The Stelvio Showdown, Dual Moguls Debut, and Biathlon Sprints: Day 8 preview
The Stelvio Showdown, Dual Moguls Debut, and Biathlon Sprints
Saturday at the 2026 Games is headlined by three high-intensity battles where the margin for error is nonexistent. On the brutal Stelvio piste, Marco Odermatt faces his ultimate test in the Men’s Giant Slalom, needing to prove his season-long dominance can translate to Olympic gold under the pressure of a chasing pack led by Loic Meillard and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen. In Livigno, the debut of Dual Moguls brings a ruthless knockout format where the world’s best, including a redemption-seeking Jakara Anthony and speed-queen Jaelin Kauf, must go head-to-head in a frantic dash to the finish. Meanwhile, the biathlon stadium hosts the Women’s 7.5km Sprint, a race where pure ski speed is king and the French duo of Jeanmonnot and Simon look to continue their stranglehold on the podium.
Freestyle skiing
The Olympic debut of Dual Moguls brings a gladiatorial edge to the Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park, transforming the technical discipline into a high-octane knockout tournament. Unlike the individual event where skiers perform solo runs for a cumulative score, Dual Moguls pits two athletes head-to-head on parallel courses in a frantic dash to the finish. A panel of seven judges, four for turns, two for air, and one for speed, awards five votes each, which they split between the two competitors based on who performed better in that specific category. While crossing the finish line first provides a significant advantage for the speed judge, it does not guarantee a win if the opponent displayed superior technical precision in the moguls or greater difficulty in their jumps. The bracket progresses through a single-elimination format from the Round of 32 down to the Big Final, where the first-ever Olympic medals in this discipline will be decided.
Jakara Anthony (AUS): The Australian world number one enters the duals bracket on a mission for redemption after a devastating error in Wednesday's individual final relegated the defending champion to a shocking eighth place. Despite that setback, Anthony has been the most dominant force in moguls for the past four years, and her ability to combine massive air with clinical turns makes her the most complete dualist in the field. She has already stated that her focus has shifted immediately to this window for a second chance at gold, and if she can avoid the uncharacteristic timing issues that plagued her earlier this week, she remains the heavy favourite to stand on the top step of the podium.
Elizabeth Lemley (USA): The twenty-year-old sensation has become the face of the American freestyle program overnight after her clinical gold medal win in the individual competition on February 11. Lemley’s confidence is at an all-time high as she looks to become the first-ever double gold medalist in women’s moguls history. While she is one of the younger members of the U.S. squad, her ability to handle high-pressure environments was on full display during her winning run, and her dynamic, modern jumping style is perfectly suited for the rapid-fire nature of the head-to-head format.
Jaelin Kauf (USA): While her teammate Lemley has the individual gold, Kauf is widely considered the Duals Queen and arguably the most dangerous head-to-head racer on the planet. Coming off a silver medal in the individual event, her second consecutive Olympic silver, Kauf’s strategy is built on pure, unadulterated speed that often forces her opponents into fatal technical mistakes. As the reigning world champion in this specific discipline, she possesses an aggressive approach that makes her a nightmare match-up in any knockout bracket, and many experts believe this high-speed format is her best opportunity to finally secure the elusive Olympic gold.
Anri Kawamura (JPN): The Japanese ace brings a level of technical surgicality to the bumps that often leaves judges with very little to criticise. Kawamura has been a perennial podium threat on the World Cup circuit and is looking to bounce back from a fifth-place finish in the individual event that left her just seconds away from the medals. Her strength lies in her low centre of gravity and lightning-fast edge changes, which allow her to maintain a direct line through the moguls without losing control. In a dual format where precision under pressure is key, her consistency makes her the most likely candidate to pull off a deep run into the final four.
Hinako Tomitaka (JPN): Following an impressive fourth-place finish in the individual finals, Tomitaka has established herself as the secondary Japanese threat capable of upsetting the major powers. She showed incredible resilience earlier this week, nearly snatching a bronze medal with a run that prioritised clean landings and technical absorption. While she may not have the same raw descent speed as Jaelin Kauf, her ability to stay pinned to the fall line under the pressure of a side-by-side opponent makes her a dangerous underdog who could easily find herself in the small final fighting for a medal.
