Day 4 of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina saw intense competition across snow and ice events on Tuesday, keeping the medal race extremely close among traditional powerhouses.

With 18 of 116 medal events completed by early Tuesday, Norway maintained its lead in the gold-medal count and overall standings.

Current medal standings

Norway: 3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze (Total: 6)

Switzerland: 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze (Total: 5)

Japan: 2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze (Total: 7) — climbed to third after strong showings in snowboarding and figure skating

Germany: 2 gold

United States: 2 gold — from Breezy Johnson’s women’s downhill and the figure skating team event led by Ilia Malinin

Italy (hosts): 1 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze (Total: 9) — leading the overall medal count, steadily adding bronzes in alpine and other disciplines

Key highlights from Day 4:

Men’s figure skating:

Ilia Malinin (“Quad God”, USA), fresh from anchoring the US team gold, faced fierce rivalry from Yuma Kagiyama (Japan, Beijing 2022 silver medallist).

Their battle—sparked when Kagiyama edged Malinin in segments of the team event but the US prevailed overall—set the stage for more drama ahead of Friday’s free skate.

Men’s cross-country sprint classic:

Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo chased his second gold of the Games in the final. The sprint king, already victorious in the 10km + 10km skiathlon, aimed to defend his title from the previous two Olympics.

Women’s luge:

Germany’s Julia Taubitz (world champion) sought to extend her nation’s dominance in the final two runs against Austria’s Lisa Schulte (2024 world champion).

The Games are expected to deliver more high-stakes clashes in the coming days, with strong performances anticipated from the United States, European nations, and Asian powerhouses such as Japan and China.

Also read: Italy clinch record-breaking 6 medals at Winter Olympics