Winter Olympics: What to watch today in Milan Cortina, including Lindsey Vonn going for gold
Winter Olympics: What to watch today in Milan Cortina, including Lindsey Vonn going for gold
Andy Backstrom and Jack BaerSun, February 8, 2026 at 9:11 AM UTC
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The Winter Games have begun in Italy. From the rink to the slopes, a new generation of stars has emerged to chase gold. We’ll keep you connected to all of the thrilling moments and top stories as we track the medal race each day of the Games.
It's Super Bowl Sunday and Day 2 of the Olympics. Prepare yourselves, sports fans.
The NFC champion Seattle Seahawks and AFC champion New England Patriots are set to play in Super Bowl LX, an unexpected finale to the NFL season that's rich with storylines.
In the hours leading up to the big game, though, there will be plenty of intrigue as well. The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are picking up speed, and the medal count has already started.
Here are the top five things to watch Sunday (on the Italian side):
1. Lindsey Vonn's gutsy comeback in women's downhill
A mere nine days after tearing the ACL in her left knee during a World Cup downhill race in Switzerland, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn will go for gold. On Saturday, Vonn completed her second straight day of training, finishing her downhill run in 1:38.28, more than 2 seconds faster than she skied on Friday. Her comeback this month is among the most gutsy in sports history. It's part of an even bigger one. Before her return, the three-time Olympic medalist spent nearly six years away from ski racing after retiring in 2019.
2. Will U.S. take gold in figure skating team event after Ilia Malinin's stunning yet imperfect Olympic debut?
Ilia Malinin is one of the biggest stars, regardless of country, in this year's Olympics. But the 21-year-old U.S. figure skater didn't have his best stuff in the men's short program portion of the team event. While still impressive, the "Quad God" wasn't as technically sound as usual, finishing second behind Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. Suddenly, Team USA's gold medal defense in the competition it won four years ago in Beijing isn't a lock. Granted, the U.S. has the lead in the team event with 44 points, but Japan isn't far behind with 39. Three events are left, and they'll take place Sunday: the free skates of the pairs, women and men. With a gold far from guaranteed in the event, the U.S. is rolling with Malinin for the men's free skate. Even though, his individual event is in two days, he's going back out there to help Team USA.
3. Will U.S. bounce back in mixed doubles curling?
Team USA's Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin stormed out to a 4-0 start in round-robin mixed doubles curling competition before dropping matches to Great Britain and South Korea on Saturday. The second of those defeats arrived in an extra end and in upset fashion, as South Korea's Kim Seonyeong and Jeong Yeongseok had lost their previous five matches. Thiesse and Dropkin will hope to regain their midweek form Sunday when they face off against Estonia (2-4) and Sweden (4-3). Great Britain's Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat are the only team to qualify for the playoffs so far.
4. Ester Ledecká goes for history
In non-Team USA news, Czech snowboarder Ester Ledecká has a chance to make history in the parallel giant slalom. A win on Saturday would make Ledecká the first snowboarder in Olympic history to three-peat an event. Shaun White is the only snowboarder with three Olympic golds to his name, all in halfpipe, but he missed out in 2014 to miss a three-peat. Ledecká already has one unprecedented feat to her name with a ski and snowboard gold in 2018 — which she can't do this year due to distance between venues — and can add to an all-time legacy with a few more races.
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5. More medals
In addition to the above events, medals are set to be handed out biathlon, cross-country skiing, luge and speed-skating. The best odds for a Team USA in that group might be speed-skating where Casey Dawson faces a deep field. The 25-year-old currently ranks fourth in the world in long distances.
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026 (Day 2)Alpine Skiing
Downhill
5:30 a.m.: Women's final (USA Network)🏅
Biathlon
4 × 6 kilometer relay
8:05 a.m.: Mixed final (NBC coverage begins at 8:45 a.m.)🏅
Cross-Country Skiing
20 kilometer skiathlon
6:30 a.m.: Men's final (NBC coverage begins at 7 a.m.)🏅
Curling
Mixed doubles round-robin
4:05 a.m.: Norway vs. Czechia, South Korea vs. Estonia (USA Network coverage begins at 4:55 a.m.)
8:35 a.m.: Canada vs. Sweden, Great Britain vs. Switzerland, USA vs. Estonia (USA Network), Italy vs. Czechia
1:05 p.m.: Italy vs. Great Britain, USA vs. Sweden, Switzerland vs. Norway, Canada vs. South Korea
Figure Skating
Team competition
1:30 p.m. Pairs free skate (USA Network)🏅
2:45 p.m.: Women's free skate (USA Network)🏅
3:55 p.m.: Men's free skate (USA Network)🏅
Hockey
Women's pool play
10:40 a.m.: France vs. Sweden
3:10 p.m.: Czechia vs. Finland
Luge
Men’s singles
11 a.m.: Run 3 (USA Network)🏅
12:45 p.m.: Run 4 (USA Network)🏅
Snowboarding
Parallel giant slalom
3 a.m.: Men’s and women’s qualifying (USA Network)
7 a.m.: Men’s and women’s finals (NBC coverage begins at 7:30 a.m.) 🏅
Big air
1:30 p.m.: Women’s qualifying (airs on USA Network at 6:30 p.m.)
Speed Skating -
10 a.m.: Men's 5000m (NBC)🏅
Source: “AOL Sports”
