Saturday proved to be a tightly-contested battle between the Southgate Anderson and Gibraltar Carlson, who placed first and second, respectively, in the dual meet portion of the league schedule during the regular season.

After around five hours of competition, it was the Titans of Anderson outlasting Carlson once more, finishing first overall to claim the outright DRL championship.

It’s the second league title in as many years for Anderson, who prior to their 2025 crown had not won a conference crown in the sport in nearly a decade. The outright honors comes after the Titans went undefeated in the league duals, including a 59-15 team victory over Carlson in a league quad back on Jan 14.

Similar to last year’s end-of-season meet, Saturday proved to be another neck-and-neck race between the two programs.

Anderson capped the day with 275.5 team points, narrowly beating out runner-up Carlson (266) by a smaller gap than the margin between the two teams a year ago. Both the Titans and Marauders combined to house nine of the 14 individual champions by day’s end.

Anderson saw five wrestlers end their respective days in the first-place match, tied with Allen Park for the second-most among any school behind only Carlson’s six. The Titans, however, saw all five emerge victorious in said matches, where the Marauders cashed in on four of their six such tries.

Each team also had four more matmen salvage third-place honors. Anderson also had two additional wrestlers turn in fourth-place finishes.

Allen Park (184.5) finished third overall in the final team standings, followed by Brownstown Woodhaven (180.5), Wyandotte Roosevelt (158.5), Trenton (126), Lincoln Park (120), Edsel Ford (69), and Taylor (26) to round things out.

Despite clogging up nearly half of the first-place match representatives, Anderson and Carlson only clashed in one such match on Saturday. That came in the form of the Titans’ Johnny Pardo besting the Marauders’ Matthew Beach by a 4-2 decision.

A rematch of the 285-pound league finals a year ago, which was won then by Beach, Saturday’s bout marked the fourth head-to-head battle between Pardo and Beach this season. The two seniors have now split those meetings, with all four matches being decided by four points or fewer.

Pardo and Beach now have a combined 76 wins on the season heading into the state postseason.

In addition to their heavyweight standout, Anderson on Saturday saw Devin Sears (113), Sam Wilhelm (120), Nathan King (157), and Liam McMillen (175) all take home individual league titles.

Sears and Wilhelm each wrestled in three matches, winning all three by fall. The former has now won each of his last nine matches, including a pin of Allen Park’s Deacon Ashmore in the finals. The latter meanwhile tallied three first-period pins on Saturday, the last of which was Roosevelt’s Gage Ball.

King, who finished third at 144 pounds a season ago, will carry a 10-match win streak into the state tournament thanks to three more victories on Saturday. The senior ended his day with a slim 6-2 decision over Roosevelt’s Nolan Allman in the finals.

As for McMillen, he continued what is a very strong first season of high school wrestling. After opening the day with three pins, the freshman for Anderson then dethroned Woodhaven’s Tahj Ferguson with an impressive 16-6 major decision victory in the 175-pound finals.

McMillen on the season now has 43 victories, second on the team only to Pardo (44).

Elsewhere for Anderson, Jaiden Rivera-Pepper (106), Christian Carlson (132), Chase Luevanos (190), and Cameron Muszynski (215) all salvaged third-place finishes. Carlson was a league title winner at 113 pounds a year ago, while Muszynski improved on his fourth-place showing from 2025.

Beach’s tough close loss aside, Carlson still walked away with four individual league champions. That includes a pair of first-timers in Abram McCall (106) and Jacob Morris (190), as well as some familiar faces in Wally Sindone (126) and Michael Skowronski (138).

McCall ended up only wrestling once on Saturday, as the 106-pound class only had three placeholders by day’s end. The freshman in the finals took care of Woodhaven’s Anthony Muti by first-period fall. Another freshman, Morris in three wins had one by technical fall as well as two pins, the second of which was in the waning seconds of the first period vs Allen Park’s Samson Vukson.

McCall and Morris have been arguably Carlson’s top two matmen this winter with each combining for nearly 90 wins. Right up there for the Marauders as well is the aforementioned Wally Sindone, who successfully defended his 126-pound title from a year prior.

