- - Winter Olympics 2026 Day 11 recap: Joy and heartbreak for USA's 'Blade Angels,' big drama in big air final

Jason OwensFebruary 18, 2026 at 5:43 AM

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Tuesday was a marquee day at the Milan Cortina Olympics as the women's figure skating competition got underway. For USA, that meatn the Olympic debut of the "Blade Angels," USA's power trio who entered the Games hyped as contenders to sweep the podium.

The results for Team USA were mixed.

Meanwhile, there was thrilling action and a dramatic finish in the men's freestyle big air final. And Lindsey Vonn is back in the U.S. after undergoing multiple surgeries on her shattered left leg in Italy.

Here are five of the top stories from Milan Cortina on Tuesday:

Joy and heartbreak for 'Blade Angels'

It was a mixed bag for USA's "Blade Angels" in the women's figure-skating short program.

Alysa Liu went first and delivered a seemingly effortless skate that left her in third place (76.59 points) and in contention for the gold medal in Thursday's free skate.

ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS ALYSA. pic.twitter.com/FBmrpECyUK

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

Isabeau Levito skated a relatively clean program that left her with some work to do for a shot at the podium with an eighth-place finish (70.84).

A beautiful short program from Isabeau Levito in her Olympic debut! pic.twitter.com/7gig7BGUQe

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

But it was Amber Glenn's performance that was the story of the day. Glenn opened her skate with a clean triple axel, a difficult move achieved by only one other skater Tuesday — Ami Nakai of Japan.

But Glenn came up short on a planned triple-loop combination that instead landed as a double. That mistake invalidated the element, costing her seven points and plummeting her down the standings despite an otherwise relatively clean program.

She didn't fall. But the mistake left her in 13th place (67.39) and a long shot to make the podium when she otherwise would have remained in contention for the gold medal. She left the ice in tears knowing how costly the mistake was to her medal chances.

The ending of Amber Glenn's short program. pic.twitter.com/CWK6kLWEyx

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

"I had it," she said as she received a consoling hug from her coach in the kiss and cry area.

Japan, meanwhile, leaves Tuesday's short program in possession of the top two spots. Nakai, 17, is in first place (78.71) after a joy-filled skate in her Olympic debut.

“She reminds you why skating is so much fun.” - Tara Lipinski 🥹 pic.twitter.com/gYcNHiQZ1y

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

Kaori Sakamoto will enter Thursday's skate in medal position after a second-place finish (77.23).

The final minute of Kaori Sakamoto's superb short program. pic.twitter.com/RyMYKbiNXt

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

And their Japanese teammate Mone Chiba is a medal contender with a fourth-place finish (74.00) in the short program.

Big drama in big air final

The big air men’s final saw big drama on Tuesday before Norway’s Tormod Frostad secured gold, just ahead of U.S. silver medalist Mac Forehand.

Frostad took control of first place early and appeared to be cruising to gold after posting the highest score in each of the first two rounds. In a competition where the two best of three runs count, his combined score of 192.25 from those rounds stood a chance to count for gold.

But Forehand, who entered the final round in second place, was overtaken by Austria’s Matej Svancer in the third round and entered his final jump in bronze medal position. He needed a score of 96.25 to retake silver.

Instead, he laid down a 98.25 for the highest score yet of the Games with a jump that had never been completed in competition. It was good enough to take over first place.

Mac Forehand dropped a stunning 98.25 in his final run to secure SILVER in snowy Livigno. 👏#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/BExoNDgmhu

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

But his gold-medal position was short-lived. Frostad answered the pressure with a 98.50 on the final jump of the day to reclaim the top spot on the podium.

He needed a huge score... and he GOT IT. Norway's Tormod Frostad delivers a 98.50 on his final run to take home the Gold. 🥇#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/HfUXmgK8qo

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

All three medalists stood together in anticipation at the bottom of the hill as they awaited Frostad’s final score. When it landed, they exchanged hugs and congratulations while celebrating a big air final to remember.

Italians taunt USA during gold-silver finish on short track

Host Italy and USA entered Tuesday's men's 500-meter team pursuit final as rivals.

