Updated Feb. 10, 2026, 6:55 p.m. ET
Several Olympians have broken medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and the list is growing longer.
Within the first week of competition, at least six athletes broke their medals after winning events. That list includes USA’s Breezy Johnson, Alysa Liu and Jackie Wiles, Swedish cross‑country skier Ebba Andersson, plus Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam and German biathlete Justus Strelow.
“It’s definitely heavy. Heavier than I expected,” Johnson said after winning an Olympic downhill title. “I think that’s maybe why it broke.”
On Tuesday, Wiles, one of the latest Olympians to have a broken medal, was asked after her women’s team combined event bronze medal win if she let hers go. “Maybe just to fix it,” Wiles said.
The growing number of mishaps points to a larger question: why are so many medals suddenly breaking?
One report from The Guardian says the cords on the medals are fitted with a breakaway mechanism designed to release if it gets pulled by any force.
The Olympic committee appears to be aware of the problem.
“Following reports of issues affecting a small number of medals, the organizing committee immediately reviewed the matter, working closely with the State Mint, which produced the medals,” an Olympic spokesman said in a news conference.
“A solution has been identified, and a targeted fix has been put in place. Athletes whose medals have been affected are encouraged to return them through the appropriate channels so that they can be promptly repaired and returned.”
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