Winter Olympics 2026: Athletes Veil the Truth About Italian Dining Hall Meals at Milan Video games
Athletes competing in the 2026 Winter Olympic games printed what they're eating for his or her first meals in Milan—and it would also honest shock you.
Buon appetito!
Earlier than the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Video games’ Opening Ceremony on Feb. 6, contributors of the Canadian women folk's ice hockey team gave fans a seek at the Italian food they were served of their eating hall in Italy—and surprisingly, their popular dish wasn’t pasta or pizza.
“I like pasta with a conventional meat sauce,” Sophie Jaques said whereas exhibiting off her plate in a TikTok posted by her teammate Julia Gosling on Feb. 3. “And then they’d new mozzarella, so I needed to take it, and focaccia.”
Daryl Watts joked in regards to the dearth of greens on her plate as she told the digicam, “This is what I purchased: beef, veal, Brie [cheese], focaccia, I instruct here’s parmesan, burrata, pasta. No veggies, they’re coming, OK?”
Julia and fellow teammate Jenn Gardiner also weren’t worried to explain their plates at dinner—and attributable to this fact verify that the focaccia used to be, truly, the popular meal merchandise.
“I purchased pasta with meat sauce,” Julia shared. “Zucchini, focaccia bread—I already took a nibble out—and beef.”
After displaying her own plate of pasta, focaccia and salad, Jenn admitted, “I’m gonna want to head reduction, I'm starving.”
Joking in regards to the bread being so loved, Julia captioned the video, “First meal in the village!!! FOCACCIA IS A HIT!! addicted already!”
Although the bread perceived to be a fan-popular, Julia’s followers were much less than impressed with the relaxation of their meal.
“Why is it all so dry?” requested one client, whereas yet every other wrote, “It appears to be like to be admire health center food.”
Different fans identified the cultural differences by strategy of eating meals in Italy, with one writing, “It’s funny to gape you effect every little thing on one plate. We Italians separate the courses with assorted plates and a particular uncover. Anyway, it all goes to the identical space in the end, so it’s all intellectual.”
Yet every other added, “no no no. we Italians don't stuff every little thing in a single plate.”
While the food choices resulted in blended opinions, the swag net that Team USA athletes received upon their arrival perceived to be a certified crowd pleaser. With a vary of garments and equipment inside of from Nike, SKIMS and Ralph Lauren, the athletes were pleased with their new gear, exhibiting it off in video hauls on social media earlier this week.
“What a dream … The outlet and shutting fits are gonna be AMAZING!” ice hockey player Taylor Heise captioned her TikTok, whereas snowboarder Hahna Norman added, “All these items is so awesome… I’m in worship with this. Holy smokes.”
Taylor and Hahna will be true two of the athletes competing for Team USA when the 2026 Winter Olympics officially kick off on Feb. 6. Retain discovering out to gape who else will be representing The United States at the upcoming Olympic games…
Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing
Shiffrin shall be a three-time Olympic medalist, nonetheless the 30-yr-worn skier is purchasing for redemption heading into her fourth Olympics after her disappointing results at the 2022 Beijing Video games and a frightening crash in November 2024, wherein she suffered a puncture to her belly that required surgical treatment to restore.
“I indubitably feel very responsive to the total issues that can also happen that I will't seek recordsdata from,” Shiffrin told TIME in December. “I do know very effectively that we can also attain every little thing right on paper and it would also honest no longer end up with a medal. But I indubitably feel indubitably connected with my coaches, with the workers, with all individuals around me, and that's building in a single contrivance that, no topic comes up, we'll be ready to handle it collectively. That's the specific I will attain.”
Shiffrin's strengthen team has long incorporated Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, nonetheless now she's engaged to her fellow Alpine specialist.
“He's definite, he's telling me, 'Fair undergo in mind, it's going to be OK,'” she told Olympics.com. “And especially last season, there were some moments where I indubitably questioned why I used to be attempting to reach reduction and if that used to be too well-known, too soon, if it's no longer doable. And he used to be admire, ‘Hey, you perceive your self better. You're attempting your hardest. If it doesn't work, that's also OK.’”
Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skiing
Littered with knee accidents, Vonn retired from competition in 2019 after competing in 5 Winter Olympics, a hit gold in downhill and bronze in Mammoth-G in 2010 and adding yet every other bronze in downhill in 2018.
