How Team USA Made History at Olympics 2026
Team USA broke the file for essentially the most gold medals won in a unique frosty weather Olympics by American athletes Feb. 21 after Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Chris Lillis done first of their tournament.
Taking dwelling the gold is nothing new to Team USA.
After all, the athletes representing The United States on the 2026 Olympics in Cortina, Italy reached a ancient milestone Feb. 21 by breaking the file for essentially the most gold medals ever won by Team USA on the Chilly weather Olympics.
The crew secured the file-breaking 11 gold medals after Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Chris Lillis snagged a valuable-set aside aside develop in the free ski blended crew aerials tournament, marking essentially the most American wins on the Chilly weather Olympics since 2002, the set aside aside Team USA secured ten gold medals in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah.
The feat comes after Alysa Liu made history because the indispensable Team USA competitor to rob dwelling gold in the ladies folks's resolve skating final in 24 years. But that’s no longer the finest technique the 20-year-pale made her designate on the sport Feb. 19, four years after she announced her retirement. After all, the athlete—who skated to “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer season in her routine—additionally grew to change into the indispensable skater to receive a gold medal in her 20s since Japan’s Shizuka Arakawa won on the age of 24 all the plan in which through the 2006 frosty weather video games.
Reflecting on her receive while on her technique to the medal ceremony, Alysa couldn’t non-public her excitement.
“I moral can’t direction of this. There’s no technique,” Alysa said. “I essentially most accepted my skate lots.”
The milestone marked Alysa’s 2d gold on the Chilly weather Olympics, additionally a hit in the resolve skating crew tournament on Feb. 8.
One more Team USA athlete who took dwelling the slay honor at this year’s Olympics used to be Breezy Johnson, who made headlines after her gold medal broke off its contend with quickly after she won the ladies folks’s downhill title Feb. 8.
“To find no longer jump in them. I was jumping in excitement and it broke,” Breezy told reporters in a post-ceremony interview, earlier than displaying the gathered medal to the camera. “So there’s the medal, there’s the ribbon, and right here’s the miniature half that is purported to scuttle into the ribbon to support the medal. Yeah, it came apart.”
But Breezy—whose receive marked the indispensable Team USA victory on the Milan Cortina video games—wasn’t too petrified about getting the award repaired.
“I’m definite someone will repair it,” she joked. “It’s no longer crazy broken, nonetheless it’s barely broken.”
For a stout rundown of Team USA's well-known person athletes, read on…
Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing
Shiffrin would be a 3-time Olympic medalist, nonetheless the 30-year-pale skier is in search of redemption heading into her fourth Olympics after her disappointing outcomes on the 2022 Beijing Games and a provoking smash in November 2024, all the plan in which through which she suffered a puncture to her abdomen that required surgery to restore.
“I feel very responsive to the total issues that may per chance well presumably occur that I’m in a position to't question,” Shiffrin told TIME in December. “I know completely that we may per chance well presumably attain the whole lot magnificent on paper and it may most likely well well presumably no longer turn out with a medal. But I feel essentially connected with my coaches, with the crew, with all people round me, and that's constructing in a technique that, whatever comes up, we'll be ready to contend with it together. That's the finest I’m in a position to attain.”
Shiffrin's improve crew has long incorporated Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, nonetheless now she's engaged to her fellow Alpine specialist.
“He's certain, he's telling me, 'Ultimate take care of in mind, it's going to be OK,'” she told Olympics.com. “And especially final season, there were some moments the set aside aside I essentially wondered why I was seeking to return and if that used to be too great, too soon, if it's no longer imaginable. And he used to be esteem, ‘Howdy, you already know yourself better. You're making an strive your hardest. If it doesn't work, that's additionally OK.’”
Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skiing
Plagued by knee injuries, Vonn retired from competition in 2019 after competing in 5 Chilly weather Olympics, a hit gold in downhill and bronze in Vivid-G in 2010 and adding but another bronze in downhill in 2018.
But after undergoing a lifestyles-changing partial magnificent knee-substitute in 2024 that left her free from pain for the indispensable time since her first knee surgery in 2013, she felt that familiar need for streak.
