TL;DR
Roughly 230 U.S. athletes are competing at Milano Cortina 2026. From decorated veterans to rising stars, these are some of the Americans to watch.
Why This Matters
The Winter Olympics remain one of the most-watched global sports events, drawing thousands of athletes and hundreds of millions of viewers every four years. At Milano Cortina 2026, around 2,900 competitors are expected to take part in 116 events across Italy, according to organizers, making it a major global news and sports moment.
For U.S. viewers, the Games are both a measure of national performance and a showcase of stories that go beyond medals: comebacks after retirement, athletes balancing parenthood and elite training, and competitors pushing for greater visibility in women’s and minority sports. Team USA has earned 330 Winter Olympic medals through Beijing 2022, second only to Norway, and enters 2026 with a deep roster across ice, snow, and sliding sports.
These Games also highlight broader shifts in sport: the rise of mental health advocacy, growing professional women’s leagues, and more diverse representation on the ice and snow. Watching who breaks through at Milano Cortina offers a preview of where winter sports – and the next generation of athletic role models – are headed.
Key Facts & Quotes
Freestyle skier Alex Ferreira, a halfpipe specialist and two-time Olympic medalist, returns for his third Games. He has dominated recent World Cup and X Games seasons and has described representing his country as “a big deal … to bring home a medal for America and for your town, for your state, for your country.”
Another freestyle standout, Alex Hall, also makes his third Olympic appearance. The slopestyle gold medalist from Beijing 2022 has won major titles in big air and other freestyle disciplines and says he now aims to “enjoy some of the smaller things at the Olympics, not necessarily the grandiose things.”
Figure skating features several headline names. Alysa Liu, once the youngest U.S. national champion, is back after a surprise teenage retirement and a world title in 2025; Olympic champion Brian Boitano has called her resurgence “the biggest comeback in sports history,” according to U.S. broadcast coverage. Amber Glenn, a three-time U.S. champion and vocal advocate for mental health and the LGBTQ+ community, reaches her first Olympics and has described the stage as “an incredible opportunity” to share her message.
On the speedskating oval, veteran Brittany Bowe lines up for a fourth Games, emphasizing a new focus on process over outcomes. Erin Jackson, the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympic gold, returns as reigning 500-meter champion and a flagbearer for Team USA, saying she’s “super grateful to be able to skate in circles for a living.” Rising star Jordan Stolz, a multiple-distance world champion in his early 20s, is seen as a key contender in the sprint and middle distances.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina kicked off with an unforgettable Opening Ceremony at San Siro Stadium, and Team USA delivered one of the most talked-about moments of the night!
Led by flagbearers Erin Jackson (speed skater) and Frank Del Duca (bobsledder), the American… pic.twitter.com/vmxxhYd0BP— Umoh Odotitoro Aniekan (@Lbumoh) February 8, 2026
Ice hockey brings familiar leaders. Hilary Knight heads to her fifth Olympics after multiple medals and a central role in establishing a new professional women’s league. Kendall Coyne Schofield, a three-time Olympic medalist, competes in her first Games as a mother and says parenthood has given her “an abundance of patience” and a fresh perspective. Defender Caroline Harvey, already an Olympic silver medalist and two-time NCAA champion, has been named best defender at consecutive women’s world championships, according to Team USA.
Other names to watch include Ilia Malinin, the 21-year-old “Quad God” and back-to-back men’s world figure skating champion, known for landing all six quadruple jumps in one program; Deedra Irwin, who recorded the best-ever U.S. finish in an Olympic biathlon event in 2022; and short track skater Corinne Stoddard, a three-time world medalist who raced through a broken nose at Beijing. In curling, Korey Dropkin finally reaches his first Olympics after relocating and training for years in what has become a U.S. curling hub. “I’ve dedicated my whole life to getting to the Olympics,” he has said.
What It Means for You
For viewers in the U.S., these athletes give shape to what might otherwise be a long list of events and schedules. Knowing a few key names – from Ferreira and Hall in freestyle skiing to Liu, Glenn, and Malinin in figure skating, Jackson and Stolz in speedskating, and Knight, Coyne Schofield, and Harvey in hockey – can make watching easier to follow and more engaging.
Their stories also reflect broader themes many people relate to: returning to work after a break, juggling family and career, speaking openly about mental health, or pursuing a lifelong dream later than expected. As the latest update in the Olympic cycle, Milano Cortina 2026 will likely drive conversations at home, at work, and online about performance, pressure, and perseverance.
As you follow the medal table and highlight reels, these are some of the U.S. athletes whose performances – and personal journeys – may stand out most. Which athlete’s story are you most interested in following during these Winter Games?
Sources: Team USA athlete biographies and competition summaries, updated 2024-2025; official Milano Cortina 2026 organizing committee information on events and athlete counts, accessed February 2026; recent U.S. television and online interviews with Team USA athletes, February 2026.
