Team USA Defends Olympic Title in Mixed Team Aerials as Kaila Kuhn and Chris Lillis Power a Gold-Medal Finish in Livigno

Team USA added a marquee freestyle skiing moment to the Milan-Cortina Winter Games on Feb. 21, 2026, winning gold in the mixed team aerials final at Livigno. The American trio of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Chris Lillis delivered a crisp, high-pressure set of jumps to post a winning final total of 325.35 points, holding off Switzerland and China in one of the most technical medal events on the freestyle calendar.

Aerials’ Most Unforgiving Format Finally Clicked When It Mattered

Mixed team aerials is built to punish even minor mistakes: three athletes combine scores in quick succession, and a small slip—an under-rotation, a late grab, a shaky landing—can erase an advantage instantly. That format favors teams that can replicate training-level precision in a final-round environment where nerves are unavoidable.

The U.S. performance in Livigno had the look of a group that understood the assignment: clean takeoffs, tight body lines in the air, and landings that kept deductions in check. In a sport where difficulty can tempt athletes into chasing bigger numbers, the winning run felt more like controlled risk than reckless escalation.

Kaila Kuhn and Chris Lillis Delivered the Anchor Moments

Kuhn and Lillis were central to the American win, each bringing a different kind of value to a three-jump final. Kuhn’s strength was steadiness—turning a high-difficulty attempt into a composed, penalty-minimizing score. Lillis, long viewed as one of the U.S. program’s most reliable big-stage competitors, supplied the kind of finish that keeps a team from opening the door late.

Curran’s role mattered just as much. Mixed team results often hinge on the “middle” jump—where a lineup can either stabilize the pressure or amplify it. The U.S. run carried momentum across all three attempts, which is exactly how teams separate in a format that doesn’t allow timeouts or resets.

Switzerland and China Pushed the Standard, but the U.S. Held the Margin

The final ended with a clear podium and meaningful gaps, not a razor-thin tiebreaker. Switzerland earned silver with 296.91 points, while China took bronze with 279.68.

China’s presence on the podium remains a reminder of its long-term aerials excellence and the depth that keeps it in medal contention across cycles. Switzerland’s silver underscores how quickly aerials programs can rise when they combine technical coaching with athletes who can land under pressure. But in this final, the U.S. package—difficulty, execution, and composure—was the most complete.

Why This Win Matters for U.S. Freestyle Skiing at Milan-Cortina

Gold in mixed team aerials is more than a single medal. It signals program health in a discipline that demands specialized ramps, repetition-heavy training, and a pipeline that can replace veterans without losing consistency.

It also matters because the mixed team event is a credibility test for national systems. Teams have to develop athletes who can score individually while also fitting into a relay-like rhythm with teammates. The U.S. ability to repeat gold-level execution suggests its technical foundation is translating, even as the sport’s difficulty ceiling keeps rising.

What Still Needs Clarity After the Final

Even with medals decided, a few competition details typically become clearer only after full scoring breakdowns and federation updates:

• Full element-by-element judging notes, including where the largest deductions came from for each team

• Whether any athletes competed with minor injuries or late equipment adjustments (often discussed only post-event)

• How teams plan to evolve difficulty for the next cycle, given how rapidly aerials standards shift year to year

Next Steps: What to Watch in Freestyle Skiing After This Result

The mixed team aerials final will shape decisions immediately, not just for 2030 planning but for how programs treat team-based pressure events:

• U.S. doubles down on repeatability: Expect the Americans to emphasize “clean-first” training blocks, keeping difficulty high but prioritizing landings that minimize deductions.

• Switzerland accelerates investment: Silver can trigger more funding, more training camps, and higher difficulty attempts aimed at closing the gap.

• China recalibrates for team formats: Aerials remains a strength, but mixed team finals reward consistency across three athletes; roster balance becomes as important as star power.

• Judging trends influence difficulty choices: If execution is clearly rewarded over marginal difficulty bumps, teams will optimize for “score efficiency” rather than headline-level tricks.

• Athlete roles evolve: Programs may develop specialists for opening, middle, and anchor jumps—treating lineups like strategic configurations rather than simply stacking top names.

For viewers tracking Milan-Cortina freestyle skiing, the headline is straightforward: when the mixed team aerials final demanded clean landings and calm nerves, Kaila Kuhn and Chris Lillis helped Team USA deliver both—again—on the sport’s biggest stage.