“Board calls are nice, nonetheless they’re no longer essentially the identical as downhill,” the 41-year-pale told NBC Recordsdata in December. “And investing is monumental, nonetheless it’s additionally no longer the identical. I constructed a monumental lifestyles outside of snowboarding, nonetheless there may per chance well presumably no longer ever be the rest esteem snowboarding, and I fully mark that, and I’m overjoyed with that. But I’m definitely going to skills this final bit of adrenaline, attributable to I won’t win it support.”
When Vonn crashed all the plan in which through a Jan. 30 World Cup streak in Switzerland and had to be airlifted off the mountain, that may per chance well presumably believe spelled curtains for her comeback.
However the dilapidated athlete, who beforehand said she used to be “engaging to risk the whole lot,” declared herself fit sufficient to compete in the ladies folks's downhill Feb. 8 regardless of suffering a ruptured left ACL.
“I am no longer letting this poke through my fingers,” she said at a Feb. 3 press conference. “I’m no longer crying. My head is high, I’m standing gargantuan and I’m going to attain my easiest.”
Unfortunately, Vonn crashed on streak day and sustained a posh tibia break that required a pair of surgical procedures.
Jessie Diggins, Nefarious-Country Skiing
The most embellished inappropriate-country skier in U.S. history, Diggins is competing in her fourth and final Olympics.
And the Afton, Minn., native is headed to Italy with a reason.
“I win to prefer who I’m racing for day by day, and how I need to dwell as much as my values,” the 34-year-pale wrote on Instagram Jan. 31. “For all people in the market caring for others, conserving their neighbors, and assembly individuals with esteem—each step is for you. YOU are these who make me proud to raise the flag, and I hope I’m in a position to raise you joy over these following few weeks.”
Then all any other time, as soon as she retires, she told NPR's All Things Thought to be, “I'm moral enraged to essentially attain a variety of gardening and most of all be dwelling with my husband and believe that point together.”
Jordan Stulz, Trail Skating
Stolz made his Olympics debut at 17 in Beijing and, while he done a long way from the rostrum four years prior to now, he's a accepted to dominate in the five hundred, 1,000, and 1,500-meter events, to boot to in the mass originate (a 16-lap, 6,400-meter streak), on the Milan Cortina Games.
“If I’m in a position to believe perfect races, I mediate I essentially believe the finest possibilities out of assorted individuals to receive gold,” the 21-year-pale told the Linked Press in January. Asked how he handled the weight of expectations, he replied, “So long as nothing will get in the technique, then I need to smooth be comely. I’ve had a variety of high-strain races, I narrate you presumably can remark, so I don’t mediate that’s that monumental of an venture.”
Stolz won a gold medal in the males's 100m tournament on Feb. 11, setting an Olympic file with a time of 1:06.28.
Erin Jackson, Trail Skating
As the indispensable Shadowy American girl to receive a medal in streak skating—and the indispensable Shadowy girl to receive a person gold medal on the Chilly weather Olympics—four years prior to now in Beijing, 500-meter champion Jackson is returning to the 2026 Games as a flag bearer in the Feb. 6 Opening Ceremony, sharing the honor with bobsledder Frank Del Duca.
“Being chosen to deliver the US on the enviornment stage is a tremendous honor,” the 33-year-pale from Ocala, Fla., said in a reveal. “It's a moment that reflects a long way bigger than one particular person—it represents my household, my teammates, my fatherland, and all people all over the country who believes in the energy of sport.”
And while she isn't calling it a profession moral but, Jackson's post-retirement plans consist of beginning her indulge in organization to abet young Shadowy athletes pursue their streak skating dreams.
“I mediate illustration is tremendous major attributable to it helps to glimpse someone esteem you reaching one thing, and we haven’t generally had that in frosty weather sports, and streak skating, namely,” she told NBC Olympics. “I essentially rob on the responsibility with satisfaction of being a face that others can search for to and presumably win out and strive the sports. I need to attain whatever I’m in a position to to make the magic occur for others.”
Chloe Kim, Snowboarding
A chunk of torn labrum, suffered in January when she dislocated her shoulder while coaching in Switzerland, wasn't going to terminate Kim from competing in her fourth Olympics, the set aside aside she has the probability to receive her third gold medal in ladies folks's halfpipe.