But after present process a life-altering partial right knee-alternative in 2024 that left her free from anguish for the first time since her first knee surgical treatment in 2013, she felt that acquainted need for tempo.
“Board calls are good, nonetheless they’re no longer indubitably the identical as downhill,” the 41-yr-worn told NBC News in December. “And investing is big, nonetheless it indubitably’s also no longer the identical. I constructed a gigantic life outside of skiing, nonetheless there will never be something else admire skiing, and I fully imprint that, and I’m joyful with that. But I’m indubitably going to love this last bit of adrenaline, on legend of I won’t fetch it reduction.”
When Vonn crashed throughout a Jan. 30 World Cup dash in Switzerland and needed to be airlifted off the mountain, that can also like spelled curtains for her comeback.
But the frail athlete, who beforehand said she used to be “willing to chance every little thing,” declared herself fit ample to compete in the ladies folk's downhill Feb. 8 in Cortina d'Ampezzo (which is net net hosting skiing, snowboarding and sliding sports, whereas skating, curling, and so on. will happen in Milan), despite struggling a ruptured left ACL.
“I’m no longer letting this stride through my fingers,” she said at a Feb. 3 press conference. “I’m no longer crying. My head is high, I’m standing well-known and I’m going to attain my most attention-grabbing.”
Jessie Diggins, Putrid-Nation Skiing
Doubtlessly the most adorned inappropriate-country skier in U.S. historical previous, Diggins is competing in her fourth and closing Olympics.
And the Afton, Minn., native is headed to Italy with a motive.
“I fetch to judge who I’m racing for each day, and the contrivance I want to dwell up to my values,” the 34-yr-worn wrote on Instagram Jan. 31. “For all individuals out there caring for others, retaining their neighbors, and assembly of us with worship—every single step is for you. YOU are those who build me proud to withhold the flag, and I am hoping I will bring you joy over these subsequent few weeks.”
However, once she retires, she told NPR's All Issues Regarded as, “I'm true mad to honestly attain loads of gardening and most of all be dwelling with my husband and like that time collectively.”
Jordan Stulz, Tempo Skating
Stolz made his Olympics debut at 17 in Beijing and, whereas he finished removed from the podium four years ago, he's a popular to dominate in the 500, 1,000, and 1,500-meter events, as effectively as in the mass birth (a 16-lap, 6,400-meter dash), at the Milan Cortina Video games.
“If I will like supreme races, I instruct I just like the specific potentialities out of loads of of us to earn gold,” the 21-yr-worn told the Associated Press in January. Requested how he handled the load of expectations, he answered, “As long as nothing gets in the style, then I must unexcited be intellectual. I’ve had loads of high-rigidity races, I instruct you’d also whisper, so I don’t instruct that’s that gargantuan of an argument.”
Erin Jackson, Tempo Skating
Because the first Dim American lady to earn a medal in tempo skating—and the first Dim lady to earn a individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics—four years ago in Beijing, 500-meter champion Jackson is returning to the 2026 Video games as a flag bearer in the Feb. 6 Opening Ceremony, sharing the glory with bobsledder Frank Del Duca.
“Being chosen to symbolize the US on the world stage is a gigantic honor,” the 33-yr-worn from Ocala, Fla., said in a observation. “It's a moment that reflects contrivance over one individual—it represents my family, my teammates, my hometown, and all individuals across the country who believes in the power of sport.”
And whereas she isn't calling it a occupation true yet, Jackson's post-retirement plans encompass beginning her own organization to abet young Dim athletes pursue their tempo skating desires.
“I instruct representation is immense well-known on legend of it helps to gape someone admire you achieving something, and we haven’t in most cases had that in frosty climate sports, and tempo skating, specifically,” she told NBC Olympics. “I indubitably tackle the responsibility with pride of being a face that others can seek to and maybe fetch out and verify out the sports. I want to attain no topic I will to build the magic happen for others.”
Chloe Kim, Snowboarding
Moderately of torn labrum, suffered in January when she dislocated her shoulder whereas coaching in Switzerland, wasn't going to quit Kim from competing in her fourth Olympics, where she has the chance to earn her third gold medal in women folk's halfpipe.