Sindone on Saturday wrestled five times. After winning each of the first four by four — three of which were in the first period — the junior cruised to a 17-3 major victory over Edsel Ford’s Hammam Salim in the finals.

As for Skowronski, it is the second time in three years that he found himself in the first-place match at the league meet. A runner-up finisher in 2024 and a third-place finisher last year, the junior ended his three-win day strong with a pin of Allen Park freshman Marcus Tuccini in the finals.

Carlson’s other first-place match competitor on Saturday, Luke Guffey (165), had to settle for runner-up honors. After winning his first match of the day via fall, the senior then fell in a 14-4 major decision to Lincoln Park’s Sa`Darion Holloway in the title bout.

The Marauders elsewhere got third-place honors from a quartet of Orlando Ehause (113), Elijah Wurts (120), Peyton Brown (144), and Gunnar Adams (175). It’s the second straight year that both Ehause and Adams each end their respective league runs on the third-place mat, the latter matching his placing from the 2025 meet.

Both Trenton and the hosts from Lincoln Park each left Saturday’s meet with two individual league champions.

Trenton got yet another dominating showing from Brock Culpepper, who renewed his title at 215 pounds for a second straight season. Few wrestlers in the league, if any, have been better than Culpepper, who now sits at a perfect 42-0 on the season following three more pins on Saturday, including one of Allen Park’s Zachary VanEtten in the finals.

The Trojans’ other first-place finish came courtesy of Blake Scrimenti (144), whose third of three wins on the day was a pin of Woodhaven’s Collin Dodd in the finals. Brother and junior Cole Scrimenti (132), who finished third at 120 pounds a year ago, settled for runner-up honors on Saturday after losing in a 7-3 decision to Edsel Ford’s Hassan Awada in the finals.

Trenton had two others finish up their respective days in the third-place match. Senior James Harrison (138) improved on his fourth-place effort in 2025 by salvaging third in the same weight class, while freshman Ryder Robinson settled for fourth place at 120 pounds.

With his finals win over Carlson’s Guffey on Saturday, the aforementioned Sa`Darion Holloway now paces Lincoln Park with 42 victories on the season. The junior was one of two newly-crowned league champions for the Railsplitters, who had one such honor over the previous three seasons combined.

A few matches before Holloway, Lincoln Park also saw Diego Buendia (150) finish his perfect 4-0 day, all by fall, with a pin of Allen Park’s Jason Mifsud in the finals.

The meet hosts elsewhere on Saturday had two other wrestlers compete in the third-place match. Jacob Spratt (157) finished the day on a high note with a win, while Jaysean DeJesus (144) had to settle for fourth-place honors.

Despite losing his final two matches of the day, DeJesus still sits at 38 wins on the year, second on the team only to Holloway.

In addition to their five runner-up placeholders, Allen Park had three others end their respective days in the third-place matches. Their eight top-4 finishers tied Woodhaven for the third-most among any school on Saturday.

Salvaging third-place honors for the Jags included Connor Collinson (165) and Zackary Helvey (285). The latter two years ago finished fourth in the heavyweight class. And Kyle Craft (157) added a fourth-place finish as well.

Only one of Woodhaven’s five wrestlers that competed in the third-place match picked up a win. That came in the form of Maxwell Dominguez (150), whose only loss of the day was to Lincoln Park’s Buendia in pool play.

Four other Warriors — Nico Hernandez (113), Braylon Wallace (126), Jace Mrkich (138), and Bryton Serda (190) all settled for fourth-place finishes.

In addition to the runner-up placings from both Ball and Allman, Roosevelt had another four matmen end their respective league runs in the third-place bout on Saturday.

Blake Schroeder (126) salvaged third place for the Bears, one year after he finished runner-up to Carlson’s Sindone. A trio of Rocket Sladovink (132), Donavan Stone (175), and Ben Demmer (215) all tallied fourth-place honors. Both Stone and Demmer were runner-up finishers at the 2025 league meet.

As for Taylor, this is their third consecutive year of fielding a varsity wrestling program. Saturday was limited participation overall for the Griffins, who had just four grapplers compete in the varsity portion of the meet festivities.

