The 2026 US Winter Olympics Team Is Set – 10 Athletes to Watch Closely

As the countdown to Milan Cortina intensifies, the 2026 Games are already shaping up to be a spectacle of speed, sacrifice, and soaring ambition.

As Team USA locks in its roster for Milan Cortina 2026, attention is already shifting to the people poised to dominate the snow and ice. Among them are 10 American athletes fans will be watching most closely when the Winter Games ignite.

Team USA Readies for Milano Cortina

Competition at the Milan Cortina Games gets underway on February 4, ahead of the Opening Ceremony on February 6. At the event, the spotlight will fall on the athletes aiming to prove they are the best in the world.

The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has announced the 232 athletes selected to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Among them are breakout stars, proven champions, and rising sensations with everything to prove.

"Today we proudly introduce the 2026 US Olympic Team – a group of extraordinary athletes whose commitment, perseverance, and spirit reflect the very best of Team USA," announced USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland.

Team USA Brings Experience and Firepower

Team USA's roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games blends experience with fresh faces, led by 98 returning Olympians. The group includes seven athletes headed to their fourth Olympics, 10 three-time Olympians, and 22 competing for a second time.

Overall, 33 team members have won at least one Olympic medal, while 18 are Olympic champions who together account for 22 gold medals.

That veteran core features five-time Olympians Evan Bates, Nick Baumgartner, Kaillie Humphries, Hilary Knight, Elana Meyers, Faye Thelen, and Lindsey Vonn. Meanwhile, Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim return for their fourth and third Games, respectively, each already a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Jessie Diggins, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein, and Nick Goepper are also making their fourth Olympic appearances, all with three medals to their names. The team also reflects a changing Olympic landscape, with NHL players returning to the Games for the first time since 2014.

Additionally, 23 hockey players are set to make their Olympic debuts. According to the USOPC, the 2026 roster stands as the largest Winter Olympic team the US has ever assembled. But who are the 10 athletes to watch?

Mikaela Shiffrin

Shiffrin will not only be a favorite at the Milan Cortina Games but also one of the defining athletes of her generation. The eight-time world champion made her World Cup debut at 16 and quickly became a fixture on the podium.

Shiffrin won Olympic gold in slalom at Sochi 2014 and added a second gold in giant slalom at PyeongChang 2018, along with a silver in alpine combined. She has captured multiple World Cup overall titles and set records across technical and speed events.

In 2019, she became the first skier to win World Cup races in all six alpine disciplines. Shiffrin surpassed Vonn's career World Cup win record in 2023 and reached the 100-win mark in 2025. As of early 2026, the 30-year-old owns more than 100 World Cup victories and remains a medal contender in multiple events in Italy.

Ilia Malinin

Malinin arrives at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games as one of the most technically advanced figure skaters in the world. At 21, he became the first skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition at the 2022 US Figure Skating Classic.

Coached by his Olympic-level parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, Malinin trained in a system focused on jump mechanics and consistency. He won consecutive World Championships in 2024 and 2025.

At the 2025 Grand Prix Final, he set the highest free skate score in history while landing seven quadruple jumps cleanly in a single program. His achievements have earned him multiple ISU Skating Awards, including Most Valuable Skater, Most Entertaining Program, and Skater of the Year.

The 21-year-old enters the Olympics as a dominant force, a technical innovator, and a skater who continues to push the limits of the sport.

Jordan Stolz

Stolz enters the 2026 Milan Cortina Games as one of the most promising speed skaters in the world. Inspired by Apolo Anton Ohno, Stolz began skating at age five on a frozen pond behind his Milwaukee home.

By nine, his parents home-schooled him to focus on training, which led to his qualification for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne. Stolz won the US 500m title and set a national junior record shortly after.

He earned his first World Cup podium in December 2021 with silver in the 1000m and later set a world junior record in the 500m. At 17, Stolz qualified for Beijing 2022, finishing 13th in the 500m and 14th in the 1000m.

In 2023, the 21-year-old became the youngest man to win a world title in a single distance. He captured three golds at both the 2023 and 2024 World Single Distances Championships, sweeping the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m events.

