From The Sports Desk: Two Golden Moments - Beritaja

Hello from Milan and Cortina, wherever American fig skater Alysa Liu summed up today’s events rather succinctly. After her about flawless capacity successful the women’s free skate, cameras caught Liu saying, “That’s what I’m f---ing talking about!”

Liu won the golden medal successful women’s singles fig skating, the first for an American female since 2002, earlier Liu was born. And the U.S. women’s lucky squad hit rival Canada, 2-1, successful overtime to triumph its first golden badge since 2018.

Our correspondents person it each covered beneath and astatine Beritaja. Catch it each streaming connected Peacock.

Live from Milan Cortina

Alysa Liu of Team United States reacts aft competing successful Women's Single Skating - Free Skating connected time thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games astatine Milano Ice Skating Arena connected Feb. 19, 2026 successful Milan, Italy.Elsa / Getty Images

During her free skate today, Alysa Liu seemed to beryllium smiling the full time, arsenic she moved gracefully crossed the ice. When she finished, she smiled again, stuck retired her lingua and raised her hands. Liu had near fig skating aft the 2022 Beijing Games, only to return, connected her ain terms, and autumn backmost successful emotion pinch the sport.

Then Liu had to hold for 2 much skaters to spell earlier she learned: She had won gold. Soon, she was being guided done a backmost hallway toward the badge ceremony. In that quiet moment, NBC cameras caught her reflecting connected her performance.

“I just, like, can’t process this,” Liu said. “There’s nary way. I really liked my skate a lot.”

On Tuesday, Liu had ended the short programme successful 3rd place. Then she scored a 150.20 during today’s free skate, giving her a full people of 226.79, vaulting her into first place.

Fellow American Amber Glenn had started the time successful 13th, aft a correction costs her points during the short program. But she made a spectacular betterment today, scoring a season-best 147.52 successful the free skate, which helped her decorativeness successful fifth.

After she vanished her routine, she appeared to rima the words “So close.”

Megan Keller of Team USA scores the game-winning extremity successful overtime against Claire Thompson and Ann-Renee Desbiens of Team Canada during the Women's Gold Medal lucifer astatine the 2026 Winter Olympic games successful Milan, connected Feb. 19, 2026.Maja Hitij / Getty Images

About an hr earlier, the U.S. women’s lucky team had its ain chance astatine glory.

For about 57 minutes today, Team USA couldn’t break through. After scoring much than 30 goals successful the tournament, the U.S. had been held scoreless and trailed Canada 1-0. All the U.S. needed, Hilary Knight said afterward, was to “put 1 bully changeable connected net.”

With conscionable complete 2 minutes near to play, Laila Edwards fired toward the goal, wherever Knight had camped retired successful beforehand of the goalie. Knight deflected the puck into the net, tying the game.

Then, successful overtime, Team USA’s Megan Keller made an unthinkable individual play, maneuvering about a defender and past chipping the puck past the goalie.

“We knew it was a matter of time, conscionable leaning connected them, slowly, slowly,” Knight said successful an question and reply pinch NBC. “But you could besides tally retired of clip against a awesome team. Fortunate that we person an astonishing squad to beryllium capable to get the occupation done.”

This marked Team USA’s 3rd golden badge and first since 2018. The Americans vanished these Olympics 7-0 and outscored their opponents 33-2. With that goal, Knight besides became the all-time starring scorer for U.S. women’s lucky astatine the Olympics.

“I’m conscionable happy to person a golden medal,” she said. “Oh, my gosh, this feels amazing.”

Speedskating Corner

Jordan Stolz of the United States competes successful the men's velocity skating 1500m arena during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games successful Milan, connected Feb. 19, 2026.Daniel Munoz / AFP via Getty Images

After Jordan Stolz crossed the decorativeness statement of the 1,500-meter speedskating final, he bent over, put his hands connected his legs and breathed heavily. Stolz had vanished second down China’s Zhongyan Ning, by only 0.77 seconds, and took silver.

“Ning’s clip was a surprise. He had the title of his life,” Stolz told reporters aft the race. “I didn’t cognize overmuch about placings until I crossed the decorativeness line. But I was hoping if it wasn’t going to beryllium gold, I hoped I could get a silver.”

Stolz sewage disconnected to a slow commencement and admitted he “didn’t person 1 of [his] best” races. He still has a chance to unafraid his 3rd golden of these Games: He’ll compete successful the speedskating wide commencement arena Saturday.

Photo of the Day

A Team USA lucky subordinate celebrates pinch the golden badge aft the women's crystal lucky arena during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games successful Milan, connected Feb. 19, 2026.Julien de Rosa / AFP via Getty Images

When to Watch

In the quarterfinals of the men’s lucky tournament, 3 of the 4 games went to overtime. The semifinals should beryllium assignment viewing. Are the USA and Canada connected a collision people for the golden badge game? Or could Finland aliases Slovakia propulsion disconnected an upset? Tune successful to find out.

All times are successful Eastern, and an asterisk signifies a badge event:

Friday, Feb. 20

• 4:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s aerials qualification 1
• 4:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s freeski halfpipe qualification 1
• 5:15 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s aerials qualification 2
• 5:27 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s freeski halfpipe qualification 2
• 6 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s skis transverse 1/8 finals
• 6:35 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s skis transverse quarterfinals
• 6:54 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s skis transverse semifinals
• 7:10 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s skis transverse finals*
• 7:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s aerials finals*
• 8:05 a.m.: Curling, women’s semifinals
• 8:15 a.m.: Biathlon, men’s 15 km wide start*
• 10:30 a.m.: Speedskating, women’s 1,500-meter*
• 10:40 a.m.: Men’s hockey, semifinals, Canada vs. Finland
• 12 p.m.: Bobsled, two-woman power 1
• 1:05 p.m.: Curling, men’s bronze badge game*
• 1:30 p.m.: Freestyle skiing, men’s freeski halfpipe final*
• 1:50 p.m.: Bobsled, two-woman power 2
• 2:15 p.m.: Short way speedskating, women’s 1,500-meter quarterfinals
• 3:02 p.m.: Short way speedskating, women’s 1,500-meter semifinals
• 3:10 p.m.: Men’s hockey, semifinals, USA vs. Slovakia
• 3:30 p.m.: Short way speedskating, men’s 5,000-meter relay finals*
• 4:07 p.m.: Short way speedskating, women’s 1,500-meter finals*

That’s it for now! We’ll beryllium backmost tomorrow.