The WNBA made concessions in two areas in its latest collective bargaining agreement proposal, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA Today Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly about ongoing negotiations.

Coming off a three-hour meeting on Monday in New York, the WNBA promised it would have a counter to the proposal the players’ union submitted six weeks ago. That offer came on Friday evening.

In the Friday proposal, the WNBA made a concession on team-provided housing, the person with knowledge of the situation said. In the revised agreement, one bedroom apartments will be available for players making the minimum salary. The two developmental players on each roster would be provided with studio apartments.

The players’ union also voiced setting a standard for team facilities that would be codified in the new CBA, the person with knowledge of the situation said.

Nothing has changed in terms of revenue sharing or player salaries. The WNBA is offering more than 70% of league and team net revenue. The players’ union has asked for 30% of gross revenue. The salary cap would be $5.65 million per year, rising with league revenues.

The WNBA offer continues to include a maximum $1 million base salary, with a projected revenue-sharing component that raises players’ max total earnings to more than $1.3 million in 2026. The league’s maximum salary would grow to nearly $2 million over the life of the agreement, which would end in 2031. The minimum salary would be more than $250,000 and average salary more than $530,000.

The players’ union plans to meet with leadership to review and assess the league’s counterproposal, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The regular-season is supposed to tipoff May 8. But before that can happen the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will have an expansion draft. Free agency and the WNBA draft also need to take place.

WNBA players authorized the union executive committee to ‘call a strike when necessary’ in December.

‘Having the strike on the table is something that we’re very much aware of, but there’s so many more conversations that have to happen,’ Ogwumike told the AP on Friday. ‘You know, we’re not just going to say, ‘Hey, today’s the day (we’ll strike).’ You know, I think that’s what we’re demonstrating right now is negotiating in good faith.’

MILAN — Everything about Ilia Malinin’s Olympic debut was off Saturday night. From the ice to the interviews in the mixed zone, he didn’t quite seem to be himself.

What began as an uncharacteristically shaky, second-place performance in the men’s short program of the team figure skating competition ended with a bizarre comment to journalists in which he said he came into the team competition “with only 50% of my full potential.”

“So that’s what I felt like here today, that’s the way I pace myself, leading up to the individual (men’s) event,” he added.

An hour later, Ari Zakarian, Malinin’s agent, exclusively told USA TODAY Sports that Malinin didn’t mean to infer that he was giving only 50% of his energy to the team event.

“He didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” Zakarian said. “He is pacing himself because of the few days ahead of him, but he always gives 100%. This is a chess game, the team competition and then the men’s event. You have to be smart and be prepared for a long week.” 

Malinin will also skate the men’s long program for the United States Sunday on the final night of the team competition, as first reported by USA TODAY Sports. The two-time world champion and four-time national champion has far more experience on the international stage than either of the other two men on the U.S. team, Andrew Torgashev or Max Naumov. The United States is ahead of second-place Japan by five points with three long programs in pairs, women and men yet to come, but that margin is expected to tighten. 

Malinin then has a quick turnaround to the more important men’s individual event Tuesday and Friday. He is the strong gold medal favorite in that event.

However, Malinin, the 21-year-old self-proclaimed “Quad God,” lost to Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama by a significant amount in the team men’s event Saturday: 108.67 points for Kagiyama to 98 for Malinin. Kagiyama, 22, won the silver medal in the men’s individual event at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Said Malinin of the evening’s developments: “Of course that wasn’t the perfect, ideal, 100 percent skate that I would’ve wanted to have, but for the standard I set myself today, I think I achieved that.”

Listen to ‘Milan Magic’ on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube or on USA TODAY.

MILAN — Ilia Malinin just did something that hasn’t been done at a 21st century Winter Olympics.

The ‘Quad God’ performed his first skate during the team event Saturday, Feb. 7 with the men’s short program, and he became the first skater since 1998 to perform a backflip at the Games, and the first since it was unbanned. Malinin closed his performance with the stunning move than wowed the crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. However, Malinin finished second in the event with a score of 98.00 after Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama pulled off a stunning routine that received 108.67 points.

The United States still leads the team competition with 34 points after Malinin’s performance, which earned the U.S. nine points. Japan’s 10 points for Kagiyama’s first-place finish put the country in second overall with 33 points. Host Italy is in third with 28 points.

Malinin said performing the move made him realize the magnitude of the event.

‘It was fun,’ he said. ‘I mean, come on, the audience just roared, and they were just out of control. Really that just helped me feel the gratitude of the Olympic stage.’

The first executed backflip at the Winter Olympics occurred in the 1976 Games in Innsbruck, Austria by American skater Terry Kubicka. However, the International Skating Union banned it the following year as it deemed the move too dangerous.