“Clearly, I'm essentially disappointed that I’m in a position to’t snowboard till magnificent earlier than the Olympics, which is going to be hard,” the 25-year-pale from Torrance, Calif., said in a Jan. 13 video. “I haven't gotten nearly the amount of reps I’d've most accepted, nonetheless that's OK.”
She predicted a “barely kick back” lead-as much as the 2026 Games, telling NBC Olympics Jan 22, “I'm dwelling magnificent now, and I'll be heading out to Europe early next week to win a pair of days of coaching in earlier than we head over to Milan, after which I'll be there for the gargantuan day.”
And as soon as she used to be there, she'd be fired up and ready to scuttle—moral esteem all people else.
“I mediate the skills as a full, it's essentially hard to dispute,” Kim, who's been snowboarding since she used to be 4, said, “nonetheless I feel esteem all of us roughly rework into height variations of ourselves.”
Crimson Gerard, Snowboarding
Gerard used to be 17 when he won his sole gold in slopestyle on the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, nonetheless he's the 2-time defending X Games champ and is hoping to raise these a hit vibes to his third Olympics.
“I smooth feel young and I smooth feel essentially, essentially healthy,” the 25-year-pale, who's before the whole lot from Ohio and is now essentially based mostly mostly in Colorado, told Folks in January. “But it surely has been essentially frigid being on Team USA since I was 13 or whatever…and [now] being one amongst the older athletes, being ready to give some data to the youthful athletes.”
As for competing on the enviornment's biggest stage, Gerard said, “I moral strive and uncover myself when the Olympics are coming round, it's the identical because the total other competitions. I suggest, yeah, it's diversified. It's on an even bigger scale, and lots extra individuals watching and all that. But when it essentially comes appropriate down to the snowboarding, it's the identical real thing. So, need to you may per chance well presumably presumably also roughly set aside your blinders on and moral anguish about what you non-public to attain and treat it the identical as you believe gotten your entire lifestyles, that's what I continuously strive and attain.”
Alex Ferreira, Freestyle Skiing
The 31-year-pale halfpipe specialist is competing in his third Olympics and is taking a search for to round out his 2018 silver and 2022 bronze with his first gold medal.
“I mediate right here’s the year I’m in a position to receive gold attributable to, one, I'm coming into the video games healthy for the indispensable time,” Ferreira, who used to be born in Aspen, Colo., and discovered to ski on the native club the exercise of secondhand equipment, told the Everyday Categorical. “And every of these cases prior, I was going into the video games injured. The predominant one, I had broken my collarbone a pair of weeks earlier than, after which the 2d one, I had sprained my ankle. Bask in, three weeks earlier than, so this time I'm healthy, this time I'm barely bit older, I'm great extra focused, laser-focused.”
And to boot to to his sister Lourdes and athlete fogeys Marcelo, a outdated respectable soccer player from Argentina, and Colleen, who used to be a competitive relay racer, he's bought rescue canine Brandy shoring up his corner.
“The object I esteem most about Brandy is that she's no longer counting medals,” Ferreira, an envoy for Nulo pet food, said in an interview for the logo. “She's moral wagging her tail after I win dwelling, so she's there for me—the staunch, the despicable, the grotesque, the whole lot—and I fully need her.”
Ferreira won a silver medal on the males's freestyle snowboarding slopestyle tournament on Feb. 10.
Alex Corridor, Freestyle Skiing
Corridor is headed to his third Olympics because the reigning gold medalist in slopestyle—rocketing to new heights four years after finishing 16th in the tournament in the 2018 Games.
As well as to a imaginable repeat in slopestyle, the mellow 27-year-pale—”I purchased to attain it as soon as,” he told The Athletic of a hit gold, which he retains in his sock drawer. “If I win to attain it all any other time, that’d be improbable”—is additionally taking a search for to toughen on an eighth-set aside aside 2022 develop in Noteworthy Air.
“Having the Olympics support in Europe will likely be thrilling, snowboarding on staunch snow confidently, and round gargantuan mountains, which we haven’t had these past two Olympics,” Corridor—who lives in Utah nonetheless used to be born in Alaska and grew up in Zurich, the set aside aside his fogeys are college professors—told POWDER journal in October 2025. “For me in my opinion, it’s additionally barely frigid attributable to my mom is Italian. She’s from Bologna and her entire side of the household smooth lives magnificent in the metropolis. A bunch of them are constructing for the Olympics, so as that may be barely sweet.”
