On Friday, the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics will kick off and, for the first time, include simultaneous cauldron lightings in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo and athlete parades in four locations. The Games will showcase more than 2,900 athletes, in 15 venues throughout northern Italy. Some Olympians you’ll remember — and some you’ll want to know. Here are 32 U.S. Olympians to watch.
Ilia Malinin, figure skating
When to watch: Men’s short program, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 12:30 p.m. ET; Men’s free skate, Fri. Feb. 13, 1 p.m. ET
What to know: Nicknamed the “Quad God,” 21-year-old Malinin is the only skater to have successfully landed a quadruple axel in competition, and performs a record-setting seven quad jumps in his current free skate. With skills no one else on the planet can match, and a showstopping backflip just for fun, Malinin doesn’t just win titles, he dominates. A two-time world champion and winner of four consecutive national titles, he hasn’t lost a competition since 2023. — D’Arcy Maine
Amber Glenn, figure skating
When to watch: Women’s short program, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 12:45 p.m. ET; Women’s free skate, Thursday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m. ET
What to know: At 26 years old, Glenn is the oldest woman to make the U.S. team in singles in 98 years. A three-time national champion, Glenn has become famous for her triple axel and is one of just a few women capable of completing the jump. She’s expected to also compete in the team event, in addition to the individual competition. — Maine
Alysa Liu, figure skating
When to watch: Women’s short program, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 12:45 p.m. ET; Women’s free skate, Thursday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m. ET
What to know: Liu, now 20, won her first national championship at just 13 and made her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old in Beijing in 2022. After a sixth-place finish in the women’s singles event and a bronze medal at the world championships shortly after, Liu took a two-year break from the sport. She made her competitive return during the 2024-25 season — and incredibly won the world championship title in March, becoming the first American to do so since 2006. — Maine
Madison Chock and Evan Bates, figure skating
When to watch: Rhythm dance, Monday, Feb. 9, 1:20 p.m. ET; Free dance, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1:30 p.m. ET
What to know: Since the last Olympics, there has been no ice dancing team more dominant than Chock, 33, and Bates, 36. The two have won the past three world championships, in addition to all three Grand Prix Final titles and the U.S. national championships. Competing in their fourth Olympic Games together, the married duo has indicated this will likely be their final season and are the clear favorites for gold in their potential swan song. — Maine
Mikaela Shiffrin, alpine skiing
When to watch: Women’s giant slalom, Sunday, Feb. 15, 4 a.m. ET; Women’s slalom, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7:30 a.m. ET
What to know: The greatest alpine ski racer in history — Shiffrin currently holds a record 107 World Cup wins and leads the overall standings for a record sixth time — but her 2022 Olympics didn’t go to plan. She competed in six events, including all five individual disciplines, and was expected to win or medal in each. Instead, she uncharacteristically DNF’d in three of her six races and left Beijing without a medal. In the years since, she’s been unbelievably consistent, including winning six of seven World Cup slalom races this season. “There’s a lot of expectations around the Olympics.” Shiffrin, 30, said. “My job is to focus on my skiing and put expectations aside. That can be hard at the Olympic Games. That’s my challenge in the coming weeks.” — Alyssa Roenigk
Lindsey Vonn, alpine skiing
When to watch: Women’s downhill, Sunday, Feb. 8, 5:30 a.m. ET; Women’s super-G, Thursday, Feb. 12, 5:30 a.m. ET
What to know: Vonn, 41, can become the oldest alpine skier to win any medal at an Olympics. (In 2018, she became the oldest woman to medal in ski racing at an Olympics.) The 2010 Olympic downhill champion, Vonn has reached the podium in four of four World Cup races this season, including two wins, and leads the World Cup downhill standings. “It’s impossible not to think of how it would feel to cross the finish line [in Cortina] and be in a similar place as I was in Vancouver in 2010,” Vonn said. “But I can’t put my goals ahead of the work.”
