Breezy Johnson brought the first gold medal to the USA. Photo by Reuters.
The competitions in Cortina d'Ampezzo began with the women's downhill, where Breezy Johnson took first place. Silver went to Emma Aicher from Germany, and the bronze medal was awarded to Italian Sofia Goggia.
Unfortunately, the day was marred by the fall of Lindsey Vonn, the renowned skier, who returned to the sport in 2024 after a five-year hiatus. She was urgently evacuated by helicopter.
Late in the evening, it was reported that the 41-year-old athlete was taken to a hospital in Treviso, where she underwent surgery.
According to doctors, "In the afternoon, Vonn underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilize the fracture of her left leg."
Lindsey Vonn fell 13 seconds after the start. Photo by Reuters.
In the men's skiathlon over a distance of 10+10 kilometers, gold was won by Norwegian Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Frenchman Mathis DeLoach finished second, while the bronze went to another Norwegian, Martin Løwstrøm Nygård.
Russia's Saveliy Korosteleva, competing under a neutral flag, finished fourth, although for a brief moment he was in contention for bronze. DeLoach, who won silver, received a warning from the judges for cutting the course during the ski change, but the appeal from the Russian side was not upheld.
Frenchman Mathis DeLoach (number 9) became the bronze medalist, while Russian Saveliy Korosteleva (number 15) finished the race in fourth place. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.
Additionally, for the first time in Olympic skiing, an athlete from Haiti participated: Stevenson Savar finished in 64th place, which was the last position among those who completed the entire distance.
Stevenson Savar is the first skier from Haiti to successfully finish a race. Photo by Reuters.
Karl Benjamin is the oldest Olympic champion at the age of 40. Photo by Reuters.
In the mixed relay biathlon, the French team took first place, while Italy finished second and Germany third.
The women competed for medals in the parallel giant slalom, where gold went to Czech athlete Zuzana Máderová, silver to Austrian Sabine Meyer, and bronze to Italian Lucia Dalmaso.
Among men in the giant slalom, Austrian Karl Benjamin won, followed by South Korean Kim Sang-kyum, and Bulgarian Tervel Zamfirov took third place.
Speed skater Sander Eitrem from Norway set a new Olympic record, winning the 5000 meters with a time of 06:03.95. Czech Methody Jilek finished second, while the bronze went to Italian Riccardo Lorello.
Max Langenhan with his gold medal and Olympic mascots. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.
In the luge competitions, German Max Langenhan won the gold medal. Silver went to Austrian Jonas Müller, and bronze was awarded to Italian Dominik Fischnaller.
In the team figure skating tournament, which concluded late in the evening, the USA team emerged victorious, with an outstanding performance by Ilia Malinin.
Photo by Neil Hall / EPA / Shutterstock.
The Japanese team finished second, while the bronze medals were awarded to the host nation, Italy.
On Monday, February 9, five sets of medals will be contested in sports such as speed skating, alpine skiing, ski jumping, snowboarding, and freestyle. Competitions in curling (mixed pairs) and hockey (women's teams) will also continue.
The XXV Winter Olympic Games are taking place in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from February 7 to 22.