It was done by French skater Surya Bonaly at the 1998 Winter Olympics, landing it on one blade, but the move was illegal and she received a deduction for it.

No one had attempted it in the Olympics since then, but hope was renewed when the ISU made the move legal in 2024, paving the way for Malinin to perform it when he made his Olympic debut. His execution of it made him the third ever person to perform it at the Winter Olympics, and first to legally to do so in 50 years.

Even though it was the typical sensational Malinin outing, it still made for a thunderous entrance to Olympics for the American prodigy.

‘I try to enjoy every single moment and be grateful for everything, because there’s a lot of unexpected things that can happen in life,’ Malinin said. ‘I’m taking everything to heart.’

MILAN — The first batch of medals were awarded Feb. 7 to competitors at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Alpine skiing took center stage as the world turned its eyes to the slopes of Livigno for the men’s downhill medal event (won by Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen) and the slopes of Cortina for the final women’s downhill training run.

Jessie Diggins took the course for the women’s 10K Skiathlon and finished eighth. Snowboarding will also handed out its first medals of these Games in the men’s Big Air which saw Japan’s Kira Kimura take the gold after he landed a 1980 spin in his third run for a 90.50 score.

United States’ Madison Chock and Evan Bates lit up the rink during the ice dance free dance and the U.S. women’s hockey team pitched a shutout, defeating Finland, 5-0.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you the latest updates, news and Olympics results from here in Italy.

Canada tops Switzerland in women’s ice hockey preliminary round

Canada defeated Switzerland, 4-0, in the women’s ice hockey preliminary round for Group A at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena in the heart of Milano Ice Park.

Canada dominated the match behind goals from four different players. Natalie Spooner scored at the 27′ mark of the second period, assisted by Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Fillier. Fillier scored in the third period at the 44′ mark on an assist from Renata Fast and Daryl Watts.

Canada scored at the 53′ and 56′ marks on goals from Julia Gosling and Watts, respectively. Gosling was assisted by Erin Ambrose and Claire Thompson. Watts’ score was assisted by Sarah Nurser and Thompson.

The preliminary round continues for Canada when they face Czechia on Monday, Feb. 9 at 9:10 p.m. CET (3:10 p.m. ET; 12:10 p.m. PT).

Madison Chock and Evan Bates dazzle during free dance

United States’ Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished the figure skating free dance team event finals in first place after scoring a 133.23 and 10 team points on Day 2 of the competition. Together the skate pair and couple dazzled as they mirrored each others’ movements. They dipped, they flipped and moved in synchronization while the cameras captured their smiles and fierce facial expressions.

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, representing Italy the host country of the Winer Olympics, logged a 124.22 score with nine points towards their team.

Canadian figure skating pair Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha landed in third place finishing with a 120.90 socre and eight team points.

Kira Kimura takes gold in men’s snowboarding big air

Japan’s Kira Kimura landed a 1980 spin in his third run for a 90.50 score to bump him into first place and overtake his fellow countryman Ryoma Kimata for gold in men’s snowboarding big air.

Kimata entered the third run in first place, but crashed out on the landing in the third run. But a total score of 171.50 from the first two runs was enough for Kimata to lock up silver.

China’s Su Yiming needed at least 74.75 in the third run to get on the podium. He finished with a 80.75 to overtake 17-year-old American Ollie Martin for the bronze medal. Team USA just misses out on its first medal of the 2026 Winter Games.

Max Langenhan wins men’s singles luge second run

Germany’s Max Langenhan has now won each of the first two runs in the men’s singles run, finishing the second run with a time of 1:45.826, a new track record.

Rounding out the top three are Austian Jonas Mueller and Italian Dominik Fischnaller. The home country has three total athletes in the top 20 through the first two runs with Fischnaller, Leon Felderer (fifth) and Alex Gufler (18th).

Jonathan Gustafson (11th) and Matthew Greiner (17th) are both in the top 20 for Team USA.

The third run will take place on Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

Francesca Lollobrigida wins gold, sets Olympic record in women’s 3000m speedskating

Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida took gold for the host country in the women’s 3000m on Saturday at Milano Speed Skating Stadium, finishing with an Olympic record-breaking time of 3:54.28.

Ragne Wiklund from Norway finished 2.26 behind Lollobrigida for silver and Candadian Valerie Maltais took bronze, finishing with a time of 3:56.93.

Obamas send good vibes to Team USA

Barack and Michelle Obama posted a shared message of encouragement for American athletes competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics just underway in Italy.

