Winter Olympics recap: Brignone completes dramatic comeback and Ukrainian athlete excluded

MILAN (AP) — An all-time great comeback and a controversial exclusion are dominating the Milan Cortina Olympics on Day 6.

Later Thursday, Chloe Kim of the United States seeks to become the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic gold medals in women's halfpipe. And NHL players on the U.S. and Canada teams are joining the action in their opening men's hockey games.

Brignone back in style

For much of last year, it wasn't clear if Italian skier Federica Brignone could compete at her home Olympics at all, let alone contend for a medal.

She came away with gold in the women's super-G on Thursday, following a year spent largely in rehab after breaking multiple bones in her leg. She only returned to racing last month.

Brignone shrugged off difficult, foggy conditions to win her fourth career Olympic medal and become, at 35, the oldest female gold medalist in women’s Alpine skiing. Romane Miradoli of France took silver and Cornelia Huetter of Austria got bronze.

Ukrainian slider excluded

As the men's skeleton competition got under way, all the attention was on a Ukrainian athlete who wasn't on the track.

Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from racing after refusing to give up his plan to race in a helmet commemorating athletes who have been killed since Russia invaded his country. The International Olympic Committee says it breaks rules against making statements on the field of play.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry turned up at the sliding track in a last-minute bid to change Heraskevych's mind ahead of the opening run of the competition Thursday morning.

Heraskevych, who had been a contender for the medals, refused and was excluded from the Olympics.

Heraskevych said it “looks like discrimination” to bar him from competing. Coventry, who said she'd hoped to find a compromise, was tearful on what she called an “emotional morning.”

Upset in freestyle

In a big upset, Cooper Woods of Australia won freestyle skiing gold in men's moguls by edging Canadian great Mikael Kingsbury — the sport’s most decorated skier — on a tiebreaker.

American skier Jessie Diggins overcame bruised ribs to take bronze in the women's 10-kilometer cross-country skiing race. Frida Karlsson won her second gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games by leading a 1-2 finish for Sweden.

Later Thursday, Arianna Fontana of Italy will go for a record-extending 13th career Olympic medal in short-track speedskating, while medals will also be awarded in team luge, men's snowboard cross and 5,000-meter speedskating.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics