Team USA reacts to Mike Eruzione calling them the best team on ice
Team USA women’s hockey Olympic gold medalists react to legendary ‘Miracle on Ice’ captain Mike Eruzione calling them the best team.
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- The U.S. mixed aerial team won the gold medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
- The victory gave Team USA its 11th gold medal, a new record for a single Winter Olympics.
- The team consisted of Chris Lillis, Connor Curran, and Kaila Kuhn.
LIVIGNO, Italy – Team USA won a record-setting 11th gold medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
The U.S. mixed aerial team won the gold medal with Chris Lillis, Connor Curran and Kyla Kuhn flying and contorting their way to the top of the podium.
The 11 gold medals won in Italy are the most for any team at a Winter Olympics, surpassing the 10 they won at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. With the gold medal dangling at chest height, the trio reacted with a mixture of pleasant surprise and glee when they were informed of the news in the mixed zone.
The United States won the mixed aerial event for the first time four years ago at the 2022 Beijing Games. As the only member of both teams, Lillis has pondered why the Americans succeeded in team competitions but stumbled in individual competitions. Many of the athletes grew up playing team sports. They can use each other for motivation.
“I think it really helps, especially in aerial skiing,” Lillis said. “In aerial skiing, it can feel very lonely up in the air.”
They were in a bad mood with each other. He asserted his dominance from the beginning and started the first round of the final in pole position. However, the score was reset and there were four teams left in the field, so it didn’t matter.
Mr. Kuhn set the tone. Karan was nervous. Lilith successfully built a haymaker. This was a jump he had been landing for 10 years, so it wasn’t a problem.
Switzerland won the silver medal and China won the bronze medal. According to Lillis, the average aerial skier crashes on 60% of their jumps. With at least one skier from the other six countries competing, the Americans’ 6-for-6 finish was more than clutch.
The team heading into the Olympics was thought to be comprised of Kuhn, Lillis and Quinn Dillinger, the event’s defending world champions. However, Derringer re-aggravated his knee injury during training, forcing him to participate in both individual and team competitions. Last week’s snow, wind and fog in the region also drastically altered training schedules, leaving jumpers unprepared.
Curran learned from the rest of the team that he would be part of the trio around 6:30 p.m.
“I want to perform for the team,” he said. “It’s bigger than me. I’m glad I was able to give it my all.”
Kuhn won the gold medal at the 2025 World Championships and also won the mixed aerials with Lilith. She reached the six-a-side final in the individual event with teammate Winter Binecki, but both missed the final jump and missed out on the podium.
On the men’s side, Karan and Lilith made it to the 12-person final, but did not make it to the six-person final.
Kuhn said the team was “pretty devastated” by not winning a medal in the individual competition.
“None of us really performed to the best that we could,” she said.
But there was a chance to bounce back. They used that as motivation, she said.
“It worked in our favor,” Kuhn said.
However, it was not appropriate for Lilith to call it salvation. Anything that happened within the last 24 hours will not be erased.
Lillis, who has 15 World Cup podiums, said: “I’ve fallen short two more times, which hurt, but I know I can do more.” “And maybe in the future I can get that monkey off my back and get on the individual podium.”
He also said the joy of another gold medal was not denied.
“It’s so amazing to win a gold medal at the Olympics with my teammates and to do it for them and for them to do it for me,” Lillis said. “Words cannot express how special it is to bring home a gold medal to the United States.”