‘To all the athletes representing @TeamUSA: I’m so proud of you,’ Barack Obama wrote on X about the Milano Cortina 2026 games. ‘Your talent and perseverance have brought you to this moment, and Michelle and I will be joining Americans from across the country cheering you on.’

The post was seen by 41 million people as of Saturday morning. — Josh Meyer

Women’s Hockey: End of second period: USA 4, Finland 0

Hilary Knight, who missed a shift at the end of the first period, came back in the second period and tied the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey scoring record. Her 14th career Olympic goal gave the USA its 4-0 lead. It was the USA’s second power-play goal of the game. Taylor Heise and Megan Keller also scored in the period. Keller has three points and Laila Edwards has two assists for the game. Shots are 36-9 USA through two periods. — Mike Brehm

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ live coverage of USA vs. Finland women’s hockey here.

Greta Myers makes Olympic debut in speedskating

MILAN — United States speedskater Greta Myers made her Olympic debut in the women’s 3000m on Saturday at Milano Speed Skating Stadium, where she finished with a time of 4:13.46.

Only time will tell how Myers’ time ranks in the field, but she won’t make the podium.

There will be more chances for Myers to contend for a medal. In addition to the 3000m, Myers will compete in the women’s 1500m, women’s 5000m, and women’s Mass Start. — Cydney Henderson

Trio of Americans advance to men’s free ski slopestyle finals

LIVIGNO, Italy – Mac Forehand’s second run of a 73.96 to put himself into the men’s free ski slopestyle finals, along with defending gold-medalist Alex Hall (71.63) of the USA.

Forehand was in 24th after the first run but went big on the second with nothing to lose. He finished sixth overall. The top 12 of the 29 competitors advanced to Monday’s finals.

Hall entered the second run in fifth and did not improve his score with a similar 68.98, good enough to finish eighth and make it through.

Konnor Ralph had a long wait on the bubble but survived in 10th place (68.91). The other American, Troy Podmilsak, will set his eyes on big air, which is his specialty. — Chris Bumbaca

Canadian figure skater asks professor for extension

Canadian figure skater Maddie Schizas shared the email she sent her sociology professor asking for a ‘short extension.’

Competing in the Winter Olympics seems like a pretty good reason to have the request granted and she including a link to the press release as proof of her participation.

Bruins’ Pavel Zacha out of Olympics with injury

Frida Karlsson wins cross-country skiathlon; Jessie Diggins 8th

Sweden’s Frida Karlsson won the gold medal in the women’s cross-country skiathlon, crossing the finish line in 53:45.2. It’s her first individual Olympic gold medal. Her teammate Ebba Andersson took silver, finishing in 54:36.2. 

Heidi Weng’s bronze medal in the event made Norway the winningest team in Olympic history for women’s cross-country skiing.

Meanwhile, Jessie Diggins, the most decorated cross-country skier in U.S. history, finished the event in eighth (56:06.3). 

Jessie Diggins competing for first medal of 2026 Olympics

MILAN — Jessie Diggins’ fourth and final Olympic Games is officially underway.

Diggins, the most decorated cross-country skier in U.S. history, is competing in the women’s 10km + 10km skiathlon on Saturday at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme and she’s looking to add to her collection.

The 34-year-old has three Olympic medals. She won Team USA’s first Olympic gold in cross country in team sprint alongside Kikkan Randall at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Diggins won a silver in the 30k freestyle at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and became the first American to win an individual sprint medal with a bronze in women’s sprint. She has finished in the top 10 in all six women’s events in both 2018 and 2022. — Cydney Henderson

Franjo von Allmen wins first gold medal of Games

BORMIO, Italy — Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen reduced the home country cheers, but he didn’t silence them completely. Two Italian skiers won medals behind von Allmen’s gold in the men’s downhill at Stelvio Ski Centre, the first medal event of the Winter Olympics.Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris of Italy cracked the top three on back-to-back runs in front of roaring Italian fans. But neither could overtake von Allmen’s time of 1:51.61.Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Team USA’s best hope in the event, struggled to post a 1:53.65, well back of the leaders in 18th place. Kyle Negomir (1:53.20) posted the best time of the four Americans in the field for a 10-place finish. — Gentry Estes

Lindsey Vonn cruises in downhill run

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn was shaky in a couple of spots, including near the bottom of the course where she also had an error Friday. But she again showed no obvious sign of her wrecked left knee, and she shaved two full seconds off her time, finishing today’s run in 1:38.28.

She’s currently third, 0.37 seconds behind leader and American teammate Breezy Johnson, with approximately 20 skiers to go.

