Today's Milan Cortina Olympics Headlines

Sunday, February 8

Day 1 of the Olympics is in the books, and Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” did not disappoint. He wowed the crowd in his Olympics debut. Malinin landed two quadruple jumps and a backflip. He still finished in second place in the men’s short program of the team figure skating competition. The U.S. leads Japan by one point heading into the final day of team skating. Malinin is still the overwhelming favorite to win gold in men's singles. In hockey, Hilary Knight tied the Team USA Women’s record with her 14th Olympic goal. The gold medal favorites rolled to a 4-nothing shutout victory over Finland to improve to 2-0 in group play. In the men's downhill, Franjo Von Allmen of Switzerland took home the first gold medal of these games, while Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida secured the host nation’s first gold in the women’s 1000 meters. This morning, Lindsey Vonn tried to do the unthinkable -- capture a medal with a torn ACL. She crashed out early into the race, as the crowd gasped in fear. A medical helicopter airlifted her off the slopes. Is Vonn's career over? I'll be following that story and more all day. -Bruce

Our Bruce Beck is on the ground in Milan Cortina! Follow along on NBC New York:

Here are the top stories we're following today ⬇️

Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill Sunday and was taken off the course in a helicopter after the 41-year-old American received medical attention for several minutes.

Vonn lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel. She was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier’s storied career.

She had been scheduled to compete again Thursday in the super-G. That is now in jeopardy.

Four years ago, a crash in Cortina kept Breezy Johnson from competing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Now, she has conquered the course for Olympic gold.

The 30-year-old from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, won gold in the women’s downhill with a time of 1:36.10. She was the sixth skier down the course and held on as 30 more racers attempted to beat her time.

Johnson is the second American woman to win Olympic gold in the event, joining 2010 champion Lindsey Vonn, who crashed on Sunday and was airlifted from the course. Johnson entered Milan Cortina as the reigning downhill world champion.

Ilia Malinin‘s quest for Olympic figure skating gold might not be so easy after all.

Same goes for his American team.

Yuma Kagiyama landed a pair of near-perfect quads, one in combination with a triple toe loop, and the Japanese star scored 108.67 points for his short program Saturday night. That topped Malinin in the segment — he was second with 98.00 — and gave his team 33 points, just one behind the defending champion U.S. at the midway juncture of the three-day competition.

Since 2016, Russia has had to compete under differing names at the Olympics.

That’s the year it was revealed numerous Russian athletes had been involved in a years-long, state-sponsored doping scheme, which saw the nation collect plenty of medals.

However, those athletes had to go by different names since competitions refused to name Russia outright in the scheme’s aftermath due to the bans.

Everyone remembers the panda mascots from the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and 2008, and some may even recall the Phyrge from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

So what are the mascots for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics? Meet Tina and Milo, the sibling stoats who will be welcoming fans at the Opening Ceremony and events for the rest of the Games.

The two — distinguished by their different colored coats — will represent the Winter Olympics and the Paralympic Winter Games 2026, respectively. Tina, with her lighter-colored fur, represents the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, while her brother Milo, who has darker fur, is the face of the Paralympic Winter Games.

Follow live updates below.