With the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics set to close on the 23rd (Korean time), AFP on the 22nd named six athletes who drew attention during the Games.
Leading the list was Swiss alpine skier Franjo von Allmen, who won the first gold medal of the Games and finished as a three-time champion in alpine skiing. AFP noted his path to the top: after his father died when he was 17 and his family faced hardship, he worked as a carpenter at construction sites for four years while pursuing his skiing career.
Norway’s Johannes Klaebo, who swept six gold medals in cross-country skiing, was also selected. After winning five golds across the previous two Olympics, Klaebo added six more in Milan-Cortina, becoming the first athlete to win six golds at a single Winter Games and setting a new record for most career Winter Olympic gold medals with 11.
U.S. figure skaters Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin were chosen as well. Liu retired after the 2022 Beijing Olympics after being diagnosed with burnout, then returned after about two years away and delivered the United States its first Olympic women’s singles gold in 24 years, finishing with two titles including the team event. Malinin, the only skater expected to land a quadruple Axel, helped the U.S. win the team event but placed eighth in the individual competition after mistakes.
AFP also highlighted athletes who made headlines beyond medals. Lindsey Vonn, competing at the Olympics for the first time in eight years, was flown out by helicopter after hitting a gate early in the women’s downhill. She underwent five surgeries for a fractured left knee — four in Italy and one in the United States — and wrote on social media, “I look forward to the moment I stand on the top of the mountain again,” signaling her intent to return.
The final selection was Ukrainian sled athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified for violating International Olympic Committee rules after trying to wear a “tribute helmet” bearing photos of Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russia’s invasion. After the disqualification, he received a Freedom Order from the Ukrainian government and also received a $200,000 donation (about 290 million won) from a businessman.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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