Italy won the world championship in 2024. USA won in 2025. The U.S. skaters entered Milan Cortina undefeated in World Cup competition this season and the favorite to win gold.

Andrea Giovannini delivers the night-night celebration alongside his Italian teammates Michele Malfatti, left and Davide Ghiotto. ()

And with Olympic gold on the line, USA took an early lead in Tuesday's final and extended it near the mid-point of the eight-lap race. But Italy started closing the gap with five laps remaining. And it chipped away from there before pulling into the lead with two laps to go.

By the time they crossed the finish line, the Italians had opened a wide margin and enough time for Andrea Giovannini to hit the U.S. team with a celebration quite familiar to U.S. sports fans — Stephen Curry's night-night taunt — before the U.S. skaters crossed the finish line.

Look familiar? 😴👀 pic.twitter.com/GpCrhIHNOp

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 17, 2026

Giovannini, Michele Malfatti and Davide Ghiotto secured gold with a time of 3:39.20, 4.51 seconds ahead of the U.S. team of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran, who settled for silver.

USA finishes fourth behind German sweep in 2-man bobsled

The U.S. team of Frank Del Duca and Joshua Williamson entered its final run in the two-man bobsled in fourth place after three of four runs. It put down its best run of the competition with a 55.34 to remain in contention with three German sleds remaining.

But the Germans didn't cede their ground and finished 1-2-3 on the podium. Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer won gold (3:39.70), Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schüller took silver (3:41.04) and Adam Ammour and Alexander Schaller secured bronze (3:41.52).

Del Duca and Williamson finished just off the podium in fourth place (3:41.96), 2.26 seconds off the gold-medal pace and .44 seconds off the podium.

The podium sweep was the second straight for Germany after a 1-2-3 finish in Beijing.

Lindsey Vonn's back home

It remains a tough road for Lindsey Vonn after her horrific injury crash in the alpine downhill. But she's navigating it from home now.

Vonn announced via social media late Monday that she's returned to the U.S. from Italy after spending nine days in an Italian hospital and undergoing three surgeries to repair a complex fracture in her left leg.

"Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race," Vonn wrote. "And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing.

"Huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me."

Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race. And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing ❤️🇺🇸 #imhome #BeLvHuge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me🙏🏻

— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) February 17, 2026

That Vonn remains unable to stand comes as no surprise given her previous updates. She announced on Feb. 11 that she'd undergone her third surgery since the crash and posted an image of herself in a hospital bed with a complex brace on her injured leg.

Two days later, she announced that she would have a fourth surgery on her leg before being cleared to fly home to the U.S. She anticipates needing another surgery now that she's back in the U.S. and has acknowledged that she has "a long, long way to go" in her recovery.

Vonn has also posted upbeat video of herself smiling from her hospital bed while receiving treatment and undergoing physical therapy with caretakers. She declared Monday that she's "slowly coming back to life."

Highlight of the day

A snowstorm delayed the start of Tuesday's big air final. But it didn't cancel it.

And as the first run started, the snow was still coming down hard. It didn't appear to slow down any of the competitors, including Forehand, who landed a monster triple cork 2160 that set the tone for his silver-medal performance.

MONEY MAC! 💰 Mac Forehand opens with a 95.00 in the #WinterOlympics freeski big air final. pic.twitter.com/yYSUPAQFcX

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026

One more thing

Ilia Malinin is not shying away from the Olympics after his devastating free skate knocked him from gold-medal position into eighth place and off the podium in men's figure skating.

Sporting his gold medal from the team skating competition, the U.S. figure skater joined NBC for an interview and revealed that he'd received messages of support from some of USA's top athletes.

Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, Simone Biles and others reached out to Ilia during the #WinterOlympics to offer their support. pic.twitter.com/kT59Ig76QQ

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 17, 2026

"I got so much love, so much support," Malinin said. "Everyone was there for me. Had so many people reach out to me — Tom Brady, Steph Curry, Simone Biles, Snoop.

"I'm honestly just so honored for that. It just made my day honestly."

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”