The 2026 Winter Olympics are well underway, and the medal table is beginning to take shape, with many of the familiar powers near the top propelled by some of the highest paid athletes at the Games.

American freeskier Hunter Hess got to the end of his successful run in Olympic halfpipe qualifying, then leaned into the camera.

Indeed, this year 36 competitors—18 men and women, respectively—will partake in the first-ever skimo events, beginning in Bormio, Italy, on Feb. 19, which include the men’s sprint, women’s sprint and ...