South Florida residents started Friday, February 13, 2026, under a blanket of thick fog, but the gray start is giving way to a bright and unseasonably warm afternoon.
Here is the updated status of the Day 7 headlines from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina:
Men’s Figure Skating: Malinin’s Moment & Naumov’s Tribute
The Men’s Free Skate (Friday, Feb 13) is the marquee event of the day.
Ilia Malinin’s Quest: The "Quad God" enters the final session with a five-point lead over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama. Having already secured team gold for the U.S. earlier this week, Malinin is the heavy favorite to claim the individual title. Fans are waiting to see if he will attempt the quadruple Axel to cement his legacy.
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Maxim Naumov’s Legacy: The 24-year-old American advanced to the free skate in 14th place after a moving short program. Naumov is competing in honor of his parents, former skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, who tragically died in an airplane crash in January 2025.
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Ukrainian Legal Battle: Heraskevych at CAS
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has concluded its hearing regarding skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified for wearing his "Helmet of Memory" featuring the faces of fallen Ukrainian athletes.
The Hearing: Heraskevych left the 2.5-hour hearing in Milan earlier today appearing optimistic, stating he believes he did the right thing.
The Reality: Regardless of the legal outcome, Heraskevych admitted "this train has left," acknowledging that because he missed the first two heats on Thursday, his Olympic competition is effectively over. He has already departed the Olympic Village in Cortina.
The Goal: The appeal now serves primarily as a challenge to the IOC's "Rule 50" regarding political expression, seeking a formal annulment of the disqualification rather than a return to the track.
Halfpipe Heartbreak for Chloe Kim
In a major upset from yesterday, the "Queen of the Halfpipe" Chloe Kim was denied a historic third consecutive gold.
The Result: South Korea’s 17-year-old prodigy Choi Ga-on delivered a stunning final run to take the gold, leaving Kim with the silver medal.
The Legacy: While Kim missed the top spot, she remains the first woman to win three Olympic medals in the snowboard halfpipe.