Vonn gave a small fist pump when she finished – as if to say, check – before walking through the mixed zone and stopping briefly to tap Johnson on the shoulder. ‘Nice run,’ she told her teammate, before moving along.

Medals will be awarded in women’s downhill on Sunday, Feb. 8. — Nancy Armour

Avery Krumme, Eileen Gu advance in free ski slopestyle

LIVIGNO, Italy — Avery Krumme put down a beastly second run in the women’s free ski slopestyle qualifiers to lock up her spot in Monday’s finals.

The 17-year-old, who switched her competing nationality from Canada to the U.S. last year, was rewarded with a 64.93 to put herself in fourth place. The top 12 of 26 competitors advance to finals.

China’s Eileen Gu avoided a disastrous start to her Olympics by putting down a 75.30, second place, after she fell early in her first of two qualifying runs. Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud, the reigning gold-medalist in the event, topped the competition with a 79.15.  — Chris Bumbaca

Eileen Gu falls in first ski slopestyle run

LIVIGNO, Italy — China’s Eileen Gu went down on her first run of the women’s free ski slopestyle qualifications, meaning her second run has become all-important if she wants to have a chance at three medals in the three free ski disciplines at the 2026 Games, matching what she did four years ago in Beijing.

Gu’s first run lasted less than 15 seconds after she lost her balance at the top of the run. The American-born Stanford student hit the first rail backside but couldn’t keep her balance after turning around.  — Chris Bumbaca

NHL players arrive at Olympics

While NHL owners may grumble about the possibility of injuries, it’s a win for the sport to have the game’s best players back at the Olympics for the first time since 2014. And there are a lot of NHL players here, 149 to be exact. They all arrive early Saturday morning and start practicing within hours.

Check out the full list of NHL players at the 2026 Winter Olympics and read about their logistical nightmare from longtime Red Wings reporter Helene St. James.

Lindsey Vonn’s 2nd training run today

Vonn posted to her Instagram account early Saturday that she was feeling good after her first training Friday. She then listed the time of her second training today (11:30 a.m. in Italy), her bib number (15) and signed off with, ‘See you there.’

Vonn is now eligible to do the downhill at the Milano Cortina Olympics, having completed her training run without any issues. She made a small mistake at the bottom of the course and wasn’t going anywhere close to top speed; her time of 1:40.33 was the 11th-fastest of the day and third-best of the Americans.

Read the full story from Nancy Armour.

First medal event of Games is men’s downhill

BORMIO, Italy ― Good morning from the Stelvio Ski Centre, where the first medals of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics are to be awarded here in a few hours.

The men’s downhill competition begins at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time, and it’ll include four Americans.

Of them, Ryan Cochran-Siegle (2022 silver medalist in the Super-G) is expected to have the best chance to medal. He’ll be up 13th. Team USA’s Bryce Bennett is up third, while teammates Kyle Negomir (No. 27) and Sam Morse (No. 29) will be among the final skiers.

Each of the 36 competitors gets only one run — at very high speed — to produce a winning time.

Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt (No. 7) is atop the world rankings and considered one of the favorites, along with Italy’s Dominik Paris (No. 12) and Giovanni Franzoni (No. 11) and Switzerland’s Franjo Von Allmen (No. 8).

Olympics schedule today

All times Eastern.

4:05 a.m.: Curling – Mixed Doubles Round Robin | Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)

GBR vs. CAN; SWE vs. SUI

5:30 a.m.: Alpine Skiing – Men’s Downhill | medal event | Stelvio Ski Centre (Bormio, Valtellina)
5:30 a.m.: Alpine Skiing – Women’s Downhill 3rd Official Training | Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (Cortina)
6:10 a.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | GER vs. JPN | Milan Rho Ice Hockey Arenas
7 a.m.: Cross-Country Skiing – Women’s 10km + 10 km Skiathlon | medal event | Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium (Val di Fiemme)
7:30 a.m.: Luge – Women’s Singles Official Training Runs 3 & 4 | Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
8:35 a.m.: Curling – Mixed Doubles Round Robin | Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)

EST vs. NOR; CZE vs. KOR; SWE vs. ITA; GBR vs. USA

8:40 a.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | SWE vs. ITA | Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
10 a.m.: Speed Skating – Women’s 3000m | medal event | Milano Speed Skating Stadium (Rho, Milan)
10:40 a.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | USA vs. FIN | Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena
11 a.m.: Luge – Men’s Singles Runs 1 & 2 | Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
1:45 p.m.: Figure Skating – Team Event  | Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)

Team Event, Men’s Singles Short Program: 1:45 p.m.
Team Event, Ice Dance Free Dance:  4:05 p.m.

