Sweden Shines at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Ponsiluoma’s Biathlon Gold and More

Day 9 of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics saw Sweden emerge as a strong contender, securing gold in the men’s 12.5-kilometer biathlon pursuit and adding to their medal tally across multiple disciplines. Italy and Norway also demonstrated impressive performances, each claiming multiple medals on Sunday, February 16th.

Biathlon Success for Sweden

Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden delivered a stellar performance in the men’s 12.5-kilometer biathlon pursuit, claiming the gold medal . He showcased remarkable accuracy on the shooting range, a key factor in his victory. Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid secured the silver medal, although France’s Emilien Jacquelin took bronze . Ponsiluoma’s win marked Sweden’s first medal in biathlon at these Winter Games .

Italian and Norwegian Dominance

Italy continued its strong showing at the Games, with Federica Brignone winning gold in the women’s giant slalom . Sara Hector of Sweden and Thea Louise Stjernesund of Norway shared the silver medal in this event. Italy also secured gold in the women’s 10-kilometer biathlon pursuit, with Lisa Vittozzi taking the top spot, followed by Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide and Finland’s Suvi Minkkinen .

Norway also enjoyed a successful day, winning gold in the men’s 4×7.5-kilometer cross-country skiing relay. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo became the first athlete to win nine gold medals in the Winter Games with this victory .

Other Medal Events

• Freestyle Skiing: Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury won gold in the men’s dual moguls, defeating Japan’s Ikuma Horishima for the title, with Australia’s Matt Graham taking bronze .
• Skeleton: Great Britain’s Tabitha Stoecker and Matt Weston secured gold in the mixed team skeleton event, with Germany taking silver and bronze .
• Speed Skating: The Netherlands’ Femke Kok set an Olympic record of 36.49 seconds to win gold in the women’s 500-meter speed skating event .

Medal Standings and Upcoming Events

As of February 15th, Norway leads the overall medal standings with a four-gold-medal advantage over Italy . Sweden currently has eleven medals: five gold, five silver, and one bronze.

Here are some of the events scheduled for Monday, February 16th:

• 09:05 – Sweden vs. Switzerland in women’s curling (TV4)
• 10:00 – Men’s Slalom (SVT)
• 14:05 – Sweden vs. Germany in men’s curling (SVT)
• 16:40 – Sweden vs. USA in the quarter-finals of women’s hockey (SVT)