Vonn sustained a ruptured ACL in her left knee last week during a race in Switzerland, but said she still plans to compete at the Olympics. “This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far,” Vonn said in a news conference on Tuesday. “Definitely the most dramatic.” — Roenigk
Hilary Knight, hockey
When to watch: Women’s gold medal final, Thursday, Feb. 19, 1:10 p.m. ET
What to know: In her 20 years with the national team, Hilary Knight has become the most decorated player in U.S. women’s hockey history and one of the most marketable faces who helped grow the game. Milan will be Knight’s fifth Olympics — the most ever for a U.S. hockey player — and as she announced last year, her last. Knight isn’t resting on laurels. The winger is still as clutch as they come. Knight led the PWHL in scoring last season, and in April, also led Team USA with nine points as she won her record 10th gold medal at the world championships. — Emily Kaplan
Laila Edwards, hockey
When to watch: Women’s gold medal final, Thursday, Feb. 19, 1:10 p.m. ET
What to know: Edwards is set to make history as the first Black woman to represent the U.S. in Olympic hockey — and she’s going to make a huge impact. The Cleveland native switched from forward to defense, and somehow made the transition look easy. At 6-foot-1, Edwards stands out not just for her size, but for how complete her game is. As Edwards’ Wisconsin and Team USA teammate Caroline Harvey explains: “She’s the whole package. In any scenario you can trust her. With her reach she can shut down plays. Power play, she can finish.” — Kaplan
Kendall Coyne Schofield, hockey
When to watch: Women’s gold medal final, Thursday, Feb. 19, 1:10 p.m. ET
What to know: The shifty forward is suiting up for her fourth Olympics, and she hasn’t lost her best attribute: speed. In 2019, Coyne Schofield became the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star Fastest Skater competition; she finished 7th out of 8 skaters, and just over a second behind winner Connor McDavid. The captain of the PWHL Minnesota Frost is also a pace-setter off the ice, as one of the leaders who helped usher in a new, more sustainable professional league and is constantly championing more equitable treatment for girls’ and women’s hockey. — Kaplan
Abbey Murphy, hockey
When to watch: Women’s gold medal final, Thursday, Feb. 19, 1:10 p.m. ET
What to know: The Chicago-area native is a true hockey unicorn. She leads NCAA hockey in both goals and penalty minutes. After bypassing the PWHL draft for one more year at Minnesota and a chance for a national championship, Murphy has elevated her game even more — and has found ways to agitate opponents while (mostly) staying out of the box. She went viral this season for a ridiculous assist dribbling the puck over the sticks of defenders that most players wouldn’t dare to try even in practice. Murphy is expected to be a top pick in the 2026 PWHL draft and a future face of the sport thanks to her play and personality. — Kaplan
Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, hockey
When to watch: Men’s gold medal final, Sunday, Feb. 22, 7:40 a.m. ET
What to know: Sometimes nicknamed the “Smash Brothers,” the sons of longtime NHL player Keith Tkachuk became the faces of USA Hockey at last year’s electric 4 Nations tournament because of their brash, unafraid personalities. While the Tkachuk brothers helped stage the memorable three fights in nine seconds to open the USA versus Canada game last February, remember that there is no fighting in Olympic hockey. Nonetheless, both agitators — who have a knack of finding their way around the net — will set the tone for the Americans. Brady is the captain of the Ottawa Senators while Matthew has won the last two Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers. — Kaplan
Quinn and Jack Hughes, hockey
When to watch: Men’s gold medal final, Sunday, Feb. 22, 7:40 a.m. ET
What to know: For the first time since 1960, two sets of brothers will play for Team USA Hockey. Quinn, who was traded to Minnesota in an NHL blockbuster this season, is one of the Americans’ most dynamic defensemen. Jack is one of their most electric forwards. What they have in common: They are elite skaters. Keep an eye on their edgework. Hockey is in their blood: mom, Ellen Weinberg, won silver with Team USA at the 1992 world championships while dad, Jim, worked in player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs for several years as the boys were growing up. Oh, and there’s a third brother, 22-year-old Luke, who should be in the conversation for the 2030 Games. — Kaplan
Connor Hellebuyck, hockey
When to watch: Men’s gold medal final, Sunday, Feb. 22, 7:40 a.m. ET
What to know: With not much time and space to maneuver in this tightly checked tournament, goals should be hard to come by — and the Americans are hoping that’s the case, especially if Hellebuyck is in the net. A Michigan native who plays in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck will get the nod as USA’s starting goaltender to begin the tournament thanks to his résumé, which includes winning the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP last season. When the 32-year-old is locked in, he’s unbeatable. However, he also has his warts, including getting pulled from three playoff games last season due to poor starts. This will be a huge prove-it tournament for Hellebuyck to show he can shine in the biggest moments. — Kaplan
Chloe Kim, snowboarding
When to watch: Women’s halfpipe finals, Thursday, Feb. 12, 12:30 p.m. ET