Taylor’s only top-4 placeholder at leagues was a familiar name in Aiden Havener (285). A third-place finisher at last year’s league meet, the senior on Saturday settled for fourth place in the same weight class.

UP NEXT

The Michigan high school wrestling state tournament gets underway next week with team districts taking place on Feb 11-12.

The main one locally will be a Division 1 district at Allen Park, who will welcome in league foes Anderson, Lincoln Park, and Roosevelt. Elsewhere in D1 on Feb 12, Woodhaven will trek down to Monroe, while Taylor will join Edsel Ford for a meet at Dearborn Heights Crestwood.

Trenton meanwhile finds themselve situated in a D2 district at nearby New Boston Huron on Feb 11. That district also features local programs Riverview and Romulus.

Photo gallery of the 2026 Downriver League individual wrestling championships

Saturday proved to be a tightly-contested battle between the Southgate Anderson and Gibraltar Carlson, who placed first and second, respectively, in the dual meet portion of the league schedule during the regular season.

After around five hours of competition, it was the Titans of Anderson outlasting Carlson once more, finishing first overall to claim their second consecutive outright DRL championship.

Photo gallery is courtesy of Alexander Muller.

Carlson came in fresh off a thrilling 4-3 victory over Metro East Division foe and Division 3 No. 7-ranked Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett earlier in the week. Friday meanwhile was the first game in over a week for Riverview, who had scored a combined 25 goals during their current three-game win streak.

Guided by a fast start, the Marauders from Carlson continued their own late-season push as they cruised to a 5-1 win over RCU.

The result gives Carlson their fourth straight win overall, matching their longest such streak of the season from one they did back in early December. This recent win streak comes after dropped a season-worst seven straight games.

Unlike their most recent outing vs Liggett on Feb 4, the Marauders on Friday set the tone early with a big three-goal first period, including two in the span of 50 seconds. The third of those goals to begin the game came on the power play with 32 seconds to go before the intermission.

Midway through the second period, Riverview-Cabrini ended a bid for what would have been Carlson’s first shutout win since Jan 2 when senior Noah Worthy potted his seventh of the season. Carlson, though, was able to equalize that later in the frame with their second special teams score of the night, this one coming short-handed with 17 seconds to go.

The Marauders finished up the night’s scoring with one more in the third period. Each of the last three goals scored by the victors on Friday came courtesy of Caden Jones.

The big hero in their win over Liggett, Jones scored the game-winning goal with just two seconds to go in regulation, helping Carlson complete a wild comeback after trailing 3-0 earlier in the contest. The late-season surge by the Marauders also applies individually to Jones, who has doubled his season goal output (8) over the last two games alone.

Carlson also got single goals each from Jagger Whitten and Nathan Kastl. The latter was also one of six different Marauders to pick up at least one assist. A trio of Ben Peterson, Brayden Beaudette, and Chase Moore combined for seven assists on the night.

The goal by Worthy for RCU was assisted by both Maverick Markham and Trevor Kurkowski. The most prolific scoring duo in the local area this winter, the senior forwards have now combined for 200 points through the team’s 23 games played.

Carlson senior goaltender finished with 17 saves. On the other side, the Marauders peppered Riverview-Cabrini senior netminder Evan Schwartz with 37 shots on goal, a combined 29 of which came in the first and third periods.

UP NEXT

Carlson (13-11-1) has just two games left in its regular season before the state playoffs, which officially get underway later this month on Feb 16.

The Marauders will stay home at Kennedy for both final regular season tune-ups as well. It starts with hosting non-conference foe Livonia United on Feb 10 before welcoming in Metro East rival Jackson Lumen Christi on Feb 13.

All three final regular season games for Riverview-Cabrini (11-12) will also take place at the friendly confines of Kennedy.

After hosting non-league foes Bishop Foley United and the North Oakland Eagles on Feb 7 and 9, respectively, RCU will conclude its winter campaign by hosting Metro West foe Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard on Feb 12.

Photo gallery of Gibraltar Carlson vs Riverview-Cabrini United in a Metro League ice hockey battle

Carlson came in fresh off a thrilling 4-3 victory over Metro East Division foe and Division 3 No. 7-ranked Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett earlier in the week. Friday meanwhile was the first game in over a week for Riverview, who had scored a combined 25 goals during their current three-game win streak.

