Meet Team USA: Names to know ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics
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From left: Deedra Irwin, Ilia Malinin, Laila Edwards and Rich Ruohonen. Photos: Getty Images
Team USA's roster for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games blends comeback veterans, rising stars and historic firsts — a mix that could decide medals and redefine who takes center stage.
Why it matters: The Games, featuring more than 100 medal events over more than two weeks, will mark historic firsts and expanded representation across sports while showcasing a diverse field of athletes.
The big picture: Many already know Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim. But medal runs are often decided by athletes who aren't household names — yet.
These Team USA Olympians could hold the spotlight across snow, ice and track in 2026.
Nick Baumgartner
Snowboarding; Iron River, Michigan
- Competing in his fifth Olympics, Baumgartner is seeking his first individual gold medal.
Jesse Diggins
Cross-Country Skiing; Afton, Minnesota
- The three-time Olympic medalist, who became the first U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic medal in cross-country skiing, will compete at her fourth and final Olympics.
Laila Edwards
Ice Hockey; Cleveland Heights, Ohio
- The University of Wisconsin senior is the first Black woman to make Team USA's Olympic hockey team.
Red Gerard
Snowboarding; Silverthorne, Colorado
- The gold medalist is entering his third Olympic Games with two X Games slopestyle gold medals in 2024 and 2025 and a bronze in 2026.
Amber Glenn
Figure skating; Plano, Texas
- Glenn was the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to win a U.S. national title and the first skater to win three consecutive U.S. figure skating titles since Michelle Kwan.
Deedra Irwin
Biathlon; Pulaski, Wisconsin
- Irwin raced the best Olympic finish in U.S. biathlon history, placing seventh in the Women's 15km Individual in her debut race at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Ilia Malinin
Figure Skating; Vienna, Virginia
- The 21-year-old gold medal contender is known as the "Quad God" for his ability to land this difficult feat.
Maxim Naumov
Figure skating; Norwood, Massachusetts
- Malinin's peer on Team USA, Naumov is the on-ice director of a youth skating club in Boston — the program was founded by his late parents.
Mystique Ro
Skeleton; Nokesville, Virginia
- The former track and field standout became the first American in eight years to win a world medal in skeleton when she earned a silver medal in the 2025 IBSF World Championships.
Rich Ruohonen
Curling; Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
- At 54, this personal injury lawyer is headed to Italy as an alternate. If Ruohonen competes, he will be the oldest American to do so in a Winter Olympics.
Jordan Stolz
Speedskating; Kewaskum, Wisconsin
- The 21-year-old just secured his second-straight World Cup title.
Elana Meyers Taylor
Bobsled; Douglasville, Georgia
- The 41-year-old holds the most medals (five) of any Black athlete in Winter Olympics history.
Matthew & Brady Tkachuk
Ice Hockey; St. Louis, Missouri
- Matthew (28) is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers and Brady (26) is a four-time NHL All-Star on the Ottawa Senators. Their father, Keith, was a four-time Olympian.