Jaelin Kauf, Freestyle Skiing
Competing in her third Olympics, the 29-year-pale moguls educated intends to toughen on her silver displaying in Beijing.
And she or he is aware of the set aside aside to turn for advice about the whole lot from coaching to how to contend with the strain of world competition.
Mother Patti Sherman-Kauf won two titles on the World Pro Moguls Tour—and competed while pregnant alongside with her daughter—while dad Scott Kauf won 5. And after her tycoon days had been over, Patti switched to skicross and earned three X Games bronze medals.
When Jaelin used to be born, “she didn't prefer to be rocked, esteem most infants,” Patti told NBC Olympics. “She most accepted to be bounced.”
Smooth, Jaelin “wasn't continuously offered on tycoon snowboarding itself,” she admitted to Teton Gravity Study in November 2025. “I’d rob a powder day over bumps any time. But I mediate that seeing and luminous how my fogeys made a lifestyles as respectable skiers made me mark it used to be a risk. No longer all people grows up seeing that as a real profession route, or is supported in that route, nonetheless I continuously knew that I may per chance well presumably be.”
Furthermore on Team Jaelin is her two-time Olympian boyfriend, retired moguls skier Bradley Wilson, and his bronze medal-a hit older brother Bryon Wilson, who occurs to be Kauf's coach.
Kauf won a silver medal in ladies folks's freestyle snowboarding moguls on Feb. 11.
Kaillie Humphries, Bobsled
Humphries' hump has had extra twists than a bobsled streak.
Born in Calgary, the 40-year-pale won gold on the 2010 and 2014 Chilly weather Olympics, after which a bronze in 2018, competing in two-girl bobsled for Team Canada.
She then disturbed the carrying world when she announced in 2019 that she used to be leaving the Canadian nationwide crew after 16 years, alleging she feared for her security amid what had change into a toxic atmosphere ahead of the 2018 Olympics.
Humphries joined the U.S. crew in 2019, nonetheless told the AP on the time that she used to be Canadian and “no longer giving up one for the many.”
“My feelings for Canada don't reduce, nonetheless I’m in a position to esteem one thing else moral as great,” she explained. “And I've been dwelling in the U.S. for four years. I esteem an American. I married one. Then diversified alternatives arose and we fetch ourselves in instances in lifestyles the set aside aside we believe to make choices and choices.”
Humphries grew to change into an American citizen in 2021—then won gold in the inaugural monobob (i.e. one-person) on the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Her fifth Olympics will likely be her first as a mom, having welcomed son Aulden with husband Travis Armbruster in June 2024.
“We’ve continuously been told, ‘Whenever you occur to’ve gotten barely one, your physique may per chance well presumably no longer ever be the identical, you’re by no manner gonna win support on the rostrum, you’re going to interchange bodily and mentally, so while you occur to’ve gotten barely one, your sport profession is done,'” Humphries told The Athletic in January. “And that used to be staunch for a truly very long time. But we’re proving that now, need to you’re going to esteem every, you may per chance well presumably presumably also believe every.”
Elana Meyers Taylor, Bobsled
Bobsledding has change into “me time” for the now-5-time Olympian since she and husband Nic Taylor welcomed son Nico in 2020 after which son Noah in 2022. Nico has Down syndrome and every children are deaf, the latter attributable to a gene mutation that every fogeys believe, which they didn't know till after Nico used to be born.
And regardless of lifestyles at dwelling being busier than ever, Meyers Taylor used to be engaging for her children to glimpse her at work.
“They’re gonna face challenges that I’m in a position to’t even comprehend,” the 41-year-pale told The Athletic. “I desire them to glimpse that, regardless of obstacles, you may per chance well presumably presumably also take care of pursuing your dream. I desire them to glimpse me with medals round my neck. But I additionally desire them to glimpse me win knocked down, win support up and fight.”
While she has 5 medals from her four old Olympics, four from two-girl bobsled and the silver she bought finishing 2d to Humphries in monobob in 2022, Meyers Taylor is smooth in search of her first gold.
