The winter sports world is buzzing after a flurry of record-setting performances and dramatic finishes across Europe and North America, as top athletes from bobsleigh, skeleton, and speed skating made their mark on Olympic venues and World Cup circuits this weekend. With the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina looming ever closer, recent events in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and Calgary, Canada, have provided a tantalizing preview of the fierce competition and emerging rivalries that are sure to define the Games.
In Cortina d'Ampezzo, the newly rebuilt Eugenio Monti track—slated to host bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge at the 2026 Olympics—welcomed the world’s best sliders for the season’s opening IBSF World Cup events. The anticipation was palpable as athletes tested their mettle on the ice that will soon bear Olympic history.
Germany’s Laura Nolte, already a household name in bobsleigh as the reigning Olympic and world champion in the two-woman event, demonstrated her versatility and nerves of steel by clinching victory in the monobob test event on November 22, 2025. Nolte edged out American rival Kaysha Love by just 0.15 seconds, delivering a performance that sent a clear message to her competitors. Love, the current world champion in monobob and a former UNLV sprinter, had set the fastest starting times in both runs, but Nolte’s second descent—clocked at a blistering 59.67 seconds—propelled her from third to the top step of the podium.
“Winning on the Olympic track gives you a lot of confidence,” Nolte said after her win. “I’m very, very happy with my start times, that I’m so close to the top starters now. That’s how you can win a race.” Still, Nolte was candid about her performance: “With the runs, I am not that happy. To be honest, I had much better runs in training, especially the upper part from corner one to five. I always nailed it in training but today it somehow didn’t work that well. The ice was very hard.”
The podium was a showcase of global talent, with Bree Walker of Australia finishing third, just 0.16 seconds behind Nolte. Kaillie Humphries Armbruster, the 40-year-old defending Olympic champion in monobob, narrowly missed the podium in fourth. The event, serving as the opening World Cup fixture on the new track, underscored the international depth in women’s bobsleigh as athletes from three continents filled the top three spots.
Germany’s dominance didn’t stop with the monobob. In the men’s two-man bobsleigh, the powerhouse nation swept the podium, led by Johannes Lochner, who notched his 50th World Cup podium in the discipline. Lochner was joined by teammates Francesco Friedrich (+0.34 seconds) and Adam Ammour (+0.60 seconds), making it a clean sweep for the German squad. The feat further cemented Germany’s reputation as the team to beat heading into the Olympic season.
The weekend’s action in Cortina wasn’t limited to bobsleigh. The IBSF Skeleton World Cup kicked off with a bang, as Great Britain’s Tabitha Stoecker and Marcus Wyatt captured the mixed team skeleton title on November 21, 2025. Their combined time of 2:01.23 edged out Germany’s Jacqueline Pfeifer and Axel Jungk by a razor-thin margin of 0.05 seconds, while Austria’s Janine Flock and Samuel Maier rounded out the podium in third.
For Stoecker and Wyatt, the win was more than just a medal—it was a major confidence boost ahead of the Olympics. The newly renovated Cortina Sliding Centre, which will host the Olympic skeleton events, proved a happy hunting ground for the British duo. The competition was fierce, with 20 teams completing runs on the challenging track and the top three separated by just two-tenths of a second.
British celebrations continued as two-time world champion Matt Weston stormed to victory in the men’s skeleton, posting a combined time of 1:53.84 over two runs. Weston’s consistency paid off, as he held off reigning European champion Samuel Maier of Austria (+0.15 seconds) and China’s Yin Zheng, who set a new track record of 56.79 seconds in the first run but couldn’t maintain the pace in his second descent. Not to be outdone, Team USA’s Austin Florian set a new start record at 4.51 seconds, underscoring the level of athleticism on display.
On the women’s side, Germany’s Jacqueline Pfeifer broke through for her first World Cup victory in nearly five years, setting a new track record at 57.94 seconds and finishing with a combined 1:55.93. Teammate Hannah Neise took second, while Belgium’s Kim Meylemans secured third. Great Britain’s Stoecker, despite setting a new start record of 4.82 seconds, finished fifth, just behind Austria’s Janine Flock.
With bobsleigh competitions continuing through the weekend and both two-woman and four-man events scheduled for November 23, 2025, the Cortina Sliding Centre has already established itself as a crucible for Olympic dreams and heartbreaks. The atmosphere in the Dolomites is electric, as athletes, coaches, and fans alike look forward to more high-octane action.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in Calgary, Canada, another prodigious talent was making headlines. American speedskater Jordan Stolz, just 21 years old, secured his spot at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a dramatic gold-medal finish in the 1000m race at the ISU World Cup on November 22, 2025. Stolz clocked 1:06.00, narrowly edging out Dutch rival Jenning De Boo, who finished in 1:06.11. The race was every bit the nail-biter fans expected, with De Boo holding the early advantage before Stolz powered through the final lap to claim victory.
“Yeah, I am really happy,” Stolz told reporters after the race. “It was good. I was tired in the last lap, but I was still able to beat him.” Stolz admitted the second lap felt heavier than usual, likely due to the demands of back-to-back race weekends, but he credited his improved sharpness in Calgary compared to the previous World Cup stop in Salt Lake City. “I feel a bit more snappy, but the opener wasn’t too much faster. I feel better. I just need probably another couple races to get in better shape.”
Coach Bob Corby praised Stolz’s tactical approach, emphasizing that the young American isn’t simply waiting to make his move at the end. “Jordan is not waiting to pour it on at the end. He’s not doing that at all. You can’t do that in this sport. You have to go hard.”
Stolz’s performance in Calgary is just the latest chapter in a remarkable run. Earlier in January 2025, he set multiple track records at the Olympic Oval, including a 1:05.37 in the 1000m and a 1:41.22 in the 1500m, both new benchmarks for the storied venue. With 18 consecutive World Cup victories to his name, Stolz has established himself as a dominant force in men’s speed skating and a favorite for Olympic gold.
The action in Calgary is far from over, with Stolz slated to compete in the 500m and 1500m on November 23 and additional events on November 24. As he continues his preparations for Milan-Cortina, the skating world will be watching closely to see if he can extend his winning streak and add to his growing legacy.
With Olympic venues now thoroughly tested and the world’s best athletes delivering jaw-dropping performances, the countdown to Milan-Cortina 2026 has truly begun. Whether it’s the icy turns of Cortina or the lightning-fast straights of Calgary, the stage is set for a winter of unforgettable sporting drama.
