MILAN/CORTINA D’AMPEZZO: Day 3 of the 2026 Winter Olympics saw fierce competition and new champions crowned across speed skating, snowboarding and more as athletes battled for early medals and nations jockeyed for position on the medal table.

Speed skating saw Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam storm to gold in the women’s 1,000 m, setting an Olympic record in 1 :12.31 and giving the Netherlands their first gold of the Games. Teammate Femke Kok took silver, while Japan’s Miho Takagi, the defending champion, claimed bronze. American Brittany Bowe was fourth, just off the podium in what could be her final Olympics.

In Livigno under floodlights, Japan’s Kokomo Murase soared to gold in the women’s snowboard big air, landing a spectacular backside triple 1440 in the final run. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand earned silver for the second straight Games, and South Korea’s Yu Seung-eun took bronze in her Olympic debut.

Britain’s Mia Brookes was edged out into fourth place.

The men’s hill ski jumping final delivered its own drama with Germany’s Philipp Raimund capturing gold, Poland’s Kacper Tomasiak silver, and Japan and Switzerland each earning bronze via a tie. Other finals on the schedule included women’s freeski slopestyle and the alpine skiing men’s team combined.

Mixed doubles curling continued its round-robin phase with several tight contests as teams pushed for semifinal berths, while women’s ice hockey and figure skating ice dance rhythm dance entertained spectators later in the evening.

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