Perrine Laffont (FRA): The French legend and 2018 gold medalist remains a primary threat through sheer technical mastery and experience, having secured the individual bronze just two days ago. While Laffont has admitted that the raw speed of duals is physically taxing at this stage of her career, her ability to force opponents into errors by skiing a perfectly clean line is a tactical weapon that shouldn't be overlooked.
Prediction
Gold: Kauf
Silver: Anthony
Bronze: Lemley
Cross-country skiing
Women's 4x7.5km relay
The only distance relay event in the cross country program for the women sees four women each ski 7.5km for a total distance of 30km, with the first two legs in classic and the final two legs in the freestyle technique.
Sweden: The overwhelming favourites with the strongest athlete on all four legs on paper with a combined three gold and three silvers from these games, and this is event fou,r the only slight concern is how will Linn Svahn cope over 7.5km, as she is a pure sprinter but even if she ends up slightly behind Andersson, Karlsson and Sundling are almost certainly strong enough to run away with this itll be a surprise if they dont win by over a minute.
Norway: The second-best team, who will almost certainly finish second, their quartet of Fosnaes, Slind, Simpson-Larsen and Weng are the only quartet who have a prayer at taking down Sweden and they are almost certainly if they can hand over to Simpson-Larsen and Weng at least in level with Sweden, they have a chance at gold but ultimately are massive favourites for silver.
The intrigue of this race looks to be behind the front two and in the battle for bronze:
Finland: If they're to medal, they need to be at the front at the halfway point, as their classic skiers are much better than their free skiers. Matintalo and Niskanen are amongst the world's best classic skiers, and compared to their competitors, they have the advantage in the first half of the race.
Germany: the most well-rounded team not named Sweden or Norway, all of their athletes are great but not quite elite, so they should be evenly paced throughout if they're within sight of Finland at halfway. Hoffmann and Fink will fancy their chances at chasing them down.
USA: the strength in depth of Germany and Finland might not be there, but they do have the best athlete across these three teams in the 10km free bronze medalist Jessie Diggins if they're within touch handing over to Diggins, they will be favourites for bronze. A lot is riding on Rosie Brennan to keep them in touch through the classic half.
Prediction
Gold: Sweden
Silver: Norway
Bronze: Finland
Alpine skiing
Men's giant slalom
The first alpine event for the technical specialists on the Stevlio piste. Marco Odermatt once again comes in as favourite, which hasn't worked in his favour these games as he only has a silver and bronze to his name despite being favourite in the downhill, super-G and team combined. However, Giant Slalom has always been his best discipline as he won this event in 2022 and has won four crystal globes in this discipline, including winning every single race last season. He hasn't quite reached those heights this season, but is still top of the standings, having won three out of seven this season. His primary competitors for gold are:
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA): The charismatic former Norwegian will be looking to win Brazil's first-ever winter Olympic medal, and coming into these games on the back of three successive second places, will definitely be in contention, given his consistency despite not winning in this discipline since December 2022.
Loic Meillard (SUI): Even if Odermatt doesn't win, the Swiss have a great chance to continue their dominance of the men's alpine events at these games in Meillard, who has won twice this season, including in Schladming in the final event before these Olympics. Despite being below his best in the slalom section of the team combined, he is in great form.
Steffan Brennsteiner and Marco Schwarz (AUT): The Austrian charge is headed by these two, with Brennsteiner one of the most consistent Giant Slalom competitors as a discipline specialist; he is rarely outside the top five and has won this season. As for Schwarz, he can be brilliant, as shown by his win on Italian snow in Alta Badia, but he can struggle with consistency in this discipline. If he is at his best, he will medal.
Henrik Kristoffersen, Atle Lie Mcgrath and Timon Haugan (NOR): all three of the Norwegians are better slalom skiers than they are GS skiers, and with only four podiums between them this season, they individually are unlikely to medal, but as a collective, at least one is surely going to go well and contend for a medal.
