5 Colorado Olympians to watch in the 2026 Games

Colorado will take center stage in the 2026 Winter Olympics with more Olympians than any other state.

Why it matters: Colorado's 33 athletes not only represent Team USA but also serve as ambassadors for the state as a winter sports haven.

State of play: The majority of Colorado's athletes are skiers and snowboarders, but others will compete in bobsledding, figure skating and ski mountaineering.

• Here is what to watch:

The dynamic duo: Winter Park skiers and siblings Svea and Birk Irving are known for high-flying acrobatics and spins in the halfpipe.

• This is the first Olympics for Svea, a 23-year-old CU Boulder graduate. Her 26-year-old brother, Birk, competed in the 2022 Games.

The young gun: Frisco's Lily Dhawornvej is the youngest Colorado Olympian at age 16. She will compete in the snowboard slopestyle competition, where competitors ride rails and boost off massive jumps.

• Dhawornvej's Team USA bio notes that she is involved in Soy Sauce Nation, an organization that promotes diversity in snowboarding.

Redemption tour: Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, 30, is out for gold this Olympics after leaving the 2022 Beijing Games without a medal. In the Edwards native's fourth Olympics, she's expected to compete in at least four ski races.

• Milan Cortina is "not so much about unfinished business, but it's more about making peace," she told Olympics.com.

Back for more: Red Gerard made history at the 2018 Games when he won gold in slopestyle at age 17. Now 25, the snowboarder is looking to recreate that energy after disappointing finishes in the 2022 Games.

• The Silverthorne resident will compete in the slopestyle and big air events.
• He enters the Olympics after consecutive victories in 2024 and 2025 in slopestyle at the X Games in Aspen.