live blog
We serve exclusive insights, a lot of service, the most important decisions, special moments, exciting, bizarre and dramas away from the sports venues of the Olympic Games in Italy in the live blog.
6:00 p.m
Speed skating: Sonnekalb is just running behind again
Finn Sonnekalb missed the targeted medal for the German speed skating team. The young German talent had raised hopes with his performances this season. But as with the 1,000 meters – where he started weakened by a viral infection – the Erfurt man also only ran behind over his parade route of 1,500 meters. When China’s Ning Zhongyan won, he came 13th and missed his personal best time by more than four seconds in 1:45.64 minutes. US miracle runner Jordan Stolz took gold in the 500 meters and the 1,000 meters this time with silver.
5:52 p.m
Curling: Top nations in the semi-finals
In the women’s curling competition, the big favorites are in the final four. In the semi-finals on Friday, the three-time Olympic champions from Sweden will meet top favorite Canada, while at the same time the USA, second placed after the preliminary round, will compete against Switzerland in the Cortina Curling Stadium (both from 2:05 p.m. in the live stream on sportschau.de). For the British Olympic champions of 2022, however, it’s over after the round robin.
5:12 p.m
Ice hockey crime thriller for bronze between Switzerland and Sweden
They made it extra exciting, the ice hockey players from Canada and Switzerland in the small final for bronze. In the end, Switzerland celebrated a 2-1 victory in overtime. After regular time the score was 1-1 between the two nations. Mira Jungaker gave Sweden the lead in the second third, and Sinja Leemann equalized just four minutes later. The tie held after 60 minutes, so it had to be settled in overtime with three-on-three. And even there it remained equal for almost 10 minutes until Alina Müller scored 51 seconds before the end. Switzerland cheered to the heavens, Sweden was served accordingly.
4:10 p.m
Winter games with a lot of romance
If you’re thinking about getting engaged, why not choose the Olympics as your location? At least some people in Italy seemed to have had that idea. So the friend of Olympic downhill champion Breezy Jonhnson got down on his knees in front of her after her exit in the Super-G and asked the question of questions – and Pop star Taylor Swift personally congratulated under the Instagram photowhich Johnson posted of the moment.
But that was just the start of the happy engagement cycle: Jean-Luc Baker, a former American Olympic ice dancing competitor, asked in the rain for the hand of ice dancer Olivia Smart, who was competing for Spain at this year’s Games.
Or yesterday the American ice hockey player Hilary Knight and the speed skater Brittany Bowe. Knight can not only take home her partner Bowe’s “yes” from Italy, but possibly also a gold medal. The decision will be made in less than three hours in the final between the USA and Canada – live on ARD and in the stream.
3:31 p.m
US jumper hit by snow blower on ski jump
It is well known that the Nordic combination consists of cross-country skiing and ski jumping. However, the discipline of snow blower evasion has not yet been part of the Olympic program. That’s exactly what US athlete Benjamin Loomis should have done on Thursday. Since a volunteer who was supposed to clear the jump of fresh snow with the help of a snow blower did not retreat in time, he hit Loomis in the shoulder with his work tool in the inrun lane. “I was lucky. If it had hit me in the face, it would have turned out completely differently.”said the 27-year-old later.
Despite this moment of shock, Loomis completed his jump and landed at 116 meters. “It was an extreme day. The crew did an excellent job. It is very unfortunate that an incident occurred”said race director Lasse Ottesen. “Luckily nothing worse happened.”
2:59 p.m
A fall costs the combiner a medal
The combined athletes Johannes Rydzek and Vinzenz Geiger also missed out on a medal in the last competition of the Winter Games after a dramatic fall. The DSV duo only came fifth in the Olympic premiere of the team sprint in the thick snow; after the jumping, the Oberstdorfers were still in the lead.
2:38 p.m
Traffic chaos around the biathlon arena
After a traffic accident on the access road to the biathlon stadium in Antholz, nothing is currently happening around the Olympic sports facility. As an ARD reporter reports from the scene, a truck is lying across the road and is blocking both the arrival and departure to and from Antholz. Two other vehicles were involved in the accident and there were no injuries.
2:09 p.m
Paller missed Mountaineering podium meager
She climbed the Olympic mountain in a hurry, but she is still not allowed to climb the podium. German ski mountaineer Tatjana Paller narrowly missed out on a mountaineering medal on Thursday. The 30-year-old reached the finish line in fourth place, with victory going to the Swiss Marianne Fatton. Emily Harrop from France and Spain’s Ana Alonso Rodriguez complete the podium.
1:17 p.m
Paller in the final of ski mountaineering
Shortly before the stairs, Tatjana Paller was still in fifth place in the ski mountaineering semifinals, but thanks to quick changes (skis off, skis back on, skin off) and an excellent descent, she fought her way forward and into the final. The 30-year-old crossed the finish line in second place, so a medal is still possible. The decision will be made at 1:55 p.m.
12:03 p.m
German curlers say goodbye with victory
Getting into the semi-finals was no longer possible before the game against China began, but Germany’s curlers still showed their skills once again in the last game of the round robin. Skip Marc Muskatewitz’s team deservedly defeated the Chinese selection 6:4 on Thursday morning and said goodbye to northern Italy with a sense of achievement. With four wins and five defeats, the German curlers ended up in seventh place in the table.
