Olympics 2026 Medal Table Odds: Who Wins the Most Gold Medals in Milano?

Norway – Dominance on Skis Continues?

• • All-Time Gold Medals: 148
  • All-Time Total Medals: 405
  • Key Athletes: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Cross-Country Skiing), Heidi Weng (Cross-Country Skiing), Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (Biathlon)

With a total of 148 Olympic gold medals, Norway easily leads the all-time Winter Games table. They are a true winter sports powerhouse, well ahead of the field. The United States is next best with 113 golds, still a distant second.

Team Norway is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and prideful winter-sport nations in the world. The Winter Olympics are taken very seriously there, and they consistently send a large, talented delegation. At Beijing 2022, Norway topped the gold medal standings with 16, ahead of Germany’s 12.

Four years earlier, Germany pushed them hard, as both nations finished with 14 golds. In 2014, Norway once again came out on top, edging Russia 11-10 for the most gold medals. If they arrive in 2026 with the same form they had in 2022, it may not be nearly as close.

Likewise, Norway has ruled over the total medal count at recent Winter Olympics. In 2018, it wasn’t particularly competitive, as Norway won 39 medals compared to 31 for Germany. The Winter Olympics medal standings took a similar turn at 2022 Beijing, with Norway winning 37 medals ahead of the Russian Olympic Committee’s 32.

Overall, Norway’s 405 total medals at the Winter Games leads the world by a long shot. In second, the United States is several lengths away with 330 medals.

That said, some of Norway’s biggest stars have retired since Beijing. Nordic combined gold medalist Jarl Magnus Riiber has called it quits, as has cross-country legend Therese Johaug. Biathlon standouts Johannes Thingnes Bø and Tarjei Bø have also hung up their skis.

Even so, the Norwegian roster is still stacked. Cross-country skiers Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Heidi Weng remain elite threats, and there is plenty of young talent on the rise. Twenty-four-year-old Einar Hedegart is a promising prospect for Milano-Cortina 2026, as are distance specialist Harald Østberg Amundsen and biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid.

Legendary! ⛷

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (Norway) is the first athlete to ever win back to back #Gold medals in #CrossCountrySkiing – Men's Sprint Free! #Beijing2022 | #StrongerTogether |

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 8, 2022

Norway should once again dominate the endurance and relay events and will be dangerous in speed skating as well. Despite some high-profile retirements, this is still a deep, well-rounded, and very dangerous team. As always, the rest of the world will have to keep a close eye on Norway at the Winter Olympics.

Germany – Friedrich Propels the Germans to the Top?

• • All-Time Gold Medals: 112
  • All-Time Total Medals: 286
  • Key Athletes: Francesco Friedrich (Bobsleigh), Franziska Preuss (Biathlon), Emma Aicher (Alpine Skiing)

Team Germany has a storied and successful history at the Winter Olympics. Just one gold medal behind Team USA’s 113 all-time golds, Germany is routinely a major contender across multiple disciplines. They finished four gold medals shy of Norway at Beijing 2022 and matched the Norwegians at PyeongChang 2018.

In 2022, they were 10 medals off Norway’s overall medal pace. Germany finished with 27 to Norway’s collection of 37 Winter Olympics medals in China. It was a drop from the 31 medals that the Germans won four years earlier in 2018.

Germany’s greatest strength lies on the ice track, where they regularly dominate in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton. Led by veteran bobsleigh pilot Francesco Friedrich, they’re in excellent hands once again.

Since 2018, Friedrich has collected four Olympic gold medals, two in the two-man bobsleigh and two in the four-man, and the 35-year-old will be targeting even more hardware at Milano 2026.

This is where Germany can realistically close the gap on Norway. Beyond the sliding events, they also project to be dangerous in alpine skiing. Rising star Emma Aicher is poised to make noise in Italy, and the 22-year-old could emerge as one of the breakout names of the Games.

EMMA AICHER 🇩🇪 WINS THE SUPER G IN TARVISIO! 🏆
With a spectacular skiing masterclass, the German star claims her 4th World Cup victory 🤩❄️

🥈 Lindsey Vonn 🇺🇸 (+0.27)
🥉 Ester Ledecká 🇨🇿 (+0.94)#FISAlpine #WorldCupTarvisio pic.twitter.com/tUzBJxDcZ4

— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) January 18, 2026

31-year-old Olympic bronze medalist and two-time World Championships gold medalist Franziska Preuss is a big threat in the biathlon in the women’s event. If she can out Norway for a gold medal here, the final Milano 2026 gold medal table could get interesting. It’s likely going to be close, and a gold medal for Preuss would shake up the standings.

USA – Lindsey Vonn’s Redemption Tour Completed?

• • All-Time Gold Medals: 113
  • All-Time Total Medals: 330
  • Key Athletes: Mikaela Shiffrin (Alpine Skiing), Lindsey Vonn (Alpine Skiing), Chloe Kim (Halfpipe), Erin Jackson (Speed Skating)

There are several compelling storylines for Team USA heading into the 2026 Winter Olympics, but none bigger than 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn’s return to the slopes. After retiring in 2019, Vonn is back and looks poised to finish on the podium in Milano.

Together with Mikaela Shiffrin, she gives Team USA an excellent chance to command the alpine skiing spotlight. Vonn isn’t going to Italy just to make an appearance or take in the sights — she’s heading to Milano with every intention of contending for medals.

Lindsey Vonn retired from skiing for five years, got titanium implants in her knee, and turned 41 two months ago.

Today, she won her first World Cup downhill in seven years and first since her surgery.pic.twitter.com/X8xGQwibN2

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 12, 2025

She’s on a roll recently, with five podiums in five consecutive events leading up to the Olympics. Although a gold medal will remain tough for Vonn, Shiffrin is heading to Italy with gold on her radar. The two-time gold medalist and eight-time World Champion gives Team USA a proven winner.

Team USA should find its footing in the halfpipe with Chloe Kim. The 25-year-old snowboarder has quickly become a legend at both the X Games and the Olympics. She won her first Olympic gold at just 17 years old in the women’s halfpipe in 2018.

Note in training for Milano 2026, Kim dislocated her shoulder, which should come into play here. She is expected to recover in time, but it could impact her performance. Kim failing to win the gold would prove to be big, as they need every gold possible to catch Norway and Germany.

Speed skater Erin Jackson should be ready to fly in defense of her 500m title. She is coming off a dominant showing in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to finish first. The 33-year-old boasts a great chance to win another gold medal. Elsewhere in the rink, the figure skating and ice dancing team has plenty of promise.

The Americans most recently won the most Winter Olympic medals was in 2010 in Vancouver. That was an exceptional performance which saw the US win 37 total medals and nine golds. It was only the second time in history they accomplished the feat, with the last time coming in 1932!

Expect a strong effort from Team USA, but they don’t have athletes that should dominate multiple endurance or sliding events like Norway and Germany.