Guided by a fast start, the Marauders from Carlson continued their own late-season push as they cruised to a 5-1 win over RCU.

Photo gallery is courtesy of Constance York.

Girls Basketball

CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE

Allen Park Cabrini 60, Madison Heights Bishop Foley 52

Clarkston Everest Collegiate 60, Ann Arbor Greenhills 52

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 38, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 26

Jackson Lumen Christi 55, Farmington Hills Mercy 49

Marine City Cardinal Mooney 46, Chesterfield Austin Catholic 35

Riverview Gabriel Richard 34, Southfield Christian 21

CENTRAL STATE ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

Chippewa Hills 53, Grant 46

CHARTER SCHOOL CONFERENCE

Detroit Crocket Midtown Science & Medicine at Melvindale AB&T

DOWNRIVER LEAGUE

Allen Park 27, Lincoln Park 20

Gibraltar Carlson 48, Trenton 39

Taylor 33, Southgate Anderson 21

Woodhaven 57, Dearborn Edsel Ford 33

FLINT METRO LEAGUE

Corunna 57, Ortonville Brandon 30

Flint Kearsley 50, Holly 12

HIGHLAND CONFERENCE

Roscommon 61, Beal City 25

HURON LEAGUE

Riverview 69, Monroe Jefferson 40

INDEPENDENT

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 53, Brighton Charyl Stockwell 9

JACK PINE CONFERENCE

Beaverton 69, Farwell 23

Ogemaw Heights 35, Shepherd 27

St. Louis 37, Harrison 21

Bullock Creek at Clare

LAKES VALLEY CONFERENCE

Milford 29, South Lyon 15

South Lyon East 45, Lakeland 40

Walled Lake Western 46, Walled Lake Central 21

Waterford Kettering 2, Oak Park 0 (forfeit)

MACOMB AREA CONFERENCE

Anchor Bay 44, Romeo 38

Chippewa Valley 69, St. Clair Shores South Lake 24

Clawson 59, Center Line 22

Fraser 57, Port Huron Northern 40

Hazel Park 64, New Haven 23

St. Clair Shores Lakeview 38, L’Anse Creuse North 25

Roseville 40, L’Anse Creuse 34

Utica 45, Warren Cousino 40

Utica Eisenhower 72, Grosse Pointe South 41

Utica Ford 53, Macomb Dakota 47

Warren Fitzgerald 41, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 26

Warren Lincoln 58, Clintondale 30

Eastpointe at Madison Heights Madison

Sterling Heights at Madison Heights Lamphere

MICHIGAN INDEPENDENT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Livonia Clarenceville 38, Novi Christian Academy 34

Plymouth Christian Academy 57, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 11

Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 71, Lutheran Westland 40

Riverview Gabriel Richard 34, Southfield Christian 21

MID-STATE ACTIVITIES CONFERENCE

Coleman 48, Baldwin 37

Indian River Inland Lake 62, Montabella 32

OAKLAND ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

Berkley 56, Birminhgam Seaholm 27

Birmingham Groves 73, Royal Oak 43

Bloomfield Hills 54, Auburn Hills Avondale 44

Clarkston 52, Stoney Creek 45

North Farmington 66, Ferndale University 30

Pontiac at Farmington (0-0 forfeit)

Rochester 30, Lake Orion 23

Southfield A&T 56, Troy 55

Troy Athens 43, Rochester Adams 33

Waterford Kettering 2, Oak Park 0 (forfeit)

West Bloomfield 44, Oxford 41

Ferndale at Harper Woods

SAGINAW VALLEY LEAGUE

Mt. Pleasant 36, Midland Dow 35

TRI-VALLEY CONFERENCE

Bay City John Glenn 49, Alma 33

Hemlock 62, Ithaca 36

WESTERN WAYNE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Melvindale at Romulus

——————————

Boys basketball

BLUE WATER AREA CONFERENCE

Croswell-Lexington 59, Armada 41

North Branch 64, Richmond 43

CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE

Allen Park Cabrini 70, Clarkston Everest Collegiate 60

Marine City Cardinal Mooney 47, Madison Heights Bishop Foley 40

Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes 64, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 50