11:19 a.m
German NHL professionals on their way to North America
They never really woke up in the Olympic ice hockey tournament, and on the day after the quarter-final defeat against Slovakia, the alarm clock rang at the wrong time: As the German Ice Hockey Association announced, the NHL stars around Leon Draisaitl left the Olympic Village at 6 a.m. on Thursday to make their way back to North America. “It wasn’t the tournament we had hoped for, but it was still an unforgettable experience full of beautiful memories,” Draisaitl wrote on Instagram as he said goodbye.
11:05 a.m
Combiners Geiger and Rydzek on course for gold
The combined athletes Vinzenz Geiger and Johannes Rydzek are clearly on course for a medal after jumping at the Olympic premiere of the team sprint. Both Geiger (122.5) and Rydzek (123.0 m) showed good flights in the thick snow on the large hill in Predazzo, so the German duo goes into cross-country skiing from first place (2 p.m.). Both starters always take turns there.
10:57 am
Paller in Ski mountaineering semi-finals
Run up the mountain with skis, take off the skis, run up a flight of stairs, put the skis back on and continue running, take off the skins shortly afterwards and then ski down the mountain. This is the short description of the ski mountaineering sprint, which is celebrating its Olympic premiere at the Winter Games in Northern Italy. Three Germans also took part in the exciting and entertaining preliminary heats on Thursday morning – with varying degrees of success.
In the women’s race, Tatjana Paller qualified for the semi-finals, her teammate Helena Euringer was eliminated. In the men’s race, Finn Hösch missed the next round after problems in the transition areas.
9:26 a.m
Snow chaos throws schedule into disarray
It’s kind of obvious that winter weather occasionally prevails at winter games. The organizers obviously cannot be prepared for all eventualities and forms of precipitation. A look at the schedule shows: After the cancellation of the freestyle men’s aerials, which are to be rescheduled on Friday, there are also delays in the halfpipe. The start of the Sky Freestylers, planned for 10.30 a.m., has been pushed back.
Lots of support for Preuss
After the next drama at the shooting range, the German biathlon team united behind Franziska Preuß. “I don’t want to blame her for not getting the medal.”said women’s national coach Kristian Mehringer after fourth place in the relay: “We can only win as a team or lose as a team.”
Preuß started the race as the second runner and showed nerves at the shooting range for the third time. She had to go into the penalty loop, the German relay lost first place and ultimately missed out on a medal. Preuß joined the DSV team “I don’t know how many seasons won” or be “successfully reached the finish line”said sports director Felix Bitterling: “Today it was just the other way around.”
8:23 a.m
DEB quits Debacle processing to
They had arrived with high hopes, but their departure was followed by great disappointment: After the German ice hockey team’s disastrous quarter-final exit, the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) has announced an extensive review. “We will take a close look at everything”said sports director Christian Künast after the 2:6 against Slovakia: “Of course we wanted more and we would have been happy if it had continued.”
The analysis will also focus on the work of national coach Harold Kreis, said Künast. Above all, the line-up and the amount of ice time for the NHL stars require critical consideration. “The fact that in the end it was perhaps a second or two too much is something that can be discussed, absolutely.”said Künast.
12:02 a.m
This is what awaits you on Thursday, February 19, 2026
On Thursday there will be numerous decisions again on the 13th day of competition at the Olympic Winter Games. For the first time, medals will be awarded in ski mountaineering (from 1:55 p.m.). In the Nordic Combined, the German team has the last chance for precious metal at the games (jumping 10 a.m. / running 2 p.m.). Finn Sonnekalb also wants to attack the 1,500 meters in speed skating (from 4:30 p.m.).
The men’s aerials final will not take place. The ski freestyler competition had to be postponed by one day due to weather.
Feb 18, 2026 • 11:40 p.m
USA is the last team to reach the semi-finals
The US national ice hockey team has grabbed the last ticket for the semifinals. The North Americans, like Canada and Finland, had to go into extra time. After a 1-0 lead, the USA conceded the equalizer a minute and a half before the end of the final third. In overtime it was Quinn Hughes who shot the favorite to victory.
The Americans will play against Slovakia, the conquerors of Germany, in the semifinals. The other final ticket is between Canada and the 2022 Olympic champion Finland.
Feb 18, 2026 • 11:12 p.m
Referee breakdown in ice hockey there are no consequences
The carelessness almost resulted in a major scandal. In the ice hockey quarter-finals between Canada and the Czech Republic, six field players and the goalie were on the ice when the Eastern Europeans won 3-2. But none of the officials noticed the mistake. With one man more, the Czech Republic won the puck and completed the counterattack to take the lead. Since Canada then turned the game around in extra time, the faux pas had no consequences.
Feb 18, 2026 • 10:01 p.m
Short track: Gold for Dubois and South Korea
The South Korean women secured Olympic victory in the 3,000 meter relay. They prevailed ahead of the hosts and Canada. Steven Dubois from Canada triumphed in the men’s 500 meters ahead of the Dutch van ‘t Wout brothers Melle and Jens.