MILAN (AP) — Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland looks like a breakout star of the Milan Cortina Olympics after winning his third gold medal. Jordan Stolz has one gold and is targeting three more. And Chloe Kim and a bunch of NHL stars are just getting started.
Von Allmen won the super-G in Bormio on Wednesday to become the third man with three victories in Alpine skiing at one Winter Games. It hadn't been done since 1968.
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Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett, left, and United States' Chloe Kim smile after the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky celebrates after scoring her side's opening goal during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Slovakia and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
United States' Chloe Kim competes during the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates winning the gold medal in a men's super-G race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Wednesday, Feb.11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
That's not a priority for von Allmen, though. He said he's just staying in the moment. As for history, “maybe in a few years it will be important for me,” he added.
Von Allmen won the downhill on Saturday and paired with Tanguy Nef to win the team combined Monday.
Jordan Stolz won the first of what could be four gold medals at these Winter Olympics in men's 1,000-meter speedskating.
The 21-year-old from Wisconsin set an Olympic record with his time but had to wait longer than usual for his victory to be confirmed because another skater was given a do-over after being bumped during his race.
When Joep Wennermars of the Netherlands failed to beat Stolz, it was time for the American to take a delayed victory lap.
American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates sought gold but ended up with silver as they were upset by France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
Cizeron became the first skater to win back-to-back ice dance gold with different partners. The Canadian team of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier took bronze ahead of Italian and British contenders.
The puck dropped on men's hockey on Wednesday, marking the return of NHL players to the Games for the first time since 2014.
It started with the Juraj Slafkovsky show, part two.
The Slovakian forward who lit up the 2022 Olympics as a 17-year-old tournament MVP returned as an NHL star with the Montreal Canadiens and picked up where he left off.
Slafkovsky finished with two goals, including the tournament opener, and one assist as Slovakia upset 2022 gold medalist Finland 4-1 in the first game of the preliminary round.
The one team without NHL players, host nation Italy, pushed Sweden hard in a 5-2 loss. It was a one-goal game with five minutes remaining.
The NHL opted not to participate in the Pyeongchang Olympics of 2018, and pandemic-related scheduling issues prompted the league to skip the Beijing Games in 2022.
The halfpipe three-peat attempt began promisingly for Chloe Kim on Wednesday as she finished first in qualifying while wearing a shoulder brace.
After a shoulder injury disrupted her buildup to the Games, Kim credited her muscle memory and a “very well-behaved” shoulder for getting her through to the 12-athlete final on Thursday.
Elsewhere in the mountains, Elizabeth Lemley and Jaelin Kauf won gold and silver for the United States in women’s freestyle moguls skiing.
Host nation Italy's luge team won two gold medals in one evening, first in the new event of women's doubles, then an hour later in men's doubles. That put the Italian medal count for the Milan Cortina Games at 13, tied with Norway for the most. The U.S. has 12.
Jens Luraas Oftebro of Norway overtook rivals and plowed through deep, slushy snow for gold in the Nordic combined normal hill event. And in the women's 15-kilometer individual biathlon, Julia Simon became the first Frenchwoman to win gold and teammate Lou Jeanmonnot took silver.
The Canadian team at the Winter Olympics issued a statement saying it is “heartbroken” after waking to the news of a deadly school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
“Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones, those who are injured, and the entire Tumbler Ridge community,” the statement said.
A standoff between Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych and the International Olympic Committee rumbled on as he again trained in a helmet decorated with portraits of Ukrainians killed in Russian attacks, many of them athletes. The IOC says it won't allow the helmet in competition.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett, left, and United States' Chloe Kim smile after the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky celebrates after scoring her side's opening goal during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Slovakia and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
United States' Chloe Kim competes during the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates winning the gold medal in a men's super-G race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Wednesday, Feb.11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Polls opened across Bangladesh on Thursday for voters to cast ballots in a parliamentary election seen as a critical test of the country’s democracy after years of political turmoil.
After a slow start, crowds came to polling stations in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere by midmorning. Balloting will continue through Thursday with results expected Friday.
More than 127 million people are eligible to vote in Bangladesh’s first election since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed in 2024 after weeks of mass protests. Hasina fled the country and her party is banned from the polls. She is living in exile in India.
Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a leading contender to form the next government. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile in London. Rahman has pledged to rebuild democratic institutions, restore the rule of law and revive the struggling economy.
Challenging the BNP is an 11-party alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, which was banned under Hasina but has gained prominence since her removal. The conservative religious group’s growing influence has fueled concern, particularly among women and minority communities, that social freedoms could come under pressure if they come to power. Bangladesh is more than 90% Muslim, while around 8% are Hindu.
Shafiqur Rahman, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, expressed optimism after casting his vote in a polling station.
“It (the election) is a turning point,” he told The Associated Press. “People demand change. They desire change. We also desire the change.”
The vote is taking place under an interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has said it is committed to delivering a credible and transparent election. As part of that effort, around 500 international observers and foreign journalists will be present, including delegations from the European Union and the Commonwealth, to which Bangladesh belongs.
Bangladesh’s Parliament has 350 seats, including 300 elected directly from single-member constituencies and 50 reserved for women. Lawmakers are chosen by plurality and the parliament serves a five-year term. The Election Commission recently postponed voting in one constituency after a candidate died.
The election could reshape the domestic stability of Bangladesh, a country whose post-1971 history since gaining independence from Pakistan has been marked by entrenched political parties, military coups and allegations of vote rigging. Young voters, many of whom played a central role in the 2024 uprising, are expected to be influential. Some 5 million first-time voters are eligible.
“I think it is a very crucial election because this is the first time we can show our opinion with freedom,” said 28-year-old voter Ikram ul Haque, adding that past elections were far from fair.
“We are celebrating the election. It is like a festival here,” he said. “I hope Bangladesh will have exponential change.”
Thursday’s election is a critical test not just of leadership but of trust in Bangladesh’s democratic future. Voters can say “Yes” to endorse major reform proposals that stemmed from a national charter signed by major political parties last year.
If a majority of voters favor the referendum, the newly elected Parliament could form a constitutional reform council to make the changes with 180 working days from its first session. The proposals include the creation of new constitutional bodies and changing Parliament from a single body to a bicameral legislature with an upper house empowered to amend the constitution by majority vote.
The BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami both signed the document with some changes after initially expressing some dissent. Hasina’s Awami League party, which is a major party, and some of its former allies were excluded from the discussion. The referendum has still been criticized for limiting the options put before voters.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, centre, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A person shows victory signs after casting his vote outside a polling center during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, center, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman waves as he comes out after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Bangladeshi people stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
An army official announces to the voters to maintain discipline in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Bangladeshi women stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
People ride on three wheelers on a street ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Security personnel arrive to collect ballot boxes and voting materials at a distribution centre ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
An official stands near ballot boxes and voting papers before its distribution to various polling centers ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
