Alpine skiing, figure skating and speedskating. However, competition has intensified globally, particularly in snowpark events such as halfpipe, slopestyle and big air.
Japan has emerged as a dominant force in snowboarding, winning nine medals compared to two for the United States, signaling shifting power dynamics ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
USOPC Chief of Olympic Sport Fin Kirwan stated the goal was to become a “podium nation,” targeting at least 30 medals to remain among the top three countries in the standings.
As the Games conclude with a highly anticipated men’s hockey final against Canada, the United States still has an opportunity to further strengthen its historic medal tally.
With freestyle skiing continuing to shine, the performance sets a powerful tone for the 2026 Winter Olympics and underscores America’s ambition to remain competitive across all winter sports disciplines.