Here, Flashscore's Tomas Rambousek takes you through the biggest narratives at this year's Games.
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The indomitable Lindsey
This should be her Olympics - there’s no bigger global celebrity in winter sports. Lindsey Vonn will have the chance to make her mark in Olympic history. She first competed at the Games in 2002 and won her only gold so far in Vancouver in 2010. Last year, after a serious knee injury, she announced her retirement.
But then came a twist - she reconsidered, recovered, strapped on her ski boots again, and started dominating the competition. This season, she has won two downhills and stood on the podium six times. Cortina is also her favourite venue, where she’s claimed six downhill victories and the same number in Super-G.
But just before the Olympics, another setback struck. Vonn crashed in the downhill at Crans Montana and completely tore her anterior cruciate ligament.
Despite this, she’s determined to compete. "I know my chances aren’t what they used to be, but as long as there’s a chance, I’ll keep trying," she said.
If she makes it to the podium, she’ll surpass the legendary Bode Miller, who won an Olympic medal at 41 years and 20 days old. Lindsey will be 100 days older during the Olympic races…
Iconic Stelvio
Unlike most Olympic downhills in the past 50 years, which were almost always held on courses built specifically for the Games, Bormio is steeped in history.
Men first raced on the Stelvio at the World Championships in 1985. "In Bormio, it was never about luck," recalled today’s TV expert Doug Lewis, who won bronze at that very debut.
That’s why the men’s downhill will be one of the highlights of the Olympics. The top favourites are Swiss teammates Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen, who have claimed five out of six downhill wins in the current World Cup season. The only other winner was Italian Giovanni Franzoni, who will naturally have the home crowd behind him.
The Stelvio is longer than other Olympic downhill courses. Over the past 50 years, men’s Olympic downhills have averaged 2.9 kilometres. And while 320 extra meters may not seem like much, for legs and lungs under immense strain, it can feel like an eternity.
First medal for South America
No South American country has ever won a medal at the Winter Games. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is ready to change that. The 25-year-old skier, born in Norway and now representing his mother’s homeland Brazil, finished on the World Cup podium five times in the 2024-25 season and is a serious contender for medals in slalom and giant slalom.
Obstacles for Ester
Winning two medals at one Olympics in two different sports? That’s a rarity these days. Ester Ledecka managed it in 2018, taking home two golds! She’s aiming for a repeat this time. At the 2025 World Championships, she won bronze in the women’s downhill and is the favourite in the parallel giant slalom on her snowboard.
But in Cortina, she won’t compete in the downhill skiing - simply because the schedule makes it impossible. Despite fighting hard to change the race dates, her best events are set for the same day. Still, Ledecka isn’t giving up; she plans to race in the super-G, where she won gold in PyeongChang in 2018.
Snowboard golden hat-tricks
No one in the relatively short history of Olympic snowboarding has ever won gold at three consecutive Games. In Milan, three women have a chance to make history. The first is Ledecka, who will compete in her favourite parallel giant slalom. The other two are Anna Gasser, aiming for a big air hat-trick, and Chloe Kim, who’s going for three in the halfpipe.
On the other hand, Canadian icon Mark McMorris is still chasing his first Olympic gold. He has 12 X-Games trophies and a world title, but the Olympic stage has never favoured him - he’s finished third in slopestyle three times. He returns to Milan after a long break and a serious injury, declaring this as his final shot…
Friedrich chasing history against his countrymen
Francesco Friedrich is considered one of the greatest ever to pilot a bobsled down the ice track. The German two-man and four-man bobsleigh driver currently shares the record for most Olympic golds, with four - matching legends Kevin Kuske and Andre Lange.
For the Cortina Games, Friedrich has a clear goal: to stand alone at the top. But his dream could be spoiled by teammates, especially main rival Johannes Lochner and his crew, who lead the World Cup standings. Waiting in the wings is brakeman Thorsten Margis, who helped Friedrich win all his previous medals but will compete against him this time.
Ilia from another planet
Ilia Malinin is only 20, but he’s been unbeaten for nearly two years and is taking figure skating to new heights. He’s the only person ever to land the nearly impossible quadruple axel. Naturally, everyone expects him to showcase the legendary jump in the final and take home gold.
While Malinin’s future is just beginning, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto has announced she’ll retire after the Games, ending a short but hugely successful career. She became the first woman since the 1960s - when Peggy Fleming reigned - to win three consecutive world titles. She lost her last competition, so it remains to be seen if her farewell will be bittersweet.
Home heroine and Chinese betrayal
Arianna Fontana is Italy’s most decorated Olympian, with 11 medals, and is preparing for her sixth Games. Remarkably, the short track speed skater debuted in Turin in 2006 and will now compete at home for the second time. Even at 35, she remains among the favourites - just weeks ago, she won the European title in the 1500 meters.
At the last Games in PyeongChang, brothers Liu Shaoang and Liu Shaolin Sandor won three medals for Hungary, their birthplace. In November 2022, both switched nationality and aimed to win medals for China in Milan. But only one brother will go - the eldest, Sandor, was dropped from the national team and lost his Olympic spot.
In his mother’s homeland, the verdict is clear. "It would have been better if he’d stayed Hungarian," local media commented.
A family affair
Slovenia is no outsider at the Winter Olympics, especially in ski jumping, where they’re expected to challenge for medals. At the 2022 Games, the small European nation won three medals on the jumping hills, including their first two golds. In Beijing, Peter Prevc helped secure one of them.
And the family saga continues: among the favourites in the women’s event is his sister Nika, while in the men’s competition, their brother Domen is dominating this season. Together, they’ll also compete for gold in the new mixed pairs event. And a fun fact to finish: both siblings broke world records last season…
NHL stars on ice
Arguably the biggest draw of the Olympics. For the first time since 2014, the famous NHL is pausing its regular season for the Games, and hockey’s brightest stars are heading to Milan. Will it be Team USA with Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Quinn Hughes, or Canada with Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Connor McDavid who take gold? Finland, Sweden, and the Czech team with David Pastrnak - fresh off their 2024 World Championship win -are also in the hunt.
There are smaller stories too. Brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk will follow in the footsteps of their father, Keith, who lost the gold medal game to Canada in Salt Lake City 24 years ago and played in four Olympics. Veteran Patrick Kane still dreams of gold, while Johnny Gaudreau tragically passed away last year and never got his Olympic chance.