Olympics 2026: Meet the Athlete Couples Competing within the Iciness Video games
From hockey teammates and skating pairs to athletes whose valuable others are competing in one other sport, the Milan Cortina Olympics are playing host to a vary of winning couples.
A puffy parka could per chance withhold you toasty when temperatures plummet. However nothing warms the coronary heart cherish having your partner cheering you on as you attain your Olympic objectives—after which having the ability to enact the identical for them in return.
The 2026 Olympics contain kicked off in northern Italy, with 116 medal events unfolding throughout Milan, the alpine town of Cortina d'Ampezzo and extra charming locales. All of which contain been rendered significant extra romantic ensuing from the selection of couples competing at the Iciness Video games this year, some in entirely a form of sports nonetheless also quite a few facet-by-facet as a team.
Or, within the case of married lugers Emily Sweeney and Dominik Fischnaller, on the identical team in spirit nonetheless representing a form of international locations.
“It’s cherish an quite a bit of family fest, or catch collectively I would instruct, which factual makes it colossal,” Fischnaller, who's Italian, informed the Associated Press of heading to his fourth Olympics—and first in his dwelling nation—alongside with his American wife, who's competing in her third Iciness Video games. “I are desirous to revel in this higher than I did in other Olympics. Then, I was factual targeted on sliding, sliding, sliding. I didn’t essentially expertise the environment or anything else. I hope this would per chance be a form of for me this time and Emily is for particular a big phase of that.”
As if flee-skating, snowboarding, snowboarding, ice dancing, skeleton, luge, bobsledding, hockey and, yes, curling weren't exhilarating ample, going for gold with a accomplice who totally gets it is going to't relief nonetheless catch the blood pumping factual that significant extra.
“As top-tier athletes, you essentially know what that person could per chance also wish, whether or now not it's give a increase to or dwelling,” U.S. hockey well-known person Hilary Knight—who's competing in her narrative fifth and closing Olympics whereas her accomplice, four-time Olympian Brittany Bowe, also plans to dangle up her flee skates after Milan—informed NBC Olympics. “And I deem each and each of us being at a high stage for a reasonably long time helps us stamp one one other.”
And even when factual one of them reaches a podium, let by myself each and each, it's a fetch-fetch area.
“At the tip of the day, we're working as a team,” Kim Meylemans, who competes in skeleton for Belgium whereas wife Nicole Silveira races for her native Brazil, mentioned in a 2024 interview with the Global Bobsleigh & Skeleton Basis. “So if one of us is on the podium, in our tiny area then, that's colossal for us.”
See extra couples who contain doubled their odds for success at the 2026 Olympics:
Jocelyn Peterman & Brett Dauntless
Partners in lifestyles and mixed doubles curling for Crew Canada, the reigning world champions are hoping to add an Olympic medal to their essentially broad profession haul.
Their fruitful relationship began in 2016 when Brett used to be hunting for a accomplice and he despatched Jocelyn a Fb message “strictly about curling ability,” he recalled to CBC Sports activities in 2019. In line with her, on the other hand, “There used to be flirting.”
They met in person factual a few days sooner than the nationwide championship in Saskatoon—and they gained.
“We clicked straight,” Brett mentioned. “From a curling and friendship standpoint. That used to be a upright ingredient. We're wired the identical. We're aggressive.”
The romantic standpoint quickly followed and they had been engaged once they made their Olympics debut—on the men's and women's teams, respectively—in 2022.
Brett left Beijing with a bronze medal. He and Jocelyn tied the knot that June, welcomed son Luke in 2023 and will in the end be competing collectively in mixed doubles at the 2026 Olympics. Fiancée
Luke “tells all people that he's going to the Olympics,” Jocelyn informed Olympics.com. “However I don't deem he realizes how cool it is or how odd it is.”
However she and her husband catch it. “Jocelyn and I essentially contain been motivated to catch to the Olympics and to compete on the biggest stage for a protracted time now,” Brett mentioned. Added Jocelyn, “We take so significant pleasure and are so grateful for each and each opportunity that we catch to compete collectively and contain it be extra or less a family ingredient.”
Kim Meylemans & Nicole Silveira
The rival skeleton racers—Kim represents Belgium and Nicole is from Brazil—went public with their relationship two months sooner than the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where they performed 18th and thirteenth, respectively.
Extra lately, Kim took silver and Nicole scored bronze at the 2025 St. Moritz World Cup.
“I deem it's simpler than having any individual at dwelling that you miss the full time,” Kim, 29, mentioned of competing in opposition to her then-fiancée in a 2024 interview with the Global Bobsleigh & Skeleton Basis. “So, now not less than we catch to enact everything collectively and contain an even time with it.”