Prediction
Gold: Odermatt
Silver: Meillard
Bronze: Pinheiro Braathen
Biathlon
The women's sprint event takes place over 7.5 km with three loops of 2.5km, and two shoots one prone and one standing, which makes it an event for the fast skiers rather than the great shots. This figures to be another French domination with Julia Simon and Lou Jeanmonnot the gold and silver medalists from the individiual the clear favourites for the medals. Both were in the top three for ski speed, with Simon third and Jeanmonnot first, meaning they won despite missing in the individual, showing they're amongst the few athletes who could miss one in the sprint and still win. Other contenders are:
Lisa Vittozzi (ITA): had a dismal individual, missing one on each of her four shoots but she was the fastest shot and her ski speed is strong within the top 12, so if she cleans up the shooting whe will be in contention for a medal
Dorothea Weirer (ITA): Was a great fifth in the individual, and if she had hit the extra target, she would have finished second, showing the ski speed is still their but these races against the clock are hard as there is no time to rest on the track, and at 35, it gets harder and harder to compete in the races against the clock. Weirer will have a great chance to medal in the pursuit and mass start.
Elvira Oeberg (SWE): Two misses cost her a chance of a medal in the individual but her ski speed was way off her best down in 13th, and all the Swedes were off their ski speed in both the men and the women in the early races, and the men returned to close to their best in the men's sprint is a good sign for Oeberg if her skis are good she can win with a miss and will definitely be in contention at some point in the race.
Hanna Oeberg (SWE): Hanna finished way down in 41st despite only missing three, as her ski speed was the 45th fastest, way off her usual position within the top five. Whether she knew she couldnt get a medal after the first shoot when she missed two, she may have taken it easy to save energy for the later events and for her sake i hope this is why she was so far off.
Suvi Minkinen (FIN): Another favourite who had a terrible individual finishing 20th despite missing the same number of targets as Jeanmonnot in second. Minkinnen will hopefully be buoyed on by the success of the Finns in the men's field, showing the skis are good. She probably has to hit all ten to medal, but that is well within her grasp.
Franziska Preuss (GER): was in a medal position before missing two on the final shoot to drop her to tenth is clearly in great form, especially through the rifle, which she almost never misses in the prone position, so at halfway will almost certainly be in the conversation for a medal.
Maren Kirkeide (NOR): Another of the favourites who had a terrible individual, where she finished way down 49th, missing five in the process. She was also poor in the mixed relay, taking Norway from second to fourth. However, she has been brilliant this season, and there is no way she can be this poor in all the events at some point; she will come good and contend for a medal.
Outsiders for a medal:
Whichever French athletes other than Jeanmonnot and Simon out of Bened, Braissaz-Bouchet, Richard and Michelon will likely be in the top 10 mix, but find it hard to see them medalling.
Lora Hristova (BUL): got an unbelievable bronze in the individual, so would be rude not to mention her, but she isnt usually that level of biathlete, so probably won't contend again, but you never know.
Anna Magnusson (SWE): The third of Swedes was actually the best of the three in the individual, but her peak ski speed probably isnt fast enough to contend certainly for gold, but if she hits the target,s she could sneak silver or bronze.
Prediction
Gold: Jeanmonnot
Silver: E.Oeberg
Bronze: Simon
Speed skating
The 500-meter speed skating final takes place tomorrow, February 14, at the Oval Milano. This event consists of a 100-meter straight followed by one full lap of the 400-meter track. Results are decided by a single timed heat, where the margin between podium positions is frequently less than 0.1 seconds. Skaters reach maximum velocities of approximately 60 km/h, with the opening 100-meter split serving as a primary indicator of final performance.
Jordan Stolz (USA): Stolz enters the 500m as the current World Cup leader, having secured the 2025/26 season trophy with 499 points. He won 16 races across all distances during the five-stop World Cup circuit this year. Two days ago, he won the Olympic gold medal in the 1000m with a time of 1:06.28, which set a new Olympic record. His personal best in the 500m is 33.69, and he has recorded five wins in this discipline during the current season.
Damian Zurek (POL): Zurek finished the 500m World Cup season ranked 2nd in the standings with 441 points. During the final World Cup event in Inzell in January 2026, he won the second 500m race with a time of 34.06, setting a new track record. This victory was one of the few instances where Stolz was defeated in this distance during the 2025/26 season. Zurek also set a new Polish national record earlier this season in Calgary with a time of 33.85.
Jenning De Boo (NED): De Boo is the 2025 World Sprint Champion and currently ranks 3rd in the World Cup 500m standings. He holds the second-fastest 500m time of the 2025/26 season at 33.63, recorded during the Salt Lake City World Cup in November 2025. In the 1000m event held on February 11, he finished in second place to earn the silver medal with a time of 1:06.78, finishing 0.50 seconds behind Stolz.
