US Women Win 17 Medals at Milan Winter Olympics

When Michelle Wie West sat in the stands at the Milan Winter Olympics, watching American women make history on ice and snow, the emotions hit hard.

The LPGA legend was in Italy this February as Team USA's female athletes swept the podium. Women brought home 17 of America's 33 total medals, including eight of the 12 gold medals the country won.

"This whole Winter Olympics season has been so uplifting," Wie West told Fox News Digital. "But this one in particular was so inspiring, and it feels like the female athletes really knocked it out of the park."

Wie West watched silver medalist Chloe Kim soar through her halfpipe routine. She saw the women's hockey team dominate their opening game. She witnessed figure skater Alysa Liu claim gold and speed skater Mia Manganello race to victory.

Each moment brought tears. "I feel like every Olympics gets me really emotional," she said. "I can see athletes achieve their dreams, and it's so cool."

WNBA star Breanna Stewart, who has three Olympic gold medals of her own, shared that same pride. She found herself learning about sports she'd never followed, from bobsledding to curling, just to cheer on American women.

"Just wanting to cheer on the USA in whatever event they were doing, and see the pride and passion the athletes were having whenever they stepped up to compete," Stewart said.

Why This Inspires

Stewart described the feeling of standing on that podium as the national anthem plays. It's not just personal victory. It's representing something bigger.

"You're playing your sport at the highest level against everyone else in the world," she explained. "Just the pride and knowing you're representing something bigger than yourself always comes through full circle."

The moment gives meaning to every early morning practice, every sacrifice, every hard day of training. For the athletes and for fans like Wie West watching from the stands, these victories remind us what dedication and teamwork can achieve.

Even the heartbreaking moments inspired hope. Wie West saw skiing legend Lindsey Vonn crash while competing through a torn ACL. "Seeing her journey up until that moment and even afterwards has been so inspiring to me," she said.

Seventeen medals tell a story of excellence, but the real victory is in showing the next generation of girls what's possible when you chase your dreams.