Mystique Ro, Skeleton
There's a undeniable badassery constructed into a sport that entails hurtling headfirst on a shrimp sled down a twisty track at speeds of as much as 90 miles per hour.
But Ro, the indispensable American to medal in skeleton in 12 years on the IBSF World Championships in 2025, admittedly didn't mediate it used to be for her in the beginning.
“The coach walks me to the line, lets me scuttle, and all of a surprising, it’s going so snappy, you may per chance well presumably presumably no longer glimpse the rest, you may per chance well presumably presumably no longer direction of the rest,” she told The Athletic in December, recalling her first model of the sport in 2016 after being told she used to be too puny for bobsledding. “I win to the backside, and it’s esteem, ‘I’m done, bye! I’m no longer doing that s–t all any other time!’”
But after taking note of sufficient individuals rave about how frigid it used to be, she tried it all any other time.
A decade later, the Virginia native is in her first Olympics, ready to compete for my share and in the blended (co-ed) crew tournament, which is making its debut on the 2026 Games.
When she's no longer coaching and touring, Ro—who's the 2d-oldest of 11 siblings, including a twin sister who's 14 minutes youthful—works as a tour manual on the Lake Placid Olympic Center, one amongst numerous athletes in decrease-profile sports who supplements her checking memoir with a day job.
“I work there, I train there, I dwell and breathe that ambiance the total time,” she explained. “And tourists esteem it attributable to you believe gotten an athlete strolling you around the power, providing you with their outlandish viewpoint. It’s essentially frigid, nonetheless it’s no longer going to duvet the whole lot I need to attain this sport.”
Ilia Malinin, Figure Skating
Born to fogeys who had been every Uzbekistani resolve skating champions, Malinin took up the sport when he used to be 6—although on the time he most accepted taking half in soccer outside in his Virginia fatherland moderately than train in a frosty enviornment.
When he used to be 17, he grew to change into the indispensable and—to this level—easiest skater to successfully land a fully turned around quadruple axel in global competition, on the 2022 CS U.S. World Traditional.
Malinin, dubbed the “Quad God,” has performed the feat a pair of cases since and is the U.S. males's easiest shot at repeating in particular person gold in 2026, since “Quad King” Nathan Chen opted no longer to compete in the Milan Cortina Games.
Then all any other time, four years after he used to be handed over for a bunch aside aside on Team USA, the 20-year-pale is concentrated on giving himself the finest shot at a solid displaying.
“When I’m going to competitions, I don't heart of attention on the medals,” Malinin said on USA As of late's Milan Magic video podcast. “I continuously heart of attention on the efficiency and take a look at what I essentially believe to attain, what my job is as a skater. Most of the cases, I prepare myself completely so as that I’m in a position to scuttle on the ice and snort to the finest of my ability. And unnecessary to remark, need to you believe gotten a natty skate, I'm assumed that the medals can attain with you, to boot.”
He and his U.S. resolve skating teammates clinched the gold medal in the teams tournament on Feb. 8.
Alysa Liu, Figure Skating
Liu hung up her skates in 2022 after the Beijing Olympics and World Championships, the set aside aside she won bronze.
“I started after I was 5 and I usually didn't terminate till 16, and I was homeschooled my entire lifestyles,” Liu told NBC Recordsdata in January, reflecting on her decision to retire at 17. “And I'm a extremely social person. I crave human connection. And I was dwelling by myself for a pair of years, no household, no friends round, focused on the sake of coaching.”
Furthermore, she persevered, “I didn't even decide my indulge in packages, esteem individuals set aside me in clothes that I didn't need to set aside on, I was actually moral esteem a dressing up-up doll and I didn't need to attain it, nonetheless I felt esteem I had to attain my accountability of going to the Olympics for my youthful self.”
She enrolled at UCLA in the tumble of 2023 and enjoyed having a current lifestyles. But a January snowboarding day out fired up her competitive side, and she declared herself support in the recreation in March 2024. The 20-year-pale from Clovis, Calif., went on to receive gold on the World Championships in 2025 and is hoping to slay the U.S. ladies folks's 20-year particular person medal drought—preferably with extra gold—on the 2026 Games.
