The Real Science of Sport Podcast Winter Olympics Review: Winners, Losers and Our Ice-Cold Takes
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Feb 25, 2026 A lively wrap of the Milan Winter Games, calling out standout performances across skiing, biathlon, figure skating and sliding sports. They debate ski-wax tech, relay value, and safety after high-profile injuries. Brazil’s first winter gold and broadcasting wins like drone coverage get applause. The conversation finishes with ratings, regrets, and a look toward future Games.
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Klæbo's Rare Range Made Him King Of The Games
- Johannes Høsflot Klæbo dominated across sprint and endurance formats, winning six golds and showing exceptional 20-second power bursts alongside long-distance stamina.
- Ross Tucker highlights the physiological rarity of excelling from 1,000m-style power efforts to 50km races within one Games, making Klæbo the clear King of Milan.
Waxing Shaped Outcomes More Than Fans Realized
- Ski waxing materially altered race outcomes at Milan, with Norway's wax team repeatedly outperforming rivals and changing downhill chase dynamics in biathlon and cross-country.
- Gareth Davies and Ross Tucker note waxing varies daily with snow and atmosphere, creating tech-driven unfairness that sometimes overshadows athletic performance.
Giacomel Collapsed With An Arrhythmia Then Had Ablation
- Tommaso Giacomel collapsed during a mass start after developing a heart arrhythmia at the Games and later underwent an ablation procedure to correct it.
- Ross Tucker explains endurance training can remodel the heart and reveal underlying conduction problems, with ablation success rates near 90%.