Chloe Kim

Kim first gained attention at 14 by winning the 2015 X Games SuperPipe, becoming the youngest-ever gold medalist, and repeated in 2016. The 25-year-old is one of the most accomplished female snowboarders in history.

Kim became the first female boarder to land back-to-back 1080s in the U. Snowboarding Grand Prix and has six X Games SuperPipe titles and two halfpipe World Championship titles. The athlete also won gold in halfpipe and slopestyle at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

At PyeongChang 2018, Kim won gold in halfpipe with 98.25 points, becoming the youngest Olympic halfpipe champion. The 25-year-old also defended her title at Beijing 2022, making her the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic halfpipe golds.

She recently injured her shoulder while training in Switzerland, but is rehabilitating in Los Angeles ahead of the women's Olympic halfpipe competition. The event is scheduled to begin on February 11, 2026, and she remains a heavy favorite.

Lindsey Vonn

Vonn will be competing at the Milan Cortina Games as one of the most decorated alpine skiers in US history. A four-time World Cup overall champion, she won three consecutive titles from 2008 to 2010.

Vonn added a fourth in 2012, ranking behind only Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin among women. The athlete returned to competition in 2024 after retiring in 2019 and undergoing a partial right knee replacement.

In January 2026, just over a week before the Olympics, Vonn crashed during a World Cup downhill race in Switzerland and sustained a left knee injury. She was airlifted from the course but later said her Olympic plans remained intact.

Her coach, Chris Knight, confirmed she was continuing preparations for Cortina despite skipping a subsequent race. The 41-year-old told fans she was doing her best to recover, adding that setbacks have never ended her pursuit of competing at the highest level.

Erin Jackson

Jackson followed a nontraditional path to Olympic success, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympic gold medal. Born in Ocala, Florida, she began skating in figure skating before switching to inline speed skating as a teenager.

Jackson earned medals at World Junior and World Championships across track and road events while studying engineering at the University of Florida and competing in roller derby. She transitioned to long-track speed skating in 2017.

The athlete qualified for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics just four months later, finishing 24th in the 500m. Her breakthrough came ahead of Beijing 2022, where she emerged as a top 500m skater on the World Cup circuit. Despite slipping at the Olympic Trials and initially missing qualification, she earned a spot after a teammate gave up her place.

Jackson capitalized by winning Olympic gold in the 500m, Team USA's first in the event since 1994. The 33-year-old has since added multiple World Cup wins, defended major titles, and remained a contender while managing a long-term back injury heading into Milan Cortina 2026.

Hilary Knight

Knight is one of the most accomplished players in the history of US women's hockey. She holds the all-time records for goals and assists at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championships. She also became the first player in tournament history to reach 100 career points.

Knight has appeared in more Olympic Games than any other player in US women's hockey history. Raised in a skiing household, she began playing hockey after her family moved to Chicago, developing her game alongside her three younger brothers.

In 2014, Knight made history as the first female non-goalie to practice with a National Hockey League (NHL) team when she joined the Anaheim Ducks. As a longtime captain of Team USA, the 36-year-old has helped lead the program to nine IIHF World Championship gold medals.

Knight was a central figure in the US team's successful push for equal pay in 2017 and continues to advocate for equity in sports. The Olympian later played a key role in launching the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and signed with its Seattle expansion team in 2025.

Elana Meyers

Born on October 10, 1984, Meyers is one of the most successful athletes in bobsleigh history. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, she won silver in the inaugural women's monobob and bronze in the two-woman event with brakewoman Sylvia Hoffman.

Today, she is the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympic history. Meyers said she never expected her career to take her this far, making it especially meaningful to be at this stage alongside so many accomplished athletes.

Her successes have brought her Olympic total to five medals — three silver and two bronze — earned across four Games, with podium finishes in every Olympic race she has entered. Meyers' Olympic career began after a silver medal at the 2009 World Championships, followed by a bronze at Vancouver 2010. She added Olympic silver at Sochi 2014 and bronze at PyeongChang 2018.