However, suffice it to mumble, each and each hate to lose. When Nicole popped the question within the summertime of 2024 throughout a non-public boat tour in Brazil, Kim—who had purchased her future wife the identical ring—used to be frustrated that Nicole beat her to it.
“I gained that competition,” Nicole quipped.
While they're mute planning a big seaside marriage ceremony for the tip of 2026, they legally wed Jan. 8, 2025, in a civil ceremony in Calgary, where Nicole works as a nurse.
“We essentially admire heading into this big season and presumably final olympic games, as spouses and by that a total recent stage of commitment to each and each other,” they wrote in a joint Instagram post. “It is now not valuable what curve balls this year and the challenges forward will throw at us, our admire comes first.”
And now not least, they continued, “it feels extra special to potentially compete as [a] married couple and shine a gradual on marriage equality whereas doing so.”
Emily Sweeney & Dominik Fischnaller
Tempo is the title of the game in luge, and Emily and Dominik deliberate a marriage in 9 days after the athletes secured the upright permits to tie the knot in his native Italy in Might per chance per chance moreover merely 2025.
Alternatively, they didn't dash to the altar whatsoever, having first coupled up 15 years beforehand as children on the global circuit. Returning to the Olympics—his fourth and her third—as a married couple, Emily informed the Associated Press, “It factual feels cherish we're constructing a future as an alternative of factual residing within the save.”
And Dominik, who took the bronze in men's luge in Beijing, doesn’t are desirous to rock the sled.
Even supposing Emily returned to competition 9 months later, Dominik used to be traumatized when she suffered neck and assist fractures in a shatter throughout the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018.
“I express her she can’t catch ruin ensuing from I essentially feel the be troubled even 10,000 cases higher than she feels her own be troubled,” Dominik informed the AP in 2026. “I’m extraordinarily nervous when she’s sliding. I almost can’t inquire of the dash.”
However they'll each and each be looking at and cheering each and each other on as they hurdle down the track at the Cortina Sliding Center throughout what’s going to be their closing Olympics.
“We’re here. We’re cheerful,” Dominik mentioned. “And we’re having a upright lifestyles.
Brittany Bowe & Hilary Knight
The U.S. women's hockey team captain and old flee skater contain a in particular special relationship with the Olympics, having gone on their first date throughout the 2022 Beijing Video games.
“Hilary and I essentially contain recognized each and each other for a vary of years via a form of Crew USA events…nonetheless that's the predominant time we essentially did contain time to connect and catch to know one one other, ” Brittany, 37, informed Other folks in January. “Hilary would demand, ‘Oh, enact it’s essential lunge for a scuttle after dinner?'”
Their “totally masked” walks weren't “romantic the least bit,” Hilary, 36, informed NBC Olympics. “However it used to be cute.”
Brittany defined, “We didn't contain the family, the guests, no out of doorways distractions,” the old flee skater continued. “And we essentially had plenty of time factual to catch to know each and each other.”
She took bronze within the ten,000 meters, nonetheless leaving with a female friend used to be “the biggest fetch coming out of Beijing for particular.”
The couple's dwelling sinful is now Salt Lake City, where their off-ice spare time activities encompass pickleball and gardening. While Hilary, a widely known person forward for the Seattle Torrent, isn't retiring from hockey, her fifth Olympics would per chance be her final, and Brittany—the oldest member of the U.S. speedskating team—is striking up her blades as a four-time Olympian.
“Within the sports world, I’m cherish the used lady now,” Brittany informed NBC Olympics. “I essentially contain been so blessed to contain this kind of long, a hit profession, and for me, it’s factual time. I’m infected for what lifestyles will gaze cherish subsequent.”
Madison Chock & Evan Bates
After winning figure skating team gold in 2022, ice dancers Madison and Evan are mute in search of their first Olympic medal as a pair heading into their fourth Iciness Video games.
And whereas the three-time world champions haven't mentioned whether or now not or now not Milan Cortina would per chance be their closing Olympics, they're soaking up every second.
“We're working laborious and been striking within the hours and striking within the work,” Evan, 36, informed E! News in December, “nonetheless we're so grateful for each day and for the opportunity.”
He and Madison first teamed up in 2011 and, after 5 years, Evan informed Olympics.com in 2021, “Ultimately I was factual cherish…'I cherish you. You know, I essentially contain emotions for you. I would admire to be higher than skating partners,'”.
The feeling used to be mutual and, after letting their romance cook dinner for one other decade, they tied the knot in June 2024.
