Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the performance of Swiss athlete Marco Odermatt, who won the first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in the men's downhill skiing event with a time of 1 minute 51.61 seconds [1] Group 1: Event Details - The men's downhill skiing event took place at the Stelvio ski center in Bormio, characterized as the fastest and longest course with the highest elevation difference [1] - The course started at an elevation of 2,250 meters, stretched 3,250 meters in length, and had a vertical drop of 1,010 meters [1] - Competitors reached speeds exceeding 140 kilometers per hour during the race [1] Group 2: Performance Highlights - Marco Odermatt, competing in the eighth position, achieved the best time of 1 minute 51.61 seconds, securing the first gold medal of the Olympics [1] - Italian athletes also performed well, with Francesco Fauner and Mattia Paris winning silver and bronze medals, respectively [1] - The competition was notably close, with the top seven competitors finishing within one second of each other [1]

Core Viewpoint - The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics has commenced with Switzerland's athlete, Almann, winning the first gold medal in the men's downhill skiing event, marking a continuation of the tradition of this event being the first to award a medal at each Winter Olympics [1] Group 1: Event Highlights - The men's downhill skiing event took place on February 7, 2026, at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, Italy [1] - Almann achieved a winning time of 1 minute 51.61 seconds, finishing 0.7 seconds ahead of his teammate, Odermatt, who is a leading contender in the World Cup standings [1] - The Italian team secured a silver and bronze medal, with Franzoni finishing second at 1 minute 51.81 seconds, just 0.2 seconds behind Almann, and Paris taking third place with a time of 1 minute 52.11 seconds [1]

Group 1 - The first competition day of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics features the men's downhill skiing event, where the first gold medal will be awarded [1] - China's first event for gold is the men's snowboard big air, with defending champion Su Yiming competing against top athletes [1] - Su Yiming, who ranked fourth in the preliminaries, emphasizes the importance of mindset and pressure management for a better performance [1] Group 2 - The first gold medal in speed skating will be awarded in the women's 3000 meters, with Yang Binyu from China being a key athlete to watch [2] - The freestyle skiing women's slope style event is the first freestyle skiing event to debut at this Winter Olympics, featuring four Chinese female athletes: Gu Ailing, Liu Mengting, Yang Ruyi, and Han Linsan [2]