The 41-year-old is also a two-time world champion in the two-woman event, winning gold in 2015 and 2017. Beyond bobsleigh, Meyers competed in collegiate softball, represented the US in rugby sevens, and served as president of the Women's Sports Foundation.

Alysa Liu

Liu is a two-time US figure skating champion and an Olympic and world medalist who rose to prominence as a teenager. She won US national titles in 2019 and 2020, becoming the youngest women's champion in US history at age 13.

Known for her technical range, Liu was the first female skater to land both a triple Axel and a quadruple Lutz in the same program. She made her Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, finishing sixth, and followed that performance with a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships.

Shortly after, Liu stepped away from competitive skating at age 16, saying she fell out of love with the sport. She also wanted to spend more time with friends and do normal teen activities. Liu returned to competition in the 2024–25 season, approaching skating with greater independence and creative control.

The 20-year-old competed on the Grand Prix circuit and has since stated that the 2026 Winter Olympics are a long-term goal, while rebuilding stamina and consistency remains her immediate focus.

Maxim Naumov

Naumov is a US men's singles figure skater and a three-time top-four finisher at the US Figure Skating Championships, placing third in 2026. He has also competed internationally, including top-10 finishes at the ISU Four Continents Championships and multiple ISU Grand Prix events.

Naumov is the son of former world champion pairs skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who coached him at the Skating Club of Boston. In January 2025, both parents were killed in a plane crash in Washington, D.C., while returning from the US Figure Skating Championships.

Following their deaths, Naumov briefly stepped away from training, describing a period where grief made skating impossible. The 24-year-old eventually returned to the ice, taking over the youth development program his parents founded and resuming elite competition.

At the 2026 US Championships, Naumov earned bronze, securing his place on the US Olympic team. After being selected, he said, "We did it together," crediting his parents for guiding him through the most difficult period of his career.

The Rest of Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Here's a look at the rest of the strong and diverse squad representing the US in Italy and the sport each athlete will be competing in.

