Aaaannddd the Aussies are on the Winter Olympics medal tally. 

Cooper Woods’ remarkable gold medal finish in the men’s moguls last night brings our total medals at the Games so far to one, and puts us in 14th place among the 93 countries being represented at Milano Cortina. That puts us ahead of Canada, China, and New Zealand, none of which have won gold medals yet. 

Not bad for a wide brown land!

Cooper Woods won Australia’s first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, taking out gold in the men’s moguls. Woods’ result marks Australia’s seventh gold medal in Winter Olympics history. Woods registered a score of 83.71 in the final run of the competition, drawing dead even with legendary Canadian moguls competitor Mikael Kingsbury, but took out the gold medal based on his superior ‘turns score’ of 48.4 to Kingsbury’s 47.7.

Rosie Fordham has recorded the second-best individual Olympic result in Australian cross-country skiing history, finishing 33rd in the women's 10km freestyle at Milano Cortina 2026. Phoebe Cridland placed 49th, Ellen Søhol Lie 57th, and Maddie Hooker 77th. Sweden's Frida Karlsson won gold by 46 seconds over compatriot Ebba Andersson, with American Jessie Diggins claiming bronze.

Former Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou has delivered a scathing assessment of the club's ownership in his first interview since being sacked last summer. The former Socceroos boss spoke on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast on the same day his successor, Danish coach Thomas Frank, was dismissed. Postecoglou was sacked in June 2025 despite delivering Europa League success (Tottenham's first trophy since 2008), though the club finished 17th in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Frank managed eight months in charge, securing 13 victories from 38 matches. Postecoglou said: “It’s tough. [Frank] can’t be the only issue at the club, right?... they’ve built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities – but when you look at the expenditure, particularly in their wages structure, they’re not a big club. I saw that, because when we were trying to sign players, we weren’t in the market for those players.”

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the men's skeleton at Milano Cortina 2026 after refusing to remove a helmet featuring artwork depicting Ukrainian athletes killed during the Russian invasion. The IOC ruled the helmet violated athlete expression guidelines, with the governing body’s president, Kirsty Coventry, saying: “It’s not about the messaging; it’s literally about the rules and the regulations. In this case – the field of play – we have to be able to keep a safe environment for everyone. And sadly, that just means no messaging is allowed”. Heraskevych, Ukraine's opening ceremony flagbearer, has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

8:00pm, Snowboard: Women's Snowboard Cross (Seeding Runs 1 & 2)
Three Aussies will compete in the seeding runs for women's snowboard cross: Mia Clift, Josie Baff, and Abbey Wilson. Snowboard cross sees riders race down a course filled with jumps, berms, and obstacles, with seeding runs determining start positions for the knockout rounds, which continue throughout the evening and will culminate in a final at 12:41am (AEDT).

9:45pm, Cross-Country Skiing: Men's 10km Interval Start Free
Three Australian men will compete in the 10km free technique race: Seve de Campo, Hugo Hinckfuss, and Lars Young Vik. Athletes start at intervals and race against the clock.

5:30am, Skeleton: Men's Heat 3
Aussie Nicholas Timmings will compete in the third heat of the men's skeleton as the competition heats up heading toward the final run. The final run at 7:05am will determine the medal positions. 

5:30am, Snowboard: Men's Snowboard Halfpipe Final
The men's snowboard halfpipe final will crown the Olympic champion. There are two Aussies in this final, Scotty James and Valentino Guseli. James, competing at his fifth Olympics, was the top qualifier and is a medal favourite.

Talking points: The 2026 season of the Super Rugby Pacific begins tonight. The opening match will be an all-Kiwi clash between the Highlanders and Crusaders in Dunedin, while the Waratahs and Reds will play out another chapter of their storied rivalry later tonight in Sydney. Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said the Reds “have had the upper hand” in recent years. Former Wallaby Matt Phillip will captain the Waratahs, who have named seven possible debutants, including former Reds player Angus Blyth. The Reds will be led by captain Fraser McReight and feature several new faces, including Super Rugby debutant Vaiuta Latu alongside Aidan Ross, who brings over 100 games of experience from the Chiefs.

How to watch: The Highlanders and Crusaders will play at 5:05pm (AEDT), followed by the Waratahs and Reds at 7:35pm (AEDT). You can watch Super Rugby on Stan Sport. 

Talking points: AFL State of Origin makes its long-awaited return on Saturday night when Victoria faces Western Australia in Perth, marking the first match since 1999. Victoria captain Marcus Bontempelli will lead his side against WA skipper Patrick Cripps in what looms as a fiery pre-season hit-out. It’s going to be a challenge for the players coming straight off pre-season, as temperatures are forecast to hit 33 degrees in Perth.

How to watch: The match will begin at 7:40pm on Saturday. You can watch it on Channel 7 (in Vic, Tas, SA, and WA), Kayo, and Foxtel. 

Talking points: The WNBL semi-finals begin this weekend, with both match-ups played as best-of-three series for a place in the Grand Final. The Perth Lynx host the Bendigo Spirit in a clash between attacking firepower and discipline, while the Townsville Fire face the Southside Melbourne Flyers in a battle of structure versus star talent. Home-court advantage sits with Perth and Townsville in Game 1, but finals pressure across a short series can quickly flip momentum.

How to watch: Lynx v Spirit tips off at 4pm Saturday (AEDT), while Fire v Flyers starts at 4pm Sunday. Both games are live on 9Now and ESPN (via Disney+, Kayo, Foxtel)

Sport never stops with ESPN on Disney+

From NBA All-Star Weekend (from 16 February AEDT) and Aussies like Dyson Daniels making moves in the NBA, to the Tillies pushing through the UEFA Women’s Champions League, there’s no shortage of big moments. 

Alongside the chaos of March Madness and the run home to the NBL Finals and WNBL Finals, summer sport well and truly takes centre stage. 

Stream the Big Summer of Sport with ESPN on Disney+. 

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