When she takes the ice now, “it's fully for myself,” Liu explained. “Yeah, it's barely frigid.”
Liu and her U.S. resolve skating teammates clinched the gold medal in the teams tournament on Feb. 8.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates, Ice Dancing
The longtime companions are competing of their fourth Olympics, nonetheless first since getting married in June 2024.
“I mediate it moral essentially solidified our commitment to every other and our commitment to our craft,” Chock told E! Recordsdata in December. “We already had this kind of deep working out and bond through skating, nonetheless since we've been married, I essentially feel esteem we moral rob the whole lot on as companions and champion every other on and off the ice in whatever endeavor we're pursuing.”
While they shared a crew gold medal with the the rest of the U.S. resolve skating crew in Beijing in 2022, the three-time world champions are smooth in search of their first Olympic medal as a pair.
“We're working hard and been inserting in the hours and inserting in the work,” Bates told E!,” “nonetheless we're so grateful for day after day and for the many.”
And although the 36-year-pale and Chock, 33, haven't said whether or no longer this may per chance be their final Olympics or no longer, they know they're getting closer to their sizable finale.
“We’ve tried to no longer win too emotional, moral with the nostalgia of this tournament and the 15-year hump that we’ve been on,” Bates told NBC Olympics in January on the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the set aside aside they went on to receive gold. “The final payback is to skate well, nonetheless we additionally need to moral skills that moment, attributable to it’s fleeting and it may most likely well well presumably completely be the final.”
The couple won the gold medal in the resolve skating teams tournament on Feb. 8, to boot to a silver in the ice dance competition.
Hilary Knight, Hockey
The U.S. ladies folks's nationwide crew dilapidated, who won gold in 2018, has confirmed that Milan Cortina will likely be her fifth and final Olympics—which is ready to give the 36-year-pale the file for most Olympic appearances by any American hockey player, man or girl.
And while Knight would prefer to skate off with but another gold medal, she told As of late.com, “Half our roster, presumably great extra, has by no manner been to the Olympics. That's a gargantuan deal, so making definite all people appears to be overjoyed and ready to play as much as their staunch ability. We believe some improbable players, and if we're going to win them to play the total technique as much as stout scale esteem that, that's going to be elite for our efficiency.”
The University of Wisconsin alum has played all over, and her novel dwelling ice is in Washington, the set aside aside she's the Seattle Torrent's well-known person forward. But dwelling-dwelling is in Salt Lake Metropolis, the set aside aside she offered a dwelling with accomplice Brittany Bowe, who is the oldest member of the U.S. streak skating crew and may per chance well presumably neutral be competing in her fourth and final Olympics moral weeks earlier than her 38th birthday Feb. 24.
“As high-tier athletes, you essentially know what that person may per chance well also neutral need, whether or no longer it's improve or disclose,” Knight told NBC Olympics in June 2025. “And I mediate every of us being at a high stage for a barely very long time helps us mark one but another.”
Cory Thiesse & Korey Dropkin, Curling
The blended doubles companions, who joined forces quickly after the 2022 Beijing Games, is competing of their first Olympics together after finishing in fifth set aside aside on the 2025 World Blended Doubles Curling Championship. As well as to their ability and labor, they've credited their complementary personalities for his or her success, which comprises a 2023 world championship.
“We moral work so well together. We know how to take care of loose and take care of in the demonstrate moment,” Dropkin, 30, told reporters ahead of the Milan Cortina Games. “We fit so well together persona-wise. There's someone that's termed us no longer too long prior to now as 'the smooth and the fireplace'. Cory's bought that smooth, assured, stoic persona on the ice. I elevate that fiery, passionate energy. The two mix essentially well together.”
He and Thiesse—who's been married to Sam Thiesse since June 2022—are essentially based mostly mostly in Duluth, Minn., the set aside aside they every believe day jobs to finance their curling dreams.
Dropkin is a realtor, while Thiesse works as a lab tech for a company that tests mercury ranges in wastewater. “I feel grateful that I essentially believe a job that pays the bills while I’m going compete in curling,” she told Duluth's ABC 10. “This is what we’ve been dreaming of since we had been miniature children.”
The pair won a silver medal in the blended doubles tournament on Feb. 10.
Source credit : eonline.com
