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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

Gold medalist Loic Meillard of Team Switzerland, Silver medalist Fabio Gstrein of Team Austria and Bronze medalist Henrik Kristoffersen of Team Norway celebrate by taking a victory selfie on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's Slalom Run

Olympics

It’s Time To Get Cozy At The Podium

Lauren Theisen

Jack Hughes #86 of Team United States celebrates after their gold-medal win

Jack Hughes Sheds Blood And Teeth For His Country, U.S. Wins Olympic Gold

Mikhail Shaidorov Celebrated Gold By Skating In A Panda Suit

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Megan Keller #5 (R) of Team United States celebrates scoring a goal with teammates Hannah Bilka #23 (C) and Hilary Knight #21 (L) in the first period during the Women's Preliminary Round Group A match between the United States and Czechia on Day minus one of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

Still Country For Old Women

Giri Nathan

Arif Mohd Khan of Team India reacts in the finish area after competing in the Men's Slalom Run on day ten of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Stelvio Alpine Skiing Centre on February 16, 2026 in Bormio, Italy. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Indian Skier Starts, Finishes Race

Kathryn Xu

Alysa Liu of Team United States competes in Women's Single Skating - Free Skating.

Alysa Liu Is Untouchable

Ray Ratto

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 19: Megan Keller #5 of Team United States celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal to win the gold medals in the overtime during the Women's Gold Medal match between the United States and Canada on day 13 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Team USA’s Gold Is Sweeter For The Struggle

David Roth

Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert of Team Canada compete during Men's Round Robin between Team Canada and Team Great Britain on day eleven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on February 17, 2026.

Podcasts

Across The Hog Line, With John Cullen

This Is So Stupid

I Finally Understand This Tara Lipinski Commercial

Patrick Redford

Silver medalist Gu Ailing of China poses for photos after the awarding ceremony of the freestyle skiing women's freeski big air event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Photo by Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Eileen Gu Will Never Be The Traitor JD Vance Wants Her To Be

Barry Petchesky

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 18: Quinn Hughes #43 of Team United States celebrate his victory goal in overtime with Matthew Tkachuk #19 and Jack Hughes #86 during the Ice Hockey Men's Play-off Quarterfinals match between Team United States and Team Sweden on day twelve of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 18, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

Quinn Hughes Almost Smiled

<p>Lesley Ryder is a writer and a host covering the Chicago Red Stars. She co-created <a href="https://galpalsports.com/">Gal Pal Sports</a>, a platform that lives to make women’s sports fun for everyone.</p>


Lesley Ryder

Kendall Coyne #26 of Team United States controls the puck against in the second period during the Women's Playoffs Semifinal match between United States and Sweden on Day 10 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 16, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

All I Want Is A Women’s Hockey Broadcast That Talks About The Hockey

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 18: Mitch Marner of Team Canada celebrates a goal during the Ice Hockey Men Quarterfinals match between Canada vs Czechia on day twelve of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 18, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

Canada Took A Czech Beating And Survived

Alysa Liu of Team United States competes during the women's short program.

How Is A Figure Skater Like A Tree?

Davide Ghiotto of Team Italy, Andrea Giovannini of Team Italy,Michele Malfatti of Team Italy in action during the Speed Skating Men's Team Pursuit

Are The Fellas In Sync?

Kelsey McKinney

a wolf dog stands on the ice in front of the olympics barrier

Beautiful Wolfdog Now An Olympian

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<div dir="ltr">Georgia Cloepfil is the author of <i>The Striker and the Clock</i> (Riverhead, 2024). Her other writing can be found in <i>The Yale Review</i>, The New York <i>Times</i> Magazine, <i>n+1 </i>and elsewhere.</div>
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Georgia Cloepfil

The Suffering Of Lindsey Vonn

France's Emily Harrop competes during the qualifications of the Mixed Relay event at the Ski mountaineering (ISMF) World Championships in Les Crosets on March 3, 2025. (Photo by GABRIEL MONNET / AFP)

Competitors In The Newest Olympic Sport Will Scale Extraordinary Heights Of Suffering

Canada's #29 Marie-Philip Poulin reacts during the women's play-off semi-final ice hockey match between Canada and Switzerland at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 16, 2026.

Canada Needs Marie-Philip Poulin To Bail Them Out One More Time

Alex Sujong Laughlin

An image of (left to right) Maddie Mastro, Breezy Johnson, and Maxime Germain with their knitted creations, taken from their respective Instagram accounts.

Let’s Check In With The Knitting Olympians

Austin Florian of Team United States wears a Venom helmet.

A Tour Of The Sick-Ass Helmets Of Skeleton

a USA bobsledder pushes a sled (with a long exposure so it looks artsy)

Which Terrifying Sliding Sport Would You Brave?

LIVIGNO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 15: Ikuma Horishima of Team Japan crosses the finish line backwards after a fall as he competes in the Men's Dual Moguls 1/8 Finals against Nick Page of Team United States (not pictured) on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on February 15, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

This Backward Guy Medaled

Marc Kennedy of Team Canada competes in the curling men's round robin between Canada and USA during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo on February 13, 2026. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

The Big Canada-Sweden Curling Beef, Explained

Ilia Malinin of Team United States reacts after competing in the Men Single Skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

2026 olympics