1. Deedra Irwin – Biathlon
2. Lucinda Anderson – Biathlon
3. Margaret Freed – Biathlon
4. Maxime Germain – Biathlon
5. Paul Schommer – Biathlon
6. Sean Doherty – Biathlon
7. Joanne Reid – Biathlon
8. Campbell Wright – Biathlon
9. Boone Niederhofer – Bobsled
10. Frank Del Duca – Bobsled
11. Jasmine Jones – Bobsled
12. Joshua Williamson – Bobsled
13. Kristopher Horn – Bobsled
14. Hunter Powell – Bobsled
15. Kaysha Love – Bobsled
16. Azaria Hill – Bobsled
17. Bryan Sosoo – Bobsled
18. Caleb Furnell – Bobsled
19. Carsten Vissering – Bobsled
20. Kaillie Humphries – Bobsled
21. Jadin O'Brien – Bobsled
22. Jessie Diggins – Cross-Country Skiing
23. Rosie Brennan – Cross-Country Skiing
24. Julia Kern – Cross-Country Skiing
25. Novie McCabe – Cross-Country Skiing
26. Gus Schumacher – Cross-Country Skiing
27. Ben Ogden – Cross-Country Skiing
28. Zak Ketterson – Cross-Country Skiing
29. James Schoonmaker – Cross-Country Skiing
30. Zanden McMullen – Cross-Country Skiing
31. John Steel Hagenbuch – Cross-Country Skiing
32. Lauren Jortberg – Cross-Country Skiing
33. Kendall Kramer – Cross-Country Skiing
34. Hunter Wonders – Cross-Country Skiing
35. Samantha Smith – Cross-Country Skiing
36. Jack Young – Cross-Country Skiing
37. Hailey Swirbul – Cross-Country Skiing
38. Korey Dropkin – Curling
39. Cory Thiesse – Curling
40. Tabitha Lovick – Curling
41. Taylor Anderson – Curling
42. Tara Peterson – Curling
43. Luc Violette – Curling
44. Benjamin Richardson – Curling
45. Rich Ruohonen – Curling
46. Aidan Oldenburg – Curling
47. Daniel Casper – Curling
48. Aileen Geving – Curling
49. Nicholas Goepper – Freeski
50. Alexander Ferreira – Freeski
51. Troy Podmilsak – Freeski
52. Hunter Hess – Freeski
53. Birk Irving – Freeski
54. Kate Gray – Freeski
55. Riley Jacobs – Freeski
56. Grace Henderson – Freeski
57. Mac Forehand – Freeski
58. Konnor Ralph – Freeski
59. Marin Hamill – Freeski
60. Rell Harwood – Freeski
61. Avery Krumme – Freeski
62. Abby Winterberger – Freeski
63. Alexander Hall – Freeski
64. Svea Irving – Freeski
65. Olivia Giaccio – Freestyle Skiing
66. Kaila Kuhn – Freestyle Skiing
67. Jaelin Kauf – Freestyle Skiing
68. Quinn Dehlinger – Freestyle Skiing
69. Elizabeth Lemley – Freestyle Skiing
70. Dylan Walczyk – Freestyle Skiing
71. Nick Page – Freestyle Skiing
72. Landon Wendler – Freestyle Skiing
73. Tess Johnson – Freestyle Skiing
74. Winter Vinecki – Freestyle Skiing
75. Tasia Tanner – Freestyle Skiing
76. Derek Krueger – Freestyle Skiing
77. Christopher Lillis – Freestyle Skiing
78. Connor Curran – Freestyle Skiing
79. Kyra Dossa – Freestyle Skiing
80. Charlie Mickel – Freestyle Skiing
81. Amber Glenn – Figure Skating
82. Andrew Torgashev – Figure Skating
83. Anthony Ponomarenko – Figure Skating
84. Christina Carreira – Figure Skating
85. Daniel O'Shea – Figure Skating
86. Evan Bates – Figure Skating
87. Isabeau Levito – Figure Skating
88. Madison Chock – Figure Skating
89. Spencer Howe – Figure Skating
90. Ellie Kam – Figure Skating
91. Emilea Zingas – Figure Skating
92. Vadym Kolesnik – Figure Skating
93. Emily Chan – Figure Skating
94. Kyle Connor – Ice Hockey
95. John Eichel – Ice Hockey
96. Brock Faber – Ice Hockey
97. Jake Guentzel – Ice Hockey
98. Noah Hanifin – Ice Hockey
99. Connor Hellebuyck – Ice Hockey
100. Jack Hughes – Ice Hockey
101. Quinn Hughes – Ice Hockey
102. Jackson LaCombe – Ice Hockey
103. Dylan Larkin – Ice Hockey
104. Clayton Keller – Ice Hockey
105. Auston Matthews – Ice Hockey
106. Charles McAvoy – Ice Hockey
107. J.T. Miller – Ice Hockey
108. Brock Nelson – Ice Hockey
109. Jake Oettinger – Ice Hockey
110. Jake Sanderson – Ice Hockey
111. Jaccob Slavin – Ice Hockey
112. Braeden Tkachuk – Ice Hockey
113. Matthew Tkachuk – Ice Hockey
114. Vincent Trocheck – Ice Hockey
115. Zach Werenski – Ice Hockey