11:45 a.m.-3 p.m.: Ski Jumping – Women’s Normal Hill | Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium (Val di Fiemme)

Trial round: 11:45 a.m.
First round: 12:45 p.m.
Medal round: 1:57 p.m. | medal event 

1:05 p.m.: Curling – Mixed Doubles Round Robin | Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)

CAN vs. EST; CZE vs. SUI; NOR vs. ITA;  USA vs. KOR

1:30 p.m.: Snowboarding – Men’s Big Air | medal event  | Livigno Snow Park (Livigno, Valtellina)
3:10 p.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | SUI vs. CAN | Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena

Where is Winter Olympics 2026?

The Winter Olympics always sprawl, because of the need for mountains. But the Milano Cortina Games are the most geographically spread out in Olympic and Paralympic history, with a footprint just slightly smaller than the entire state of New Jersey.

2026 Winter Olympics TV schedule today

Peacock is streaming every event live today.

Stream Olympics on Peacock

Between the opening ceremony for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and competing in the short program of the women’s figure skating team event, Team Canada’s Madeline Schizas was quite booked on Friday.

So, it’s understandable if something fell through the cracks … like an assignment for a college class, right?

On her Instagram story on Saturday, Schizas shared exactly what happened to her: she mixed up the due date of a reflection for her college sociology class at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, where she is earning a Bachelor of Arts in Environment & Society.

‘LOLLLL I (red heart emoji) being a student athlete,’ Schizas wrote in a caption on her story to go along with a screenshot of the email she sent her professor.

Schizas, competing in her second Winter Olympics for Team Canada, finished in sixth place in the women’s single skating short program portion of the team event on Friday with a score of 64.97.

‘Hi Prof. (redacted), I am a student in your Sociology 2FF3 course and am wondering if I could get a short extension on this week’s reflection. I was competing in the Olympic Games yesterday and thought the reflection was due on Sunday, not Friday,’ Schizas wrote in her email.

‘Here is the Canadian Olympic Committee press release to confirm my participation.’

Schizas’ sixth-place finish provided Team Canada with five of its 35 points in the team event, which is good enough to advance to Sunday’s medal event at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan. Schizas was named to Team Canada’s card for Sunday’s event, where she’ll compete in the women’s single skating free skating portion at 2:45 p.m. ET.

The individual women’s single skating short program medal event, which Schizas will also compete in, is set for Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 12:45 p.m. ET. She finished in 18th place in the women’s single skating short program at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

A medal in either the team event or women’s single skating short program would mark Schizas’ first Olympic medal.

More 2026 Winter Olympics

See the full Milano Cortina Games schedule

See the 2026 Medal Count Here

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Three American men and one American woman advanced to the finals in free ski slopestyle qualifiers.
Mac Forehand, Alex Hall, and Konnor Ralph will represent the U.S. in the men’s final.
Avery Krumme, 17, was the sole American woman to qualify for the finals, finishing in fourth place.
Athletes described the qualifying round as highly stressful, with the primary goal being to advance.

LIVIGNO, Italy — Mac Forehand was in a flow state. He knew before his last jump that his second run of men’s free ski slopestyle qualifiers Saturday that he nailed the second run of two.

Which was a good thing, because his first run did not go according to plan, and the two-time Olympian feared a repeat of his personal disaster at the 2022 Winter Games in China where he fell off the first rail twice and didn’t make finals.  

I was just telling myself, ‘We cannot do that again,” he said.

This time, Forehand finished sixth and led the way for three Americans to advance to the final on Tuesday. Joining him will be defending gold-medalist Alex Hall (eighth) and Olympic rookie Konnor Ralph (10th).

‘I was definitely nervous not landing my first run,’ Forehand said.

Forehand said it was the most nervous he’s ever been for a qualifier.

‘It’s hard to explain it,’ the Connecticut native said. ‘That gut feeling was pretty hard out there.

‘The feeling of not making the final is worse than falling in a final. Just to make it through is a huge relief, a huge accomplishment in itself.’

Avery Krumme, 17, was the lone American to qualify for finals on the women’s side with an impressive second run of her own to finish with a surprise fourth place. She felt similarly.

‘Making finals is as much success as I could have. It’s mind-blowing for me,’ said Krumme, who switched her competing nationality from Canada to the U.S. last year. ‘I’m beyond stoked … I’ve already, I’ve already got the success, I feel like.’

For all of the finalists, nerves were the necessary ingredient for a successful qualifying day.

Hall admitted he was less nervous than he thought I’d be.