What to know: Kim, 25, could become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe contests. But this gold medal won’t come easy. The three-time Olympian dislocated her right shoulder while training in Laax, Switzerland, in early January and hasn’t competed in a major final in nearly a year. During that time, a group of young riders, including 17-year-old Gaon Choi of South Korea and 16-year-old Japanese teammates Sara Shimizu and Rise Kudo have become serious threats to win their first Olympic gold. — Roenigk
Alessandro Barbieri, snowboarding
When to watch: Men’s snowboard halfpipe finals, Friday, Feb. 13, 1:30 p.m. ET
What to know: The Milan Cortina Olympics will be a homecoming of sorts for the 17-year-old. His parents emigrated from Italy in their 20s and much of Barbieri’s extended family lives in Tuscany and will make the 6½-hour trip north to watch him compete. The youngest rider in the world to land a triple cork 1440, Barbieri has emerged as a podium threat at every contest he enters. To remind himself of his goal in Milan Cortina, Barbieri carries a gold playing card in his pocket — an ace — which also represents the first letter of his first name as well as the first names of his father, Cristiano, and mother, Elisabetta. — Roenigk
Red Gerard, snowboarding
When to watch: Men’s snowboard big air finals, Saturday, Feb. 7, 12:30 p.m. ET; Men’s snowboard slopestyle finals, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6:30 a.m. ET
What to know: The media darling of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics for his youthful nonchalance and slopestyle win, Gerard, 25, enters his third Olympics a more mature athlete and one of the biggest names in his sport. “I’m 25 now and I realize what’s at stake,” said Gerard, who competes in slopestyle and big air, but will focus on slopestyle in Livigno. A consistent performer on rails and jumps, Gerard spins all four directions and has the big tricks to contend for a second Olympic slopestyle gold. — Roenigk
Nick Baumgartner, snowboarding
When to watch: Men’s snowboardcross finals, Thursday, Feb. 12, 12:30 p.m. ET; Mixed team snowboardcross finals, Sunday, Feb. 15, 7:45 a.m. ET
What to know: The oldest athlete on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team at 44, the snowboarder from Iron River, Michigan, heads to his fifth Olympics as the defending champion in the mixed team event, which he won alongside Lindsey Jacobellis. But he is still searching for his first individual gold medal in five Olympic appearances. If he medals in either event in Milan Cortina, he will become the oldest snowboarder to earn an Olympic medal — and beat the record he set at the last Olympics. — Roenigk
Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse, curling
When to watch: Mixed doubles bronze medal match, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 8:05 a.m. ET; Mixed doubles gold medal match, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 12:05 p.m. ET
What to know: Dropkin, 30, and Thiesse, 31, became the first American curling team to qualify for the 2026 Games behind a victory at the Olympic trials and a fifth-place finish at the 2025 world championships. The duo won the world title in 2023 — becoming the first Americans to do so in the mixed event — and now will attempt to bring the country just its third-ever Olympic curling medal and first in the mixed competition. — Maine
Alex Ferreira, freeskiing
When to watch: Men’s freeski halfpipe finals, Friday, Feb. 20, 11:30 a.m. ET
What to know: Ferreira has competed in two Olympics, taking silver in the halfpipe in 2018 and bronze in 2022. “Now I want the other color,” said Ferreira. The Olympics will be no easy win: A different skier has won nearly every major halfpipe event this season. What sets Ferriera, 31, apart is the cleanliness of his runs, as well as his both-ways 1620s, the second of which features a lead tail grab. “No one else does both-way 16s without one safety grab,” said Ferreira, who also is capable of a five-double-cork run that includes switch doubles in both directions. — Roenigk
Nick Goepper, freeskiing
When to watch: Men’s freeski halfpipe finals, Friday, Feb. 20, 11:30 a.m. ET
What to know: Goepper, 31, was part of only the third U.S. sweep at a Winter Olympics when he, Gus Kenworthy and Joss Christensen took the top three spots in the debut of ski slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Games. He retired from slopestyle competition after his third Olympics in 2022, switched to halfpipe and is now a contender to win his first Olympic gold in an event he has mastered in just a few years. Any medal would make Goepper the first freeskier to win four medals in four Olympics. If he’s leading the field when he drops in to take his final run — “I’m doing it in jeans,” he said — as an homage to his midwestern roots. — Roenigk
Alex Hall, freeskiing
When to watch: Men’s freeski slopestyle finals, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6:30 a.m. ET; Men’s freeski big air finals, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 12:30 p.m. ET
What to know: The 2022 season was a big one for Hall: He became the first skier to land a 2160 — six rotations — to win X Games Big Air and earned slopestyle gold in his first Olympics. He missed the big air podium in Beijing, but the 27-year-old has both the big, technical tricks and the creativity to leave Livigno with medals in both events this time around. “I enjoy the individuality of skiing, and that’s brought me success in the past years,” Hall said. “That’s what helped me win Olympic gold and it’s what brings me joy.” — Roenigk
Kaillie Humphries Armbruster, bobsled