“Obviously, I'm indubitably disappointed that I will’t snowboard till right sooner than the Olympics, which goes to be laborious,” the 25-yr-worn from Torrance, Calif., said in a Jan. 13 video. “I haven't gotten nearly in regards to the amount of reps I’d've loved, nonetheless that's OK.”
She predicted a “somewhat relax” lead-up to the 2026 Video games, telling NBC Olympics Jan 22, “I'm dwelling straight away, and I'll be heading out to Europe early subsequent week to fetch a few days of coaching in sooner than we head over to Milan, after which I'll be there for the worthy day.”
And once she used to be there, she'd be fired up and inspiring to head—true admire all individuals else.
“I instruct the ride as a total, it's indubitably laborious to boom,” Kim, who's been snowboarding since she used to be 4, said, “nonetheless I indubitably feel admire all of us roughly change into into height variations of ourselves.”
Crimson Gerard, Snowboarding
Gerard used to be 17 when he won his sole gold in slopestyle at the 2018 Video games in Pyeongchang, nonetheless he's the two-time defending X Video games champ and is hoping to bring those a hit vibes to his third Olympics.
“I unexcited indubitably feel young and I unexcited indubitably feel indubitably, indubitably healthy,” the 25-yr-worn, who's in the beginning from Ohio and is now based mostly mostly in Colorado, told Other folk in January. “But it indubitably has been indubitably cool being on Team USA since I used to be 13 or no topic…and [now] being indubitably one of the most older athletes, being ready to produce some wisdom to the younger athletes.”
As for competing on the world's greatest stage, Gerard said, “I true try to explain myself when the Olympics are coming around, it's the identical as the total other competitions. I indicate, yeah, it's assorted. It's on an even bigger scale, and a lot extra of us watching and all that. But when it truly comes down to the snowboarding, it's the identical proper thing. So, whereas you may maybe well be ready to roughly build your blinders on and true anguish about what to acquire to attain and charm out it the identical as you’d also like your total life, that's what I continuously try to attain.”
Alex Ferreira, Freestyle Skiing
The 31-yr-worn halfpipe specialist is competing in his third Olympics and is asking to round out his 2018 silver and 2022 bronze with his first gold medal.
“I instruct here’s the yr I will earn gold on legend of, one, I'm coming into the games healthy for the first time,” Ferreira, who used to be born in Aspen, Colo., and realized to ski at the local membership the utilization of secondhand equipment, told the Each day Negate. “And every of those times prior, I used to be going into the games injured. The first one, I had broken my collarbone a few weeks sooner than, after which the 2d one, I had sprained my ankle. Indulge in, three weeks sooner than, so this time I'm healthy, this time I'm a itsy-bitsy bit of bit older, I'm well-known extra focused, laser-focused.”
And as effectively as to his sister Lourdes and athlete dad and mom Marcelo, a outmoded educated soccer player from Argentina, and Colleen, who used to be a competitive relay racer, he's bought rescue dog Brandy shoring up his nook.
“The thing I indubitably admire most about Brandy is that she's no longer counting medals,” Ferreira, an envoy for Nulo pet food, said in an interview for the emblem. “She's true wagging her tail after I fetch dwelling, so she's there for me—the intellectual, the unfriendly, the grisly, every little thing—and I fully need her.”
Alex Hall, Freestyle Skiing
Hall is headed to his third Olympics as the reigning gold medalist in slopestyle—rocketing to new heights four years after finishing 16th in the occasion in the 2018 Video games.
To boot to a doable repeat in slopestyle, the mellow 27-yr-worn—”I purchased to attain it once,” he told The Athletic of a hit gold, which he keeps in his sock drawer. “If I fetch to attain it again, that’d be unbelievable”—is also attempting to beef up on an eighth-space 2022 carry out in Mammoth Air.
“Having the Olympics reduction in Europe will be thrilling, skiing on intellectual snow expectantly, and around worthy mountains, which we haven’t had these previous two Olympics,” Hall—who lives in Utah nonetheless used to be born in Alaska and grew up in Zurich, where his dad and mom are college professors—told POWDER magazine in October 2025. “For me in my notion, it’s also somewhat cool on legend of my mom is Italian. She’s from Bologna and her total side of the family unexcited lives right in the metropolis. A bunch of them are coming up for the Olympics, so that will be somewhat sweet.”
