CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Goodbye Milan Cortina. See you in Rome in 2040? Now that the just-concluded Winter Olympics have been hailed for setting “a new, very high standard” by IOC President Kirsty Coventry,

The Milan-Cortina Games created a stunning Italian backdrop for an Olympics that saw records fall, golden performances and a some Shakespearean-like drama.

There was the glory of Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who won the first medal (a gold, nonetheless) for a South American country in a Winter Olympics ever, and then celebrated with an instantly iconic gesture atop the podium after winning the freestyle skiing competition.

Jordan Stolz won three medals (2 gold, 1 silver). Stolz is the seventh U.S. athlete to win three medals at a single Winter Olympics and the first to do so since 2010, when Bode Miller (alpine skiing), Apolo Ohno (short track) and Johnny Spillane (Nordic combined) accomplished the feat.

The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics are officially in the books. And the United States, thanks to a thrilling finish on the ice Sunday, is headed home on a high note from the men's hockey final. That win preceded the Milan Cortina Closing Ceremony and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.

From political backlash to Olympic gold, the journey of Team USA figure skating's “Blade Angels” was a study in extremes. With Milan Cortina in the rearview, the trio sets its sights on the upcoming world championships.