CENTRAL STATE ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

Grant 64, Chippewa Hills 42

CHARTER SCHOOL CONFERENCE

Warren Michigan Math & Science 47, Mt. Clemens 31

DOWNRIVER LEAGUE

Gibraltar Carlson 77, Trenton 51

Lincoln Park 66, Allen Park 44

Monroe Jefferson 55, Riverview 48

Dearborn Edsel Ford at Woodhaven

Taylor at Southgate Anderson

FLINT METRO LEAGUE

Flint Kearsley 61, Holly 48

Corunna at Ortonville Brandon

HIGHLAND CONFERENCE

Beal City at Roscommon

HURON LEAGUE

Carleton Airport 55, Grosse Ile 54

Flat Rock 59, Milan 38

New Boston Huron 61, Monroe St. Mary CC 47

INDEPENDENT

Center Line Prep Academy 77, Detroit Lincoln-King 64

KENSINGTON LAKES ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

Salem 57, Novi 49

LAKES VALLEY CONFERENCE

Milford 58, South Lyon 26

South Lyon East 52, Lakeland 47

Walled Lake Western 68, Walled Lake Central 49

Walled Lake Northern at Ypsilanti Arbor Prep

MICHIGAN INDEPENDENT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Bloomfield Hills Roeper 43, Waterford Oakside Prep 24

Novi Christian Academy 57, Livonia Clarenceville 48

Plymouth Christian 63, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 51

Southfield Christian 61, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 36

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 68, Brighton Charyl Stockwell 65

MID-STATE ACTIVITIES CONFERENCE

Breckenridge 67, Carson City-Crystal 28

Fulton 58, Merrill 42

Montabella 67, Ashley 25

Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart 63, St. Charles 46

Vestaburg 73, Coleman 37

OAKLAND ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

Bloomfield Hills 73, Troy 58

Clarkston 57, West Bloomfield 41

Stoney Creek 5,7 Oxford 55

SAGINAW VALLEY LEAGUE

Mt. Pleasant 72, Midland Dow 63

TRI-VALLEY CONFERENCE

Bay City John Glenn 57, Alma 29

Hemlock 63, Ithaca 35

WESTERN WAYNE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Romulus 62, Melvindale 47

Also in the spotlight will be U.S. figure skating star Ilia Malinin as well as Jessie Diggins, America’s most decorated cross-country skier.

Here is a guide of what to look out for:

Men’s downhill is wide open

Swiss teammates Marco Odermatt and world champion Franjo von Allmen are among the favorites, though there’s a long list of contenders for the podium at Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio.

The home crowd will be rooting for Dominik Paris, who in his fifth Games is still looking for his first Olympic medal. The 36-year-old Italian is a Bormio specialist, having won a record six World Cup downhills there. There’s also young Italian Giovanni Franzoni.

U.S. skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle was fastest in the opening downhill training session Wednesday. It is Cochran-Siegle’s third Winter Olympics. He won silver in the super-G at the Beijing Games four years ago.

The event is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. local time (0930 GMT, 4:30 a.m. ET), weather permitting.

Ilia Malinin performs in figure skating team event

Two-time reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, the overwhelming favorite to win Olympic figure skating gold, performs his short program as part of the team event. The defending champion U.S. leads Japan and Italy going into Day 2 of the three-day competition. It’s scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. local time (1745 GMT, 12:45 p.m. ET) in Milan.

In the free dance, the U.S. team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates is expected back on the ice. The three-time defending world champions won the rhythm dance portion of the team competition Friday.

Jessie Diggins competes in her 4th Olympics

Diggins, a 34-year-old Minnesota native, is trying to add to her Olympic haul before she retires at the end of the season. She already has a gold, silver, and bronze medal from three earlier Olympics. She will compete Saturday in the 20 kilometer skiathlon. The event is scheduled to begin at noon local time (1100 GMT and 6 a.m. ET). Cross-country skiing is held in Val di Fiemme, a valley in the heart of the Dolomites. It’s possible medals could be awarded before the men’s downhill medals.