Wataru Morishige (JPN): Morishige finished the 2025/26 World Cup season ranked 4th in the 500m standings. He recorded a season-best time of 33.94 in Salt Lake City and secured a bronze medal at the World Cup stop in Stavanger in December 2025. He is the returning bronze medalist from the 2022 Winter Olympics in this event and has maintained an average opening 100-meter split of 9.52 seconds over the last four months of competition.
Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN): Shinhama holds a career personal best of 33.79 and achieved three top-five finishes during the 2025/26 World Cup circuit. His most recent podium was a third-place finish in November 2025 with a time of 34.44. Data from the current season shows he recorded a 24.15-second final lap in Inzell, which stands as one of the fastest closing segments in the current Olympic field.
Gao Tingyu (CHN): Gao is the defending Olympic champion and current Olympic record holder with a time of 34.32. During the 2025/26 season, his fastest competitive time was 33.93, recorded in November. In domestic competition in October 2025, he recorded an opening 100-meter split of 9.38 seconds at the Chinese National Olympic Qualification event, the fastest recorded opening segment of any skater entering the Milano finals.
Laurent Dubreuil (CAN): Dubreuil ended the 2025/26 World Cup season ranked 7th in the 500m standings. He was the silver medalist in the 1000m at the 2022 Winter Olympics and finished 8th in the 1000m final two days ago. His fastest 500m time this season is 34.09, and he has placed in the top five twice during the five World Cup events held between November 2025 and January 2026.
Prediction
Gold: Stolz
Silver: Tingyu
Bronze: Zurek
Skeleton
Prediction
Silver: Flock
Bronze: Freher
Ski jumping
The Men's Large Hill individual final at the Stadio del Salto Giuseppe Dal Ben in Predazzo. Unlike the Normal Hill, this event utilises a larger HS143 hill where athletes routinely surpass 140 meters, resulting in higher air speeds and a greater emphasis on aerodynamic stability. Each competitor performs two jumps, with the final ranking determined by the total combined score of distance points and style points awarded by five judges. Technical variables such as wind compensation and starting gate adjustments are calculated into the final score to ensure parity across changing weather conditions throughout the two rounds.
Domen Prevc (SLO): Prevc enters the Large Hill final as the overall World Cup leader with 1,614 points and the 2026 World Ski Flying champion. He secured the 2025/26 Four Hills Tournament title in January, winning the opening stops in Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen to build a 42.3-point margin over his nearest rival. While he finished 6th in the Normal Hill individual event earlier this week, he recorded the longest jump of the Mixed Team competition on February 10, reaching 143.5 meters to help Slovenia secure the gold medal.
Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN): The 2022 Large Hill silver medalist is currently ranked 2nd in the World Cup standings with 989 points. Kobayashi has recorded two individual World Cup wins this season, including the Large Hill event in Lillehammer, where he finished with 290.5 points. He also secured a podium finish at the final stop of the Four Hills Tournament in Bischofshofen, finishing 3rd with a score of 299.6. In the individual Normal Hill final on February 9, he finished in 8th place with a total of 260.6 points.
Ren Nikaido (JPN): Nikaido holds 3rd place in the World Cup standings with 921 points and recently won the Olympic bronze medal in the Normal Hill event in a rare four-way tie. His 2025/26 season includes his first career World Cup victory at the Innsbruck stop of the Four Hills Tournament, where he scored 276.5 points. He contributed 261.3 points to Japan's bronze medal in the Mixed Team event on Tuesday and has finished in the top five in six of the last eight World Cup Large Hill starts.
Philipp Raimund (GER): Raimund enters the Large Hill final as the newly crowned Olympic gold medalist in the Normal Hill, having won the event on February 9 with a total of 274.1 points. He currently ranks 6th in the World Cup standings with 743 points and achieved his first individual podium earlier this season in Falun. His scoring data from the current Olympic cycle shows an average of 18.5 style points from judges per jump, the highest average among the German contingent.
Kacper Tomasiak (POL): The nineteen-year-old enters as the Olympic silver medalist in the Normal Hill, where he finished 3.4 points behind Raimund. Tomasiak is currently ranked 14th in the World Cup standings with 342 points, having recorded a career-best 5th place finish in Engelberg this season. His performance in the individual Normal Hill included a final jump of 107 meters, which tied for the longest distance of that competition.
