A record-setting Winter Olympics: 6 golds and 17 medals for the US in women's events set marks

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — The U.S. women's hockey team had just won Olympic gold, and veteran forward Kendall Coyne Schofield summed the moment up perfectly.

“We did it!” she exclaimed.

Plenty of American women — more than ever at a Winter Olympics — had the same sentiment at these Milan Cortina Games.

When it came to winning medals, they indeed did it. And in record numbers, too.

American women — not even counting mixed events — were up to six golds and 17 medals overall through Saturday, the next-to-last day of these Games. The previous U.S. winter women's-only marks: five golds (done in 1992, 2002 and 2018) and 13 medals (done in 2014 and 2022).

“Our team is so strong,” Milan Cortina women’s slalom gold medalist and Alpine legend Mikaela Shiffrin said. “We have so many incredible athletes and teammates and friends, and everybody just showed up with so much courage and heart here. And I’m so proud to be part of this American team.”

The count goes to 21 medals for U.S. women from Milan Cortina when adding in mixed competition. More than 40 American women will leave the Games with at least one medal — another winter record for the U.S. And those numbers could keep rising, with some medal chances still left before the cauldrons get extinguished and the Games come to a close.

“Team USA is crushing it and it’s friggin’ sweet,” said U.S. women's bobsledder Kaillie Humphries Armbruster — a bronze medalist in monobob and in the two-woman event on Saturday night. “Women’s hockey got gold, hell yeah. It's all definitely motivating.”

There was shiny motivation everywhere U.S. women could look.

Shiffrin and downhill winner Breezy Johnson won golds in Alpine skiing, Elana Meyers Taylor won in monobob, Alysa Liu won the figure skating women's singles gold (plus another gold in the team event for both men and women), Elizabeth Lemley took the Olympic title in freestyle moguls and the women's hockey team rallied late to force overtime and then beat Canada for that title. Kaila Kuhn was part of a gold-medal win in mixed team aerials as well — the 11th for Team USA at these Olympics, the most by the Americans in Winter Games history.

The U.S. men have been no slouches in Italy.

But the U.S. women have been record-setting.

“It’s iconic. It’s legendary,” U.S. bobsledder Kaysha Love said. “At the end of the day, I think that’s why we do this.”

In fairness, the games have grown over time, which means more women have gotten the chance to become Olympians. There were 41 events for women (excluding mixed events) at Milan Cortina, compared with 37 at Turin in 2006 and a mere 12 at Lake Placid in 1980.

Still, records are records. And this U.S. Olympic women’s team, as a total group, set a new standard. Sarah Hirshland, the CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, pointed to the fact that many of the women's medalists at Milan Cortina came from other sports and starred at the collegiate level.

“You still have to look back and point to Title IX and the effects of the ability to have those competitive years in an elite collegiate system that helps drive the success for women in ways that other countries just haven’t yet benefited,” Hirshland said.

The 17 medals for Americans in women's competition at Milan Cortina, and 21 when adding in mixed events, would top the total medals won by all U.S. athletes — men, women and mixed — in every Winter Games from 1924 through 1998.

Freestyle skiing has delivered four of the 17 women's medals for Americans in these Games; Jaelin Kauf got two of those, both silvers in moguls.

“There’s an incredibly strong women’s team and moguls program in the U.S., (which is) exactly why it’s so good,” Kauf said. “We have become extremely dominant in the last handful of years, continuing to be the best women’s team in the world for four or five years now.”

Clearly, success breeds success. Just ask Cory Thiesse.

She became the first American woman to medal in Olympic curling. Thiesse won silver in mixed doubles with Korey Dropkin and got there, in part, because she was inspired by past success of others — whether they were in curling or not.

“I know how important it was for me to have girls to look up to when I was growing up, not only in my own sport but other sports out there winning medals and seeing that on TV and dreaming big because of it,” Thiesse told the AP on Friday, one day before she and the U.S. women lost the bronze-medal match to Canada. “So, I just think it’s great for future generations.”

U.S. men's hockey coach Mike Sullivan said the American women who delivered this year are also planting seeds for 2030, 2034 and beyond.

“What a terrific hockey team, and they’ll be an inspiration for the next generation of girls growing up in the United States,” Sullivan said after the U.S. women topped Canada for hockey gold. “It’s crazy how far women’s hockey has come in the United States, and a lot of it is due to the teams like this and the girls that play on these teams. They inspire the next generation.”

AP National Writer Eddie Pells, AP Hockey Writers Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow, AP Sports Writer Pat Graham and AP reporter Jennifer McDermott contributed to this report.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' team celebrate after victory ceremony for women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Gold medalist Alysa Liu of the United States displays her medal after competing in the women's free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning the gold medal in an alpine ski, women's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

United States' gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor celebrates at the finish after the women's monobob competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

United States' Megan Keller (5), covered in the U.S. flag, gets a hug from a teammate after the United States' women's ice hockey team stand after being presented with the gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Justin Foscue finally went deep for the first time in the big leagues with the Texas Rangers. That home run created a much happier highlight than the embarrassing blooper-reel moment he knows he will see often in the future after running into their two-time World Series MVP shortstop.

“Getting your first home run is a big deal. ... And I almost took out the star shortstop,” Foscue said. “A lot of ups and downs.”

Foscue, a first-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2020, hit his first career homer Saturday night in the Rangers’ 6-0 victory that snapped the Chicago Cubs’ 10-game winning streak.

“It was a big relief for me,” he said. “It is the best moment of my career so far.”

That came roughly 24 hours after he was playing second base and collided with Corey Seager, who was moving to his left to field a grounder up the middle. The ball squirted past as the infielders tumbled to the ground behind the bag. Neither was injured, but Foscue was charged with an error for causing the mishap in that 7-1 loss.

“Nobody feels worse (for) running into Corey Seager. Trust me, he did not want to do that,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I think it was big of Corey to go up to him and say, it’s gonna be all right, you know, don’t worry about it.”

Seager actually texted Foscue after that game to let him know everything was good.

“That really meant a lot,” Foscue said. “I said I’m glad you’re OK.”

Foscue had entered the series opener against the Cubs as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, and his RBI single produced the only Texas run. The fielding blooper to open the seventh led to three unearned runs for Chicago.

When the Rangers gave struggling Jake Burger a break Saturday night, Foscue started at first base.

“If (Seager) would have gotten hurt, then I don’t know if I would be here,” Foscue said after his 23th big league game since his debut in 2024. It was his fourth game this season since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock after second baseman Josh Smith went on the injured list.

Instead, Foscue stayed and Schumaker was even making light of the fielding blooper with a joke about it during the hitters meeting before Saturday’s game.

“Kind of lightens it a little bit,” Foscue said. “Stuff like that happens in baseball, and I hate that I was the one, that I was part of it, and I cannot believe that it happened still. ... You can’t think about the day before. If you do that, you’re gonna be carrying a lot of baggage with you.”

In the clubhouse after hitting his first home, Foscue got a celebratory beer shower from his teammates.

“It’s how you bounce back,” Schumaker said. “That shows you what kind of person and what kind of character you have.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue runs the bases after hitting his first career home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue loads up while waiting for a pitch from the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue (14) reacts with manager Skip Schumaker, second from left, and staff after hitting his first career home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, left, and second baseman Justin Foscue collide while fielding a ball hit by Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, May 8, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)