‘I guess the beauty and maybe the beauty of the position I’m in is, I don’t know, it’s still just skiing,’ the 27-year-old veteran said. ‘It is what we do and it is our lives and it’s an extremely important moment, but life goes on after the Olympics. And so I think that it’s easy to tell yourself that once it’s also easy to tell yourself that you try and lie to yourself, or I try and lie to myself almost, and get to the top and you realize how much you care, and obviously you care.’

Hall said qualifiers are always stressful. Making it to finals is a simple goal with a lot of emotion behind it.

‘It doesn’t matter where, you just got to get in,’ he said.

Like Forehand, Hall also plans on switching things up in the finals.

‘You’re trying to play a little strategy, not show all your cards, but you don’t want to try to easy of a run,’ he said of qualifying.

If that were the case, the judges would not award the athlete with a score high enough to advance to finals. It’s a delicate balance.

‘In many ways, (qualifying) is more stressful, almost,’ Hall said. ‘Because then when you get to finals, for most of us, we’re just gonna be trying pretty much our hardest runs possible.

‘And for me, at least personally, when I know I’m trying my hardest skiing, my hardest run, even if I mess up, I’m a lot more OK with that than if I would have tried too easy of a run, landed it, and just not been kind of in the mix.

“So that’s the nice part about making finals. We’ll have three runs, so I’m sure we’re all going to be trying really hard runs and you kind of just go for it.’

Ralph’s nerves were of the waiting variety. He lingered in ninth place for a while, then was bumped down to 10th. He watched a few of his competitors’ runs and then stopped because he realized he couldn’t do anything about his position.

‘Super stoked to (qualify), that was nice,’ he said.

Ralph added: ‘For me, if I make a final, usually I’m just going to go for it. I don’t want a top-five. I want a podium if I land my run. I’m not too worried about the result either. I just want to ski the best I possible can – put it all out there.’

Krumme has had some ‘wow’ moments since landing in Milan this month. But seeing her name just behind reigning gold-medalist Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland, the reigning Olympic champion who led all qualifiers, and the highly-decorated Eileen Gu of China (second), left her nearly speechless.

‘I’ve looked up to them for a really long time in skiing,’ said Krumme, who believes the judges rewarded her creativity for landing a ‘misty’ jump – an off-axis one-and-a-half rotation going backward – off a rail. ‘They’ve been around for a while, so I’m just living the dream that I’ve always wanted. It’s crazy for it to actually be happening.’

Krumme said she’ll head into Monday’s finals with no expectations for herself. Dropping into her second run, she knew she was outside of the qualifying bubble.

‘I knew what I had to do, and I’m super glad that it went well,’ she said. ‘My mind turned completely off, and I went through the course, and then came to the end, and was like, ‘Wow.’ I saw my score and couldn’t believe it. So I was really stoked and I still am.’

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information.

Hilary Knight continues to further her mark as one of the greatest players ever in women’s hockey — especially at the Winter Olympics.

With her second goal of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games, the captain of the U.S. women’s hockey team moved into a tie with Natalie Darwitz and Katie King for the most goals by a U.S. women’s hockey player at the Winter Olympics.

Knight’s 14th career goal came on the power play in the second period against Finland in Group A Play. Her goal put Team USA up 4-0 in their second game of these Games.

With her appearance at the 2026 Winter Games, Knight is the first hockey player – woman or man – to play in five Winter Olympics. However, as USA TODAY’s Mike Brehm noted, she’ll soon share that feat once the men’s portion of ice hockey gets underway in Milan.

Her first goal in Milan came in the second period of Team USA’s 5-1 opening win against the Czech Republic on Thursday, Feb. 5. Her goal on Saturday puts her within three points of Jenny Potter’s U.S. Olympic record for most points in a Winter Olympic Games of 32.

Knight debuted on the Olympic Stage back at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. She is a four-time Olympic medalist, with a gold medal at the 2019 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and is competing in her final Winter Games.

‘Whenever we sign up to play for Team USA, it’s to win a gold medal, and that mindset hasn’t changed,’ Knight said back in October at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic media summit. ‘If you can get to the Olympics first, that’s a cherishable moment in itself. If you can get on a podium, that’s a huge honor. And then, if you can win a gold medal, it’s equal in honor. ‘I think we have such a fantastic team. I want our legacy to be cemented on that world stage and I want people to know the names that are in the room and part of that is winning a gold medal.

She now looks to hold the record solely, which could either come as soon as the third period against Finland or in Team USA’s next game against Monday, Feb. 9 at 2:40 p.m. ET against Switzerland.

Meet Team USA 2026: Get to know the athletes behind the games

USA TODAY at the Milano Cortina Games

USA TODAY Sports has a team of more than a dozen journalists on the ground in Italy to bring you behind the scenes with Team USA and keep you up to date with every medal win, big moment and triumphant finish. Get our Chasing Gold newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are off and running with 16 sports taking over 25 different venues. The games are exclusively airing across NBC’s suite of networks with many events airing live on its streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for here.