116. Matt Boldy – Ice Hockey
117. Jeremy Swayman – Ice Hockey
118. Tage Thompson – Ice Hockey
119. Abbey Murphy – Ice Hockey
120. Aerin Frankel – Ice Hockey
121. Alexandra Carpenter – Ice Hockey
122. Britta Curl-Salemme – Ice Hockey
123. Caroline Harvey – Ice Hockey
124. Cayla Barnes – Ice Hockey
125. Grace Zumwinkle – Ice Hockey
126. Hannah Bilka – Ice Hockey
127. Hayley Scamurra – Ice Hockey
128. Kelly Pannek – Ice Hockey
129. Kendall Coyne Schofield – Ice Hockey
130. Lee Stecklein – Ice Hockey
131. Megan Keller – Ice Hockey
132. Rory Guilday – Ice Hockey
133. Taylor Heise – Ice Hockey
134. Kirsten Simms – Ice Hockey
135. Laila Edwards – Ice Hockey
136. Tessa Janecke – Ice Hockey
137. Joy Dunne – Ice Hockey
138. Ava McNaughton – Ice Hockey
139. Gwyneth Philips – Ice Hockey
140. Haley Winn – Ice Hockey
141. Ashley Farquharson – Luge
142. Chevonne Forgan – Luge
143. Emily Fischnaller – Luge
144. Jonathan Gustafson – Luge
145. Matthew Greiner – Luge
146. Sean Hollander – Luge
147. Sophia Kirkby – Luge
148. Summer Britcher – Luge
149. Zachary DiGregorio – Luge
150. Ansel Haugsjaa – Luge
151. Marcus Mueller – Luge
152. Niklas Malacinski – Nordic Combined
153. Ben Loomis – Nordic Combined
154. Kevin Bickner – Ski Jumping
155. Annika Belshaw – Ski Jumping
156. Paige Jones – Ski Jumping
157. Josie Johnson – Ski Jumping
158. Jason Colby – Ski Jumping
159. Tate Frantz – Ski Jumping
160. Austin Florian – Skeleton
161. Daniel Barefoot – Skeleton
162. Kelly Curtis – Skeleton
163. Mystique Ro – Skeleton
164. Bryce Bennett – Alpine Skiing
165. Ryan Cochran-Siegle – Alpine Skiing
166. Sam Morse – Alpine Skiing
167. Kyle Negomir – Alpine Skiing
168. River Radamus – Alpine Skiing
169. Ryder Sarchett – Alpine Skiing
170. Mary Bocock – Alpine Skiing
171. Keely Cashman – Alpine Skiing
172. Katherine Hensien – Alpine Skiing
173. Amelia Hurt – Alpine Skiing
174. Breezy Johnson – Alpine Skiing
175. Paula Moltzan – Alpine Skiing
176. Nina O'Brien – Alpine Skiing
177. Jacqueline Wiles – Alpine Skiing
178. Isabella Wright – Alpine Skiing
179. Cameron Smith – Ski Mountaineering
180. Anna Gibson – Ski Mountaineering
181. Alessandro Barbieri – Snowboarding
182. Bea Kim – Snowboarding
183. Chase Blackwell – Snowboarding
184. Faye Thelen – Snowboarding
185. Jake Canter – Snowboarding
186. Sean FitzSimons – Snowboarding
187. Red Gerard – Snowboarding
188. Jake Pates – Snowboarding
189. Maddie Mastro – Snowboarding
190. Iris Pflum – Snowboarding
191. Nick Baumgartner – Snowboarding
192. Jake Vedder – Snowboarding
193. Cody Winters – Snowboarding
194. Stacy Gaskill – Snowboarding
195. Hanna Percy – Snowboarding
196. Brianna Schnorrbusch – Snowboarding
197. Oliver Martin – Snowboarding
198. Hahna Norman – Snowboarding
199. Lily Dhawornvej – Snowboarding
200. Madeline Schaffrick – Snowboarding
201. Nathan Pare – Snowboarding
202. Chase Josey – Snowboarding
203. Jess Perlmutter – Snowboarding
204. Brandon Kim – Speedskating
205. Clayton DeClemente – Speedskating
206. Corinne Stoddard – Speedskating
207. Eunice Lee – Speedskating
208. Julie Letai – Speedskating
209. Kamryn Lute – Speedskating
210. Kristen Santos-Griswold – Speedskating
211. Andrew Heo – Speedskating
212. Brittany Bowe – Speedskating
213. Casey Dawson – Speedskating
214. Conor McDermott-Mostowy – Speedskating
215. Cooper McLeod – Speedskating
216. Emery Lehman – Speedskating
217. Ethan Cepuran – Speedskating
218. Giorgia Birkeland – Speedskating
219. Greta Myers – Speedskating
220. Mia Manganello – Speedskating
221. Sarah Warren – Speedskating
222. Zachary Stoppelmoor – Speedskating

Team USA fans are now eagerly waiting for the Winter Olympics competitions to get underway. They are ready to cheer their favorite athletes on as they aim for gold and represent the country on the world stage.