The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina are officially over… which countries won this most Olympic medals this year?
For many people, the Summer Olympic Games are the main draw and the Winter Olympics are basically the ugly stepchild. However, for those of us who are cultured, we know that the events at the Winter Olympics are just as exciting if not even better than the Summer Olympics. Every four years the Winter Olympics wows the world with some of the best moments sport has to offer. From the Jamaican bobsled team to the incredibly quirky Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards, each Winter Olympic Games is full of incredible stories that inspire us all. This year was no exception.
Alyssa Liu was able to win the first Gold for the United States in Women’s ice skating in almost 25 years; Claudia Rieglar competed in her fifth Olympic games for Austria at the age of 52; Ailing Gu became the most decorated female freestyle skier with 6 medals representing China; and figure skater Ilia Malinin made history as the first person to land a legal one-footed backflip at the Olympics. The intense dual-overtime wins for both the Men and Women’s U.S. hockey teams over Canada will be the most talked about hockey event since Heated Rivalry. Event after even was jam-packed with action and athleticism at every turn. But lets talk about what’s really important – Olympic medals.
While each athlete competes individually, each medal earned is also a point of national pride for the country they represent. Earning the most medals turns into a bit of a bragging right for everyone from there. While the United States often runs away with the medal count at the Summer Games, the Winter Olympics tends to be more competitive. Which, in my opinion, also makes it more interesting. So, which countries earned the most medals at Milano-Cortina 2026?
5) Japan (24 Medals)
How many total medals did Japan win at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Japan won 24 total medals in 2026
How many gold medals did Japan win? Japan won 5 gold medals in 2026
How many silver medals did Japan win? Japan won 7 silver medals in 2026
How many bronze medals did Japan win? Japan won 12 bronze medals in 2026
4) Germany (26 Medals) 
How many total medals did Germany win at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Germany won 26 total medals in 2026
How many gold medals did Germany win? Germany won 8 gold medals in 2026
How many silver medals did Germany win? Germany won 10 silver medals in 2026
How many bronze medals did Germany win? Germany won 8 bronze medals in 2026
3) Italy (30 Medals)
10🥇6🥈14🥉
This year Italy hosted the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina and their athletes certainly did their nation proud on home territory. Italy’s 30 total medals represented their highest ever haul at the Winter Olympics. As the Olympic host nation, there is always additional pressure to perform and the Italian Olympians certainly did not let down. Ancient Rome was the originator of the Olympic Games and modern Italy proudly carries the torch with performances like these to this day. Italy also received the most bronze medals of any country at the 2026 Winter Olympics showcasing their dogged determination to claw their way onto the podium by any means necessary. Well done, Italy.
How many total medals did Italy win at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Italy won 30 total medals in 2026
How many gold medals did Italy win? Italy won 10 gold medals in 2026
How many silver medals did Italy win? Italy won 6 silver medals in 2026
How many bronze medals did Italy win? Italy won 14 bronze medals in 2026
2) United States (33 Medals)
How many total medals did The United States win at the 2026 Winter Olympics: The U.S. won 33 total medals in 2026
How many gold medals didThe United States win? The U.S. won 12 gold medals in 2026
How many silver medals did The United States win? The U.S. won 12 silver medals in 2026
How many bronze medals did The United States win? The U.S. won 9 bronze medals in 2026
1) Norway (41 Medals)
18🥇12🥈11🥉
Once again, Norway absolutely dominated the Winter Olympics. After adding an astonishing 41 more medals to their total count in Milano-Cortina, Norway now has a total of 446 total Winter Olympic medals. This means that Norway is the country with the most Winter Olympic medals – and it’s not particularly close either (the US comes in a distant second with a total of 363 medals after Milano-Cortina). They also came away with 6 gold medals more than their closest competitor so they weren’t exactly barely squeaking by either – they were completely trouncing the competition.
Their medal haul this year was led by Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who was able to break the record for most gold medals by a single athlete at the Winter Olympics with an eye-popping 6 gold medals. That’s more medals in a single Games than many
countries have earned in their Olympic histories. Klæbo has cemented himself not just as one of the greatest cross-countries skiers of all time, not just as one of the greatest Winter Olympians of all time, but one of the greatest athletes of all time. His cross-country dominance is at a level that puts his name in the same conversation as athletic greats like Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods. Norway should be proud – then again, they are probably pretty used to winning by now.
How many total medals did Norway win at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Norway won 41 total medals in 2026
How many gold medals did Norway win? Norway won 18 gold medals in 2026
How many silver medals did Norway win? Norway won 12 silver medals in 2026
How many bronze medals did Norway win? Norway won 11 bronze medals in 2026
2026 Winter Olympics Final Medal Count
| Country | 🥇 Gold | 🥈 Silver | 🥉 Bronze | 🏅 Total | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 18 | 12 | 11 | 41 | #1 |
| United States | 12 | 12 | 9 | 33 | #2 |
| Italy | 10 | 6 | 14 | 30 | #3 |
| Germany | 8 | 10 | 8 | 26 | #4 |
| Japan | 5 | 7 | 12 | 24 | #5 |
This year’s Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina will go down in history as one to remember. While Norway once again ran away with the the total medal count, each country and athlete that competed and gave it their all has something to be proud of. There were moments of triumph and heartbreak, rivalry and comraderies, dominance and teamwork – everything you could ask for from a memorable Games. While having the most Olympic medals isn’t everything, it is certainly something to be proud of and Norway and its people and athletes should absolutely feel a sense of national pride over this incredible accomplishment. Now we just have to wait another four years for Winter Olympics 2030 in France!