Jan Hörl (AUT): Hörl is the top-ranked Austrian in the Large Hill discipline, sitting 7th in the overall World Cup standings with 720 points. He finished the 2025/26 Four Hills Tournament in 2nd place overall, trailing Domen Prevc by 42.3 points. During the qualification round for the Large Hill in Lillehammer earlier this season, he posted the highest score of the day, and he holds a season-best distance of 144.5 meters recorded in Zakopane in January.
Gregor Deschwanden (SUI): Deschwanden is the bronze medalist from the Normal Hill final earlier this week, where he secured Switzerland's first ski jumping medal of these Games. He currently ranks 24th in the World Cup standings and has participated in four Olympic Games. His performance on the Normal Hill saw him tie for the longest jump of the day at 107 meters, and he has averaged a 12th-place finish across Large Hill World Cup events this season.
Prediction
Gold: Prevc
Silver: Raimund
Bronze: Kobayashi
Short-track speed skating
The Men's 1500m individual final takes place at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan. This distance is the endurance test of short track, requiring skaters to manage their energy over 13.5 laps while navigating a crowded field of seven athletes in the final. Unlike the sprints, the 1500m often features a slow technical start followed by a high-intensity final three laps where positioning and track sense determine the winner. The ranking is strictly based on the order of finish, though video referees frequently utilise slow-motion replays to assess penalties for impeding or illegal contact during the frequent overtaking manoeuvres.
William Dandjinou (CAN): Dandjinou enters the 1500m final as the dominant force of the 2025/26 season, currently leading the overall World Cup standings. He is the reigning 2025 World Champion at this distance and secured the Crystal Globe title earlier this year by winning five individual races on the World Tour circuit. His most recent victory in Gdansk saw him clock a time of 2:24.153, where he utilised his tall frame to maintain a defensive line against late-charging Italian and Korean skaters.
Park Ji-won (KOR): The 2023 World Champion and former two-time Crystal Globe winner remains the primary tactical threat to the Canadian duo. Park is currently ranked 2nd in the world and has reached the podium in four of the six 1500m World Cup events this season. He is known for a signature late-race outside pass that has allowed him to secure over 20 career individual World Cup wins, though he finished 4th at the 2025 World Championships after a tactical error in the final lap.
Steven Dubois (CAN): Dubois is the 2025 World Champion in the 500m and 1000m, currently ranked 3rd in the overall standings. While he is more renowned for his explosive sprinting speed, he has evolved into a 1500m specialist this season, finishing as the runner-up to his teammate Dandjinou in Montreal with a time of 2:13.575. His versatility makes him a strategic asset for the Canadian team, often pushing the pace early to exhaust the closing speed of the technical Korean skaters.
Pietro Sighel (ITA): As the top home-nation favourite, Sighel enters with the support of the Milan crowd and a 2025 World Championship bronze medal in the 1000m. He secured his first career World Cup gold earlier this season in Montreal and finished on the podium at the 1500m event in Gdansk with a time of 2:24.288. His data from the current Olympic cycle shows he has the highest success rate for inside-track overtakes among all European competitors.
Shaoang Liu (CHN): Since switching allegiance from Hungary to China, Liu has maintained his status as one of the most decorated skaters in the field with four Olympic medals. He currently sits on the 1500m podium in the World Cup standings and won the bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships with a time of 2:15.871. His racing style is characterised by extreme patience, often staying in the back of the pack until the final two laps to avoid the mid-race collisions that frequently occur in the 1500m.
Jang Sung-woo (KOR): Jang is the rising star of the Korean contingent, having secured a bronze medal in the 5000m relay at the 2025 World Championships. He has consistently reached the 1500m "A" finals throughout the 2025/26 World Cup season, finishing in the top five on three separate occasions. His endurance stats are among the best in the field, allowing him to maintain lap times under 9.0 seconds even in the final stages of the race.
Hwang Dae-heon (KOR): The defending 1500m Olympic champion from Beijing 2022 is seeking to reclaim his position at the top of the podium after a season hampered by injuries. Despite a lower ranking of 11th in the current World Cup standings, he holds the Olympic record at this distance and qualified for the Milan Games by winning the 1500m at the Korean National Trials. His experience in high-pressure finals remains a critical factor, as he has participated in more major 1500m finals than any other athlete in the field.
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