LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — A generation ago, the sight of an Olympic halfpipe podium drenched in red, white and blue was as common as fresh powder on the mountain — a fitting and expected celebration for a sport born and raised in the United States.

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — That ever-growing bench of Japanese snowboarders runs deep. Jumps very high, too. The country that has steadily been asserting mastery over the halfpipe took that show to the Winter Olympics big air contest Saturday night,

Kaori Sakamoto scored 78.88 points in the 2026 Winter Olympics women's short program, boosting Japan to second in figure skating's team event.

It’s been an exciting first full day of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Men’s snowboard big air: Japan’s Kira Kimura walked away with a gold medal after wowing judges and getting the highest score on his final run. Ryoma Kimata, also representing Japan, finished with silver.

Can anyone beat the "Quad God" Ilia Malinin at the Winter Olympics? Japan's Yuma Kagiyama will take his best shot on Tuesday.

Malinin, the two-time World champion and overwhelming favorite to retain for the U.S. the Olympic men’s gold medal Nathan Chen won four years ago in Beijing, finished second to Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.

Team USA made an immediate impact on the first full day of competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, headlined by another one-sided performance from the women's hockey team and a five-point lead in figure skating's team event that sets up a pivotal Sunday.