One Extraordinary Photo: Triumph on Ice

By: Petr Josek, The Associated Press Posted: 10:32 AM CST Friday, Feb. 20, 2026

MILAN (AP) — Petr Josek is a staffer based in Prague, the Czech Republic. He has covered several Olympic Games and World Cup soccer tournaments dating to 2006 and is a multi-award winning photographer.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/02/2026 (214 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Why this photo?

Winning the Olympic gold medal must always be special, even for a team as dominant as the U.S. has been in recent years. Winning the gold in overtime after you trailed your archrival Canada for most of the game must be even more crazy.

United States' players celebrate after a women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

How I made this photo

I shot it through plexiglass and had to make a decision when to stop following the scorer of the winning goal and switch to follow the team’s celebration.

Why this photo works

This picture shows the explosion of emotions and captures the pure madness of that situation in the U.S. team’s celebration. That’s why I think the picture works.

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