There are also medal events in ski jumping (women’s normal hill individual), snowboard (men’s snowboard big air) and speedskating (women’s 3000 meters).

US faces Finland in women’s hockey

Women’s hockey is among the handful of disciplines that have already begun preliminary rounds. The U.S. team opened its campaign with a 5-1 victory over Czechia on Thursday.

Next up for the Americans is Finland. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:40 p.m. local time (1440 GMT, 9:40 a.m. ET) in Milan. The other games Saturday: Switzerland-Canada; Sweden-Italy; and Germany-Japan.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

This photo gallery, curated by AP photo editors, features highlights from the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

MILAN (AP) — Those mischievous Minions will have their Olympic moment after all.

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate obtained the final approval he needed for his music on Friday, allowing the Spanish figure skater to perform his short program — set to a medley from the animated comedy from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment — when the men’s competition begins at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday night.

Sabate had been performing the fan-favorite program all season, thinking he had the proper approval through a system called ClicknClear to use four cuts of music Minions. Last week, Universal Studios asked for him to provide more details on the music Sabate was using and the Minions-inspired outfit that he had been wearing.

He was able to quickly get approval for two cuts of music, and Sabate obtained a third by reaching out directly to the artist, a fellow Spaniard. The hold up was the song “Freedom” by the American musician and producer Pharrell Williams.

That approval finally came Friday, about two hours before the Olympic figure skating program opened with the team event.

“I’m so happy to announce that we’ve done it! We’ve secured the licenses for all four songs, and I’ll be able to skate the Minions at the Olympic Games,” Sabate wrote on social media. “It hasn’t been an easy process, but the support of everyone who has followed my case has been key to keeping me motivated and optimistic these past few days.”

At one point, Sabate’s situation had grown so dire that he began practicing his Bee Gee-inspired short program from last year. But as news of his plight came out, and he began to get approval for some of the music, his hopes of performing Minions began to grow.

He even practiced the program, which opens with peels of laughter from the characters, during an early session Thursday. By the next morning, the Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation announced that the copyright issue had been resolved.

“I want to thank ClickClear and the RFEDH, as well as Universal Pictures, Pharrell Williams, Sony Music and Juan Alcaraz for managing the rights in such a short time so I can perform my program in Milan,” Sabate said.

The copyright issue has become a big problem in figure skating, where for years skaters could only use music without words, usually considered part of the public domain. But when the rules changed in 2014, and more modern music began to be used in competition, some artists began to object to their work being used without the proper permission.

Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium also had copyright issues ahead of the Olympics.

The Belgian had been performing her short program to “Ashes” by Celine Dion from the film “Deadpool 2.” But after the European championships last month, her brother and coach, Jorik Hendrickx, and choreographer Adam Solya became concerned that the music would not be approved for the Olympics, and they decided to change the soundtrack at the last minute.

Hendrickx is now performing a slightly modified program to “I Surrender,” another song by Dion, which has the same rhythm and feel as “Ashes.” She was able to obtain permission for that piece because it is part of ClicknClear’s catalogue of licenses.

The 26-year-old Sabate is not considered a medal contender at the Olympics; he was 20th at the world championships last year. But after the past week, he figures to have plenty of support when he brings the Minions with him Tuesday night.

“Right now, I just want to give my all on the ice and perform a program worthy of the love I’ve received from around the world,” Sabate said. “I’m thrilled by the love that a small skater from a small federation has received.”

MILAN (AP) — Mittens versus gloves? Hats against headbands? Merino wool over Mongolian cashmere?

Fashion is its own competitor in any Olympics, from team uniforms at the opening and closing ceremonies to individual looks in the stadiums and — during the Winter Games — on the slopes.

There’s also the simmering rivalry between Europe’s top two fashion cities. The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics were heralded as the most stylish yet, but Milan is going for gold on the heels of its annual men’s fashion week and ahead of the women’s runway previews.

Athletes around the world have been ginning up anticipation by flooding social media with unboxing videos of their new swag. Before taking to the ice and (manufactured) snow, they will make their grand debut Friday night at the opening ceremony’s Parade of Nations.

