Washington state athletes to watch at the 2026 Winter Olympics
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Breezy Johnson, a former Western Washington University student, poses for a picture after winning gold on Sunday. Photo: Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/GettyImages
Washington state has already made its mark at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with Western Washington University alum Breezy Johnson winning gold Sunday in women's downhill skiing.
- But she's not the only Olympic athlete to watch this year with ties to Washington.
The big picture: Johnson's win brought the U.S. its first Olympic medal this year — and there's much more to come as the competition continues through Feb. 22.
Here are a few athletes to know who have Washington state connections.
Women's hockey
Hilary Knight, the captain of the U.S. women's ice hockey team, plays forward for the Seattle Torrent, the city's new Professional Women's Hockey League franchise.
- Against Finland this past weekend, Knight tied the record for the most career Olympic goals in U.S. women's ice hockey history.
- Joining Knight on the U.S. women's team are her Seattle teammates Alex Carpenter, Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes.
- Two other Torrent players are representing their home countries: Julia Gosling is playing for Canada, while Aneta Tejralová is on Team Czechia.
Skiing
In addition to Johnson, two local skiers are representing the U.S. this year.
- Novie McCabe of Winthrop is competing in cross-country, while Erin Martin, a Seattle nurse, won a spot on the para Nordic skiing team and will compete in next month's Paralympics.
- Katie Hensien of Redmond was named to the U.S. Olympic alpine skiing team but withdrew while recovering from a fractured tibia.
Speedskating
Eunice Lee, who went to high school in Bellevue, is competing in short-track speedskating, as is her teammate Corinne Stoddard, who grew up in Federal Way.
- On the men's side, Cooper McLeod — who has lived in Mount Vernon and Kirkland — is competing in the 500-meter and 1,000-meter long track speedskating events.
Curling
U.S. team members Ben Richardson and Luc Violette both trained at the Granite Curling Club in North Seattle.
- Richardson grew up in Issaquah, while Violette hails from the Granite Falls-Lake Stevens area.
Men's hockey
No Seattle Kraken players are on Team USA — but Seattle players Kaapo Kakko and Eeli Tolvanen are playing for Finland; Oscar Fisker Molgaard is on Team Denmark; and Philipp Grubauer is competing for Germany.
How to watch
Coverage will air across USA Network, CNBC and other NBCUniversal cable channels.
- Peacock, NBC's subscription streaming service, will also live stream events.
- Italy is nine hours ahead of Seattle, so many events will air at night or early in the morning here.
Go deeper: How, when and where to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics