At the Winter Olympics, the Difference Between a Gold and Silver Medal Can Be Razor-Thin

To win an Olympic gold medal is the stuff of elite athletes’ dreams, the culmination of years of arduous training, extreme physical exertion and grueling qualifying competitions.

So how does it feel to narrowly miss out and get silver instead?

The difference between first and second place in several events at the 2026 Winter Games has come down to margins almost unthinkably small — a matter of tenths of a point, hundredths of a second or, in one case, a tiebreaker that came down to a judges’ ruling. The dramatic finishes have thrilled spectators and left some competitors stunned.

83.71 pts.

83.71

Cooper Woods,

Australia

Mikael Kingsbury, Canada

Lost by a tiebreak

83.71 pts.

83.71

Cooper Woods,

Australia

…