Here’s a look at some of the outfits:

Italy and Armani

Team Italy’s uniforms are the last ever designed by Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani, who died in September at the age of 91.

The kit’s milky white color is meant to evoke harmony and snow-capped peaks, and includes a down jacket, thermal ski jacket and waterproof trousers. Its star piece, an oversized bomber jacket, is covered with “Italia” heat-printed all over and finished with a high knit collar in the red, green and white of the Italian flag.

This was Armani’s fourth Winter Olympics uniform for Team Italia, made under the athletic EA7 Emporio Armani label.

He will be honored in a separate tribute during the opening ceremony given his ties to Milan and his legacy as one of the founders of Italian ready-to-wear.

USA and Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren is channeling cozy Americana with its opening ceremony outfit, which was unveiled in December alongside other looks the Team USA athletes will wear throughout the Games.

Naturally it’s red, white and blue, exemplified by the Fair Isle knitwear with a U.S. flag and Olympic rings, matching tasseled hat and mittens. The prevailing mood for the opening ceremony uniform was winter white, in both a duffel coat and trousers. The choice was made with the athletes, and unofficially endorsed when Pantone made Cloud Dancer color of 2026 — coincidentally on the same day Ralph Lauren unveiled its Olympic uniforms.

“They thought it felt it felt like peace. They thought it was very ethereal,’’ chief branding officer David Lauren told The Associated Press at the Ralph Lauren palazzo in Milan on Thursday night.

The Ralph Lauren team has been designing Team USA’s Olympic apparel since 2008, and designers start on each Olympics’ looks about 2 1/2 years out from the Games.

Haiti and Stella Jean

Haiti’s two-man Olympic team will be sporting gear designed by Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean and inspired by a Haitian artist’s painting.

The uniforms originally featured Toussaint Louverture, the former slave who led a revolution that created the world’s first Black republic in 1804, astride a red horse. But the IOC ruled that the image violated Olympic rules barring political symbolism, forcing Jean to paint over the nation’s founding father.

That left only Louverture’s charging steed — representing Haiti’s founding moment — against a lush tropical backdrop and azure sky. The IOC didn’t respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment, but no demonstration of political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic site or venue.

“Rules are rules and must be respected, and that is what we have done,’’ Jean told the AP at an exclusive unveiling at Haiti’s embassy in Rome.

Mongolia and Goyol Cashmere

Mongolian brand Goyol Cashmere launched its Olympic looks last month to instant internet acclaim. The designers were inspired by the “warrior spirit” of Mongolians who, for thousands of years, used cashmere to endure the brutal winters of the Central Asian highlands, the company wrote on social media.

The designers leaned heavily on attire dating back to the Great Mongol Empire between the 13th and 15th centuries, the brand said.

At the Milan Cortina Games, each Mongolian athletes will wear a cashmere ceremonial deel — a traditional tunic or robe — with silk trimmings to honor the past and present.

More casual looks will also feature cashmere, such as knitwear that draws upon the alpine ski sweater style of Western mountain culture, and traditional Mongolian motifs.

Canadian and lululemon

For Canada, lululemon looked to the frontier for fashion. The athleisure brand overlaid the North American country’s topographic map with colors ranging from deep red to iceberg-inspired greens and blues.

For Paralympians, athletes next month can expect new adaptive footwear and seated-fit styles, as well as uniforms featuring braille characters and magnetic zippers.

Of course, the signature maple leaf makes a big splash, too.

Brazil and Moncler

Italian luxury brand Moncler designed an oversized white puffer coat for Brazil’s athletes.

Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen stunned the crowd in Milan by opening his coat, now functioning similar to a cape, to reveal the blue, green and gold Brazilian flag on the inside lining.

Czech Republic and ALPINE PRO

The Czech Republic partnered with ALPINE PRO for its funky opening ceremony outfits.

The red, gold, black and white knit sweaters featured a bold, retro-inspired pattern that, unusually, did not match Czechia’s red, white and blue national flag.

Czech company ALPINE PRO instead opted to channel unconventional Italian design in homage to the hosts. The knitwear was finished with a long red scarf in the Italian style.

