2026 Winter Olympics: The Games as told by photos from each day - ESPN

After just over two weeks, the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics have come to a close, bringing thrilling action and memorable moments in spades.

In a quest to provide both a general look at the breadth of competition that occurs at the Games as well as some of the more specific individual moments, we compiled collages that both take a look at the story of each of the Games' days overall, as well as one specific snapshot of particular significance.

Here are the 2026 Winter Olympics, as told by photos.

Moment of the day: Every Games needs its first gold medal winner, and Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen provided that moment in Milan, winning in men's downhill in what was the 24-year-old's first Olympic race.

Moment of the day: Breezy Johnson got the U.S. off the mark on the gold medal table on the Games' second day, providing a small lift for Team USA to cap off a downhill event that had been dampened by Lindsey Vonn's brutal crash earlier in the day.

Moment of the day: The American mixed curling duo of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin delivered a thrilling 9-8 win over Italy in the event's semifinal round, securing Team USA's first trip to the final since the event's Olympic debut in 2018.

Moment of the day: A rivalry matchup that would prove to be a gold medal game preview turned into a surprising rout, as USA women's hockey delivered an emphatic 5-0 win over Canada in group stage play, paced by two goals from Hannah Bilka and three assists from Abbey Murphy.

Moment of the day: Jordan Stolz, 21, entered Milan as a contender in four different speedskating disciplines, and he got his Games off to a fittingly impressive start in the 1000 meters — setting an Olympic record in a gold medal-winning performance.

Moment of the day: Chlo