Feb. 7 Winter Olympics TV Schedule

All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at 8:01 p.m.

4:05 AM – CURLING: Great Britain vs Canada (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round USA NETWORK, PEACOCK
4:30 AM – FREESTYLE SKIING (LIVE) Women’s Slopestyle Qualification USA NETWORK, PEACOCK
5:30 AM – ALPINE SKIING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Men’s Downhill USA NETWORK, PEACOCK
7:00 AM – CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Women’s 10km Skiathlon NBC, PEACOCK
8:00 AM – FREESTYLE SKIING (LIVE) Men’s Slopestyle Qualification NBC, PEACOCK
9:30 AM – CURLING: Great Britain vs United States (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round USA NETWORK
10:00 AM – SPEED SKATING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Women’s 3000m NBC, PEACOCK
10:40 AM – ICE HOCKEY: United States vs Finland (LIVE) Women’s Preliminary Round USA NETWORK, PEACOCK
11:30 AM – FREESTYLE SKIING (REPLAY) Women’s Slopestyle Qualification NBC
12:45 PM – LUGE (LIVE) Men’s Singles: Run 2 NBC
1:00 PM – FREESTYLE SKIING (REPLAY) Men’s Slopestyle Qualification USA NETWORK
1:30 PM – 2026 Winter Olympics Coverage (LIVE) NBC
1:30 PM – SNOWBOARDING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Men’s Big Air Final USA NETWORK, PEACOCK
1:45 PM – FIGURE SKATING (LIVE) Team Event: Men’s Short Program NBC, PEACOCK
3:10 PM – ICE HOCKEY: Switzerland vs Canada (LIVE) Women’s Preliminary Round USA NETWORK, PEACOCK
3:15 PM – SNOWBOARDING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Men’s Big Air Final NBC
4:00 PM – FIGURE SKATING (LIVE) Team Event: Free Dance NBC, PEACOCK
5:00 PM – CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Women’s 10km Skiathlon NBC
5:00 PM – CURLING: Great Britain vs United States (REPLAY) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round CNBC
5:30 PM – SPEED SKATING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Women’s 3000m USA NETWORK
6:00 PM – ICE HOCKEY: United States vs Finland (REPLAY) Women’s Preliminary Round USA NETWORK
8:00 PM – PRIMETIME IN MILAN (REPLAY) Figure Skating, Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding NBC, PEACOCK
11:30 PM – OLYMPIC LATE NIGHT (REPLAY) Freestyle Skiing and more NBC, PEACOCK

Feb. 7 Winter Olympics Streaming Schedule

Sign up for Peacock here

4:05 AM – CURLING: Switzerland vs Sweden (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
6:10 AM – ICE HOCKEY: Germany vs Japan (LIVE) Women’s Preliminary Round PEACOCK
8:00 AM – GOLD ZONE: DAY 1 (LIVE) Digital Exclusive PEACOCK
8:35 AM – CURLING: Sweden vs Italy (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
8:35 AM – CURLING: Estonia vs Norway (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
8:35 AM – CURLING: Great Britain vs United States (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
8:35 AM – CURLING: Czechia vs South Korea (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
8:40 AM – ICE HOCKEY: Sweden vs Italy (LIVE) Women’s Preliminary Round PEACOCK
11:00 AM – LUGE (LIVE) Men’s Singles: Run 1 and 2 PEACOCK
12:45 PM – SKI JUMPING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Women’s Normal Hill PEACOCK
1:05 PM – CURLING: South Korea vs United States (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
1:05 PM – CURLING: Czechia vs Switzerland (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
1:05 PM – CURLING: Norway vs Italy (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK
1:05 PM – CURLING: Canada vs Estonia (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK

More 2026 Winter Olympics

See the full Milano Cortina Games schedule

See the 2026 Medal Count Here

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CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Dozens of reporters speaking languages from all over the world packed into an intimate press conference room outside the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium Saturday evening, eager to hear what Mikaela Shiffrin had to say in her first availability of the 2026 Winter Games.

“Wow,” she said, doe-eyed, grabbing at the back of her neck in the doorway. “OK.”

Perhaps a reflection of her humility, or the work she’s put in with her therapist, or a combination of both, Shiffrin dripped with ease. She was looser than a first grader’s front tooth. She emphasized gratitude to be on this stage for a fourth time – and for the process that led her back to it.