“I deem it factual essentially solidified our commitment to each and each other and our commitment to our craft,” Madison, 33, informed E!. “We already had this kind of deep working out and bond via skating, nonetheless since we've been married, I essentially essentially feel cherish we factual take everything on as partners and champion each and each other on and off the ice in regardless of endeavor we're pursuing.”
Kaysha Esteem & Hunter Powell
Kaysha used to be a sprinter at UNLV when a bobsled coach invited her to a 2020 coaching camp in Lake Placid.
“I had spent eight years doing this sport that I felt cherish used to be phase of my motive, after which for him to express me that I want to take a inquire of at a sport that I'd handiest recognized from Frosty Runnings, I was hesitant at the inspiration,” the 28-year-used informed Bustle in January. However, “he used to be announcing how the Olympics are creating in a year and a half of. And that's what I had been chasing my entire athletic profession.”
She each and each licensed for the Beijing Video games in 2022 and obtained Colorado Express decathlon well-known person Hunter Powell to take a inquire of at a bobsled on for dimension. He change into out to be a supreme fit in extra techniques than one.
“For me, it’s a secret weapon, to contain a teammate that handiest has believe and belief in you,” Kaysha informed the AP. “After I do know that I’m supported, I factual essentially feel cherish I’m able to enact unthinkable issues.”
Hunter, who proposed in July, mentioned on Colorado Express Rams Are residing that “phrases can't describe” how he feels about being an Olympian. However “significant extra special,” he renowned, “is I've gotten to dawdle the realm with the girl I cherish, and we're each and each residing the dream that we spot out to achieve.”
After the Olympics, they're getting a dogs—”a big schnauzer,” Kaysha informed Bustle—and tying the knot Sept. 3.
“Honestly, I've been the utilization of marriage ceremony planning as a mental distraction on among the coaching days,” she mentioned. “So, now we contain essentially deliberate cherish 90 percent of our marriage ceremony. We're essentially infected.”
Charlene Guignard & Marco Fabbri
The Italian ice dancers contain been competing collectively as a romantic couple for 15 years.
“It’d be mute very nice, obviously, to achieve what we accomplished one by one,” Marco informed Olympics.com in November 2024. “However since we accomplished what we accomplished collectively, it's even better ensuing from you are sharing very solid emotions and essentially solid emotions with the person you admire, with the person you've determined to utilize your lifestyles with.”
Well-known Charlene, “It's plenty of sacrifice. All skaters initiate very, very younger…so it's a life-style and now not each day is easy. It’s good to always mute be passionate and essentially solid, mentally and physically.”
However contrary to how it sounds, the pair don't dwell and breathe ice dancing.
They're basically basically based in Milan, making their fourth Olympics extra handy, nonetheless company to their rental wouldn't know from the gaze of it that champion figure skaters dwell there.
“We’re conserving the medals in a determined field,” Marco mentioned, noting there's nothing on cloak the least bit. “We contain no photos. We don't are desirous to see everything about our profession in our rental ensuing from I deem it's also valuable to separate the figure skating and the non-public lifestyles. And here could per chance also very well be the most valuable [of] why we’re mute here and we’re mute combating, and we’re mute collectively.”
Off the ice, “one other lifestyles begins,” he defined. “Even the truth of factual eating collectively, cooking one thing collectively or going to the cinema collectively. It's totally a form of…We are able to mumble that now we contain a two-sided relationship.”
Marie-Philip Poulin & Laura Stacey
The Canadian hockey stars first clicked in 2017 at a nationwide team tournament once they each and each looked up and saw a shooting well-known person, then locked eyes, realizing they had been the wonderful two who had factual shared that second.
“You wish contain viewed the skyline the weekend of our marriage ceremony,” Poulin informed CBC Sports activities in November 2024. “It used to be so inspiring and magical. Stars in all locations. I suspect in those small indicators.”
However they had been on and off at the inspiration, Canada's crushing silver catch throughout the 2018 Olympics leaving team leader Poulin feeling as if she'd let her entire nation down.
“I didn't are desirous to see any individual,” the 34-year-used heart recalled, “and I was factual essentially on my very own.”
Stacey remembered, “We factual stopped talking. I was now not talking to her. I was upright and piquant to transfer on.”
However when Poulin's Montreal Canadiennes conducted Stacey's Markham Allege that tumble, they reconnected over dinner. And, by the very best intention, gained gold at the 2022 Olympics.
Milan Cortina would per chance be Stacey's third Olympics and Poulin's fifth—and their first since tying the knot in September 2024.
“She places up that entrance of, ‘I'm the hockey participant’. That's all of us see and contain viewed of her,” Stacey mentioned of her wife. “The arena is aware of her because the accurate hockey participant on this planet, nonetheless they don't know her because the accurate person on this planet to boot.”
Source credit : eonline.com
