Ice magic: 26 iconic photos from inside the 2026 Winter Olympic Games - so far
Where victory bites and every second is frozen in time
Take a break from the whatever the week’s thrown at you so far and lap up some glorious images from the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Italy. The one below may be familiar - it’s American Lindsey Vonn 13 seconds into the alpine ski women's downhill race.
She clipped a gate and, unable to correct herself, the five-time Olympian was airlifted off the mountain in agony. Award-winning AP photojournalist Jacquelyn Martin captured the moment.
Thanks to our partnership with Associated Press, we can share more glorious images from the Winter Games. These are moments of happiness, human endeavour, facial fun, photographic artistry, and - of course - athletes biting medals (!) What is with that?
And yes, of course the athletes know there are cameras trained on their every move. It’s just that sometimes all it takes is a split second.
Facial fun
It’s no secret that since the 1912 Olympics, gold medals are gold-plated, not solid gold. So why do athletes bite them? Because photographers ask them apparently. “It’s become an obsession with the photographers,” David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, said. Read more here.
Bite that medal
And, just for the hell of it, because it’s a beautiful photo … this atmospheric image of a forerunner preparing for a test lap ahead of the men’s 5000m speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
