Team GB's Best Winter Olympics Ever Ends in Italy

Great Britain just had its best Winter Olympics ever, taking home three gold medals and making history on snow and ice in Italy.

Team GB finished with five total medals at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games, shattering the previous record of just one gold at any Winter Olympics. The closing ceremony in Verona's ancient arena celebrated athletes from 92 nations who competed over two unforgettable weeks.

Matt Weston led the charge with two golds in skeleton events. Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won Britain's first-ever Olympic gold on snow in the team snowboard cross. The team also claimed silver in men's curling and bronze in women's ski halfpipe.

But Britain wasn't alone in making history. Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the men's giant slalom, marking the first Winter Olympic gold ever won by a South American nation. Georgia earned their first Winter Olympic medal with silver in pairs figure skating.

Spain collected their first gold in 54 years. Three countries competed in their first Winter Games ever: Benin, Guinea-Bissau, and United Arab Emirates.

The Ripple Effect

The Games showed how winter sports continue spreading beyond traditional powerhouse nations. Athletes from warmer climates and developing countries proved they belong on the world's biggest stage. These breakthrough moments inspire the next generation of winter athletes from places previously unrepresented in snow and ice sports.

Host nation Italy had its best performance ever with 30 medals, including 10 golds. Norway topped the medal table for the fourth straight Olympics, with cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo winning six medals at a single Games.

American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor became the oldest individual gold medallist at 41, breaking age barriers in her sport. The ceremony included tributes to Italian opera and film music before popular musicians Major Lazer and Achille Lauro performed.

International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry praised the athletes for showing "what excellence, respect, and friendship look like in a world that sometimes forgets these values." The Olympic flag was handed to the French Alps delegation, which will host the 2030 Winter Games.

These two weeks proved that dedication and heart can rewrite history books, no matter where you're from.