Other teams

Many teams and designers are keeping hush-hush about their looks. They’re counting on a big reveal during the opening ceremony inside Milan’s 80,000-seat San Siro stadium.

Here’s a list of some other known collaborations:

• Austria and AlphaTauri
• China and Li-Ning
• Czech Republic and ALPINE PRO
• Finland and Luhta
• France and Le Coq Sportif
• Germany and Adidas
• Great Britain and Ben Sherman
• Iceland and 66 North
• Poland and Adidas
• Spain and Joma
• Sweden and UNIQLO
• Switzerland and OCHSNER SPORT
• Ukraine and 4F

Associated Press writer Alyce Brown in New York contributed to this report.

MILAN (AP) — Madison Chock and Evan Bates set the tone for the powerful U.S. Figure Skating team at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday with a rocking, high-energy rhythm dance set to music by Lenny Kravitz to open the team figure skating competition.

Alysa Liu made sure the defending champion Americans would maintain their lead going into Day 2 of the event.

Chock and Bates scored a world-leading 91.06 points to open the three-day competition, where the U.S. is the defending champ, before a packed crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena that included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, his family and other dignitaries.

Pairs skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea finished solidly in the middle of the pack in their short program for the U.S., while Liu was second to Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto in the women’s short program, leaving the Americans with 25 points.

Japan was second with 23 and host-nation Italy third with 22 going into the men’s short program Saturday. After that, the competition is whittled from 10 teams to the top five, with those five also performing their free dance later in the day.

The men’s, women’s and pairs free skates will ultimately decide the medals Sunday.

“We definitely skated great and we’re very happy, as you saw when we finished. I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway,” said Bates, who along with Chock were part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2022 Winter Games.

Yet Chock and Bates, the three-time world ice dance champions, never received their medals in Beijing, thanks to an investigation into Russian doping. In fact, Chock and Bates wouldn’t get them until two years later at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

So there is a little added motivation for the Americans to win a second consecutive team title.

“I think we have the best generation of figure skaters within the U.S. right now,” O’Shea said. “Amazing people helping each other, supporting each other, and Maddy and Evan leading the charge, being the experienced group who are so helpful to everybody.”

Chock and Bates, fresh off their record seventh U.S. title, also are favored to win the individual ice dance event later in the Winter Games. But they got a taste of how challenging that could be from the new French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron — the latter the defending Olympic champion with his former partner, Gabriella Papadakis.

Just before Chock and Bates took the ice, Beaudry and Cizeron had posted their own world-best score of 89.98 points.

“I think our goal was to really keep building,” Cizeron said. “I think we’ve been improving at each competition and adding to our score, obviously, but getting more precise with our technical elements and having more fun, enjoying the performance, and giving 100%. So I think we’re kind of still climbing that ramp a little bit.”

Chock and Bates gave the U.S. a big lead over the Japanese after struggles by their ice dancers, but the pairs duo of world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara got the reigning silver medalists back in the mix by winning their portion of the competition.

Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava were second in pairs for Georgia with Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii third.

Kam and O’Shea were fifth in the pairs short program, but that was good enough to keep the Americans in the lead.

“You could hear it when we landed our side-by-side jump set. It was so loud, I literally couldn’t hear anything,” Kam said. “I couldn’t hear our music for a second. I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Lock in. We need to do the rest of this program.’”

Perhaps fittingly, the last two women on the ice Friday represented the favored American and Japanese teams.

They also happened to be the last two world champions.

The 20-year-old Liu, back at the Olympics after a brief retirement, was clean on all three of her jumping passes, including her finishing triple lutz-triple loop. She wound up with 74.90 points for her program, set to “Promise” by Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey.

She wouldn’t wipe the smile off he face afterward.

“I never thought I would be back, honestly,” Liu said. “It’s surreal.”

With the Americans poised to take a big lead into Saturday, the 25-year-old Sakamoto delivered with the poise and precision of a veteran. The reigning Olympic bronze medalist also was clean on her jumping passes, including a triple flip-triple toe, and her score of 78.88 points gave the Japanese squad a much-needed 10 points to keep pace with the U.S.