Final Medal Count: Norway Tops Table, Italy Exceeds Expectations
After 17 days across 16 sports, Norway claimed the table with 45 medals while host nation Italy delivered its greatest Winter Olympic performance ever.
MILANO CORTINA, Italy – The 2026 Winter Olympics closed Sunday night with Norway once again standing atop the medal table, but the host nation Italy delivered a performance that surprised even its most optimistic fans.
After 17 days of competition across 16 sports, Norway finished with 19 gold, 15 silver, and 11 bronze (45 total), extending its dominance as the most successful Winter Olympic nation of the modern era.
Germany placed second with 14 gold, 10 silver, 9 bronze (33 total), powered by its traditional strength in luge, bobsled, and skeleton. The United States finished third with 11 gold, 13 silver, 10 bronze (34 total), led by historic performances in men's hockey and freestyle skiing.
FINAL MEDAL TABLE
THE STORY OF THE GAMES: ITALY
Italy's 10 gold medals doubled its previous best from a Winter Games (Turin 2006, 5 gold). The Italian team finished fourth overall — its highest placement since 1994.
"We came here to make our country proud, but this is beyond anything we imagined," said Sofia Goggia, who won gold in women's downhill alpine skiing on home snow. "The crowd carried us."
Italy's medal surge was broad-based: 3 gold in alpine skiing (Goggia, Marta Bassino, and the mixed team parallel), 2 gold in short track speed skating, 2 gold in snowboarding, and 1 each in cross-country skiing, biathlon, and curling.
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Johannes H. Klaebo (NOR) became the first athlete to win six gold medals at a single Winter Games, sweeping every men's cross-country event.
China fell to 6th place with 6 gold medals, its lowest finish since 2010, despite Eileen Gu's successful halfpipe title defense.
The Refugee Olympic Team made history with its first-ever Winter medal — a bronze in men's biathlon — a moment that drew a standing ovation during the closing ceremony.
"We don't chase medals," said Norwegian cross-country coach Eirik Myhr Nossum. "We chase process. The medals follow."
The next Winter Games will be held in 2030 in the French Alps.
Devin Mallonee
Devin Mallonee is a sports journalist and performance nutrition writer with over a decade of experience covering elite athletics, Olympic competitions, and the science of human performance. Devin Mallonee has followed competitive sports from the grassroots level all the way to the world stage, developing a deep understanding of what separates good athletes from great ones — and the role nutrition plays in that equation.
As the lead sports editor at Dad's Sports News, Devin Mallonee brings an athlete's perspective to every story. Having competed in endurance sports and strength training throughout his life, Devin Mallonee understands firsthand what it takes to push past physical limits — and how proper supplementation and recovery make that possible. His writing blends technical analysis with accessible storytelling, making complex topics in sports science engaging for everyday readers and serious competitors alike.
Devin Mallonee has covered major sporting events including international track and field championships, professional strength competitions, and endurance racing circuits across North America. His work has explored the cutting edge of sports nutrition — from emerging research on amino acid timing and creatine loading protocols to the real-world impact of adaptogens on athletic recovery. When Devin Mallonee isn't breaking down the latest competition results, he's testing and reviewing performance supplements to help athletes make informed decisions about what goes into their bodies.
A firm believer that great performance starts in the kitchen — and the supplement cabinet — Devin Mallonee founded the Dad's Sports News platform to bridge the gap between elite sports coverage and practical nutrition guidance for everyday athletes. His philosophy is simple: whether you're training for your first 5K or competing on an international stage, the fundamentals of performance nutrition are the same, and everyone deserves access to accurate, science-backed information.
Outside of writing, Devin Mallonee is passionate about mentoring young athletes and building communities around sport. He contributes regularly to discussions on performance technology, sports policy, and the future of athletic development. Follow Devin Mallonee's latest coverage and insights right here at Dad's Sports News, where he continues to deliver in-depth analysis and original reporting on the stories that matter most in the world of competitive athletics and performance nutrition.