When to watch: Women’s monobob heats 3 and 4, Monday, Feb. 16, 1 p.m. ET; Two-woman heats 3 and 4, Saturday, Feb. 21, 1 p.m. ET
What to know: Humphries Armbruster competed for Canada for three Olympics — winning back-to-back gold medals and then a bronze in two-woman bobsled — before becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021. Just a few months later, she earned another Olympic gold medal, this time in monobob, for the United States. Now back for a fifth Games, she is the only woman to win an Olympic gold medal for two different countries. At 40, she could also become the oldest woman to win an Olympic bobsled medal. — Amy Van Deusen
Mystique Ro, skeleton
When to watch: Women’s heats 3 and 4, Saturday, Feb. 14, noon ET; Mixed team, Sunday, Feb. 15, noon ET
What to know: A versatile track-and-field athlete in college, Ro, now 31, impressed officials at a Team USA bobsled combine with her speed in 2016. Ultimately, because of her smaller stature at 5-foot-4, she was encouraged to try skeleton — and has been steadily rising ever since. She won gold alongside Austin Florian in the mixed event at the 2025 world championships, where she also took home silver in the individual event and became the first American to claim a medal in the race since 2013. She will make her Olympic debut in Milan and will contend for medals in the individual race, as well as with Florian once again in the mixed competition. — Maine
Jordan Stolz, speedskating
When to watch: Men’s 1,000m, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 12:30 p.m. ET; Men’s 500m, Saturday, Feb. 14, 10 a.m. ET; Men’s 1,500m, Thursday, Feb. 19, 10:30 a.m. ET; Men’s mass start, Saturday, Feb. 21, 9 a.m. ET
What to know: There is perhaps no one in long-track speedskating with higher expectations for these Games than the 21-year-old Stolz, who has collected seven world championship titles in the past three years. Competing in the 500 meters, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters and mass start, Stolz looks to become just the second American in history to win three or more Olympic gold medals in a single Winter Games and the first since Eric Heiden won all five speedskating events in 1980. — Maine
Brittany Bowe, speedskating
When to watch: Women’s 1,000m, Monday, Feb. 16, 5 a.m. ET; Women’s team pursuit finals, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 8:30 a.m. ET; Women’s 1,500m, Friday, Feb. 20, 2:15 p.m. ET
What to know: The unofficial leader of the U.S. speedskating team, the 37-year-old Bowe is gearing up for her fourth and final Olympic appearance. Already the winner of two Olympic bronze medals and a current world record, Bowe will be competing in the 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters and team pursuit events in Milan before retiring from the sport. Bowe is also half of a Team USA power couple with longtime partner and hockey star Hilary Knight. Bowe has spoken about her dilemma of potentially attending the women’s hockey gold medal game, because it takes place the night before the 1,500m competition. — Maine
Erin Jackson, speedskating
When to watch: Women’s 500m, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2:15 p.m. ET; Women’s 1,000m, Monday, Feb. 16, 5 a.m. ET
What to know: The 33-year-old became the first Black woman in history to earn gold in an individual event at the Winter Olympics in 2022 when she won the 500m event, and the first American woman to be victorious in that race since Bonnie Blair in 1994. Jackson will be competing in both the 500 meters and 1,000 meters and will attempt to become the first American woman to repeat as 500m champion since Blair claimed her third consecutive title 32 years ago. — Maine
Jessie Diggins, cross-country skiing
When to watch: Women’s 10km+10km skiathlon, Saturday, Feb. 7, 7 a.m. ET; Women’s sprint classic finals, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 5:45 a.m. ET; Women’s 10km interval start free, Thursday, Feb. 12, 7 a.m. ET; Women’s 4×7.5km relay, Saturday, Feb. 14, 6 a.m. ET; Women’s team sprint free finals, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 5:45 a.m.; Women’s 50km mass start classic, Saturday, Feb. 22, 4 a.m. ET
What to know: Diggins is the most dominant cross-country skier in U.S. history, and the 34-year-old has announced that this will be her final season in the sport. She and teammate Kikkan Randall became the first Americans to win Olympic gold in cross-country skiing with a victory in the women’s team sprint in 2018 — and Diggins followed that up with two more Olympic medals in 2022. For the first time in Olympic history, men and women will race the same distances in every cross-country event at this Games, and Diggins is likely to race in all six women’s events. — Van Deusen
Deedra Irwin, biathlon
When to watch: Mixed relay 4x6km, Sunday, Feb. 8, 8:05 a.m. ET; Women’s 15km individual, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 8:15 a.m. ET; Women’s 7.5km sprint, Saturday Feb. 14, 8 a.m. ET; Women’s 10km pursuit; Sunday, Feb. 15; 8:45 a.m. ET; Women’s 4x6km relay; Wednesday, Feb. 18; 8:45 a.m. ET; Women’s 12.5km mass start, Saturday, Feb. 21, 8:15 a.m. ET
What to know: Irwin, 33, competed in cross-country skiing, cross-country running and track and field at Michigan Technological University, and didn’t begin training in biathlon until age 25. In her Olympic debut in 2022, her seventh-place finish in the women’s individual 15km event was the highest individual result ever for an American. Biathlon remains the only Winter Olympic sport in which the U.S. team has never won a medal — and Irwin aims to change that this year. — Van Deusen
