The bright shining lights, the roar of the crowd, and the pressure of the entire country weighing on your shoulders. It’s a lifetime opportunity that chosen athletes will cherish for the rest of their lives. The Olympics are a seasonal competition that is held every two years, alternating between the Summer and Winter Games. Ultimately, this means that the Winter Games happen every four years, and the Summer Games happen the opposite four years. From curling and skiing in the winter to surfing and cycling in the summer, the Olympics are a phenomenon no one wants to miss, and millions of people tune in to watch every year they take place. Dating back nearly 3,000 years, the games always seem to bring much-needed happiness and a sense of being one country.
The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games brought many emotions. From tears of joy and sadness to the screams of winning over their rival country. The Olympics are a great way for a nation to show its athletic strength. With around 2,900 athletes competing in these winter games, many moments will be remembered as among the greatest for a very long time. One of these was the United States Figure Skating Team winning gold, and another was one of their female figure skaters, Alysa Liu, conquering the competition and taking the top spot on the podium of the Women’s singles event. Even though the team was favored by many, they fought hard to keep their lead, which ultimately won them the gold. But one of the strongest competitors on their team, who contributed many points to the score and caught the eyes of many, was Ilia Malinin.
He grew up the son of two Olympic figure skaters and stole the hearts of countless people with his striking good looks and amazing routines. The young skater has achieved two world championship titles and has really made a name for himself. Known as the Quadgod to many, there was no doubt that he would come out on top in all of his events. From the backflips that people found to be dangerous to becoming the only skater in history ever to land a quadruple axel in a competition. Malinin has been described as one of the best figure skaters of all time. But in the end, the pressure got to him, and he finished the competition in 8th place.
Figure skating wasn’t the only time the USA dominated the ice. Both the Women’s and Men’s Ice Hockey teams won the gold medal. It had been 46 years since the men won, and eight years for the women. They shocked many when both teams won over Canada in overtime and beat their hardest competitor. Even though there were smiles and tears of joy on the ice when both teams won, there was some controversy off the ice. A few weeks ago, the USA Men’s hockey team received a call from President Donald Trump, who said they would be invited to the State of the Union, where they would be recognized and given a medal. Later in the phone call, Trump mentioned that the Women’s team was also invited, but seemed to say it in a mocking manner. With video evidence, one can see how both the men’s team and the President laugh about this and think that it is funny. The President later says that if he had not invited the Women’s team, he would have been impeached immediately. After hearing about this, the USA Women’s Hockey team declined the offer, as they felt this action was disrespectful and inappropriate.
When it comes to honor and competing for your country, many people would jump at the opportunity. Sports are such a big part of the world, and the Olympics truly show how much people love them. When your country is on the line of winning something so big, everyone puts all of their effort into fighting until the end, and comes home with the win. Because who wouldn’t want to put on a uniform that symbolizes unity and the true passion for the sport they have loved for so many years? In the end, we all need to remember what the rings represent, and how the little kid in all of us has always dreamed of doing something so big, and coming home with a gold medal around our neck.