‘There’s so much else that has gone on in the course of the last four years, and the last eight years, and 16 years of my career so far,’ Shiffrin said. ‘So pressure can exist (at the Games), but like Billie Jean King said, pressure is a privilege.’

This year, she’s paired down her program to team combined, giant slalom and slalom.

Shiffrin’s return to the Olympics comes a little over a year after a head-over-skis crash at the Killington World Cup gave her an abdominal stab wound. All she could feel as she slid on her back down the snow was pain. She has since been diagnosed with PTSD that likely stemmed from that terrifying tumble and other not-as-severe accidents throughout her career.

As part of her treatment and return to international skiing competition, Shiffrin has fallen in love with the process. Ah, yes, that tired sports cliché. But seriously. Changing one’s mental and physical reality takes time, hard work, patience. All things that have vaulted Shiffrin to Cortina.

‘I don’t have an exact answer for how to define success at this Games,’ she said. ‘We’ve been working so hard, my coaches and the staff. And every single day we show up on the mountain with our values. Show up with work ethic and motivation. … So, how I see it now, the most successful thing would be to continue this work through these Games.’

Freeing herself from expectation with equanimity, Shiffrin arrived in the Dolomites goofy as could be. She fiddled with the power button on her microphone and mumbled, ‘cool, technology.’ She made silly faces after innocently stumbling through the ends of answers. She kept the media entertained, fielding a question about her viral ‘back abs’ by saying she wish she had more on her front.

Shiffrin was smooth, if a bit silly. Perhaps a sign of smooth racing to come.

Reach USA TODAY Network sports reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.

In just a day’s time, Super Bowl 60 comes your way: consider this the calm before the storm.

The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots play the ultimate game of the 2025 season on Sunday night (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC), with one team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy and the other team meeting the same disappointment as 30 others before them.

This game is rife with storylines: Sam Darnold’s redemption, Drake Maye’s ascent, Mike Vrabel’s arrival and the rise of the ‘Dark Side’ have all taken center stage. Will any others crop up ahead of Sunday’s ultimate showdown?

When is Super Bowl 60?

Date: Sunday, Feb. 8

Kickoff for Super Bowl 60 is set for Sunday, Feb. 8. Both teams are set for a showdown in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49ers.

What time is the Super Bowl tomorrow?

Start time: 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT)

The Super Bowl is set for its customary 6:30 p.m. ET start time, though kickoff may be delayed due to pregame festivities.

How to watch the Super Bowl

TV channel: NBC
Live stream: Peacock

NBC is the broadcast home of Super Bowl 60. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will be on the call, with Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung providing updates from the sideline. Former NFL referee Terry McAulay will operate as the rules official.

Don’t miss Super Bowl 60: Watch with Peacock

Super Bowl 2026 commercials

Rate the best and worst Super Bowl ads!

Super Bowl odds

The Seahawks remain favored to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 60, according to the latest BetMGM NFL odds.

Spread: Seahawks (-4.5)
Moneyline: Seahawks (-225); Patriots (+190)
Total: 45.5

Super Bowl 2026 predictions, picks for Patriots vs. Seahawks

A panel of five NFL experts from USA TODAY Sports is unanimously backing the favorite Seattle Seahawks to beat the New England Patriots.

Below is a look at the score projections from each expert:

Nick Brinkerhoff: Seahawks 34, Patriots 17
Jacob Camenker: Seahawks 24, Patriots 17
Jack McKessy: Seahawks 31, Patriots 20
Ayrton Ostly: Seahawks 28, Patriots 17
Tom Viera: Seahawks 27, Patriots 20

For a deeper dive on each analyst’s prediction, click here.

Who is singing at the Super Bowl 2026?

Super Bowl 60 will feature several musical acts throughout the day. Per usual, the most notable will be the halftime show and the national anthem singer.

National Anthem: Charlie Puth
‘America The Beautiful’: Brandi Carlile
‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’: Coco Jones
Halftime show: Bad Bunny

Super Bowl 2026 live stream

Cord-cutters can stream the Super Bowl in 2026 on Peacock, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, YouTube TV, NFL+ and Hulu + Live TV.

Watch the Super Bowl with Peacock

When is Green Day performing at the Super Bowl?

The NFL recently announced Green Day will perform in a special pregame ceremony at 6 p.m. ET before the big game kicks off. The Grammy Award-winning band’s performance will honor the Super Bowl MVPs from the last six decades.

Patriots injury report for Super Bowl

Questionable:

DL Joshua Farmer (hamstring)
LB Harold Landry (knee)
LB Robert Spillane (ankle)

Seahawks injury report for Super Bowl

Questionable:

FB Robbie Ouzts (neck)