Jaelin Kauf, Freestyle Skiing
Competing in her third Olympics, the 29-yr-worn moguls educated intends to beef up on her silver exhibiting in Beijing.
And she or he knows where to flip for advice about every little thing from coaching to handle the rigidity of worldwide competition.
Mother Patti Sherman-Kauf won two titles on the World Pro Moguls Tour—and competed whereas pregnant along with her daughter—whereas dad Scott Kauf won 5. And after her tycoon days were over, Patti switched to skicross and earned three X Video games bronze medals.
When Jaelin used to be born, “she didn't make a choice to be rocked, admire most babies,” Patti told NBC Olympics. “She loved to be bounced.”
Gentle, Jaelin “wasn't continuously sold on tycoon skiing itself,” she admitted to Teton Gravity Be taught in November 2025. “I’d take a powder day over bumps any time. But I instruct that seeing and energetic how my dad and mom made a life as educated skiers made me imprint it used to be a chance. No longer all individuals grows up seeing that as a proper occupation course, or is supported in that course, nonetheless I continuously knew that I’ll maybe well perhaps be.”
Additionally 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.
Kaillie Humphries, Bobsled
Humphries' rush has had extra twists than a bobsled bustle.
Born in Calgary, the 40-yr-worn won gold at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, after which a bronze in 2018, competing in two-lady bobsled for Team Canada.
She then jumpy the carrying world when she announced in 2019 that she used to be leaving the Canadian national team after 16 years, alleging she feared for her security amid what had change into a poisonous environment forward of the 2018 Olympics.
Humphries joined the U.S. team in 2019, nonetheless told the AP at the time that she used to be Canadian and “no longer giving up one for the assorted.”
“My emotions for Canada don't lessen, nonetheless I will worship something else true moreover-known,” she defined. “And I've been residing in the U.S. for four years. I indubitably admire an American. I married one. Then assorted alternatives arose and we uncover ourselves in eventualities in life where now we like got to build choices and choices.”
Humphries turned an American citizen in 2021—then won gold in the inaugural monobob (i.e. one-individual) at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Her fifth Olympics will be her first as a mom, having welcomed son Aulden with husband Travis Armbruster in June 2024.
“We’ve continuously been told, ‘If you happen to can truly like a baby, your physique will never be the identical, you’re never gonna fetch reduction on the podium, you’re going to commerce bodily and mentally, so whereas you’d truly like a itsy-bitsy bit of one, your sport occupation is finished,'” Humphries told The Athletic in January. “And that used to be good for a extraordinarily long time. But we’re proving that now, whereas you’d admire every, you may maybe well be ready to love 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 each teens are deaf, the latter attributable to a gene mutation that every dad and mom like, which they didn't know till after Nico used to be born.
And despite life at dwelling being busier than ever, Meyers Taylor used to be alive to for her teens to gape her at work.
“They’re gonna face challenges that I will’t even comprehend,” the 41-yr-worn told The Athletic. “I need them to gape that, despite barriers, you may maybe well be ready to preserve pursuing your dream. I need them to gape me with medals around my neck. But I also need them to gape me fetch knocked down, fetch reduction up and fight.”
While she has 5 medals from her four earlier Olympics, four from two-lady bobsled and the silver she bought finishing 2d to Humphries in monobob in 2022, Meyers Taylor is unexcited seeking her first gold.
Mystique Ro, Skeleton
There's a favorable badassery constructed right into a sport that entails hurtling headfirst on a minute sled down a twisty track at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.
But Ro, the first American to medal in skeleton in 12 years at the IBSF World Championships in 2025, admittedly didn't instruct it used to be for her before every little thing.
“The coach walks me to the dual carriageway, lets me ride, and all of a unexpected, it’s going so hasty, you’d no longer gaze something else, you’d no longer activity something else,” she told The Athletic in December, recalling her first style of the sport in 2016 after being told she used to be too dinky for bobsledding. “I fetch to the bottom, and it’s admire, ‘I’m performed, bye! I’m no longer doing that s–t again!’”
But after paying consideration to ample of us rave about how cool it used to be, she tried it again.
A decade later, the Virginia native is in her first Olympics, ready to compete in my notion and in the blended (co-ed) team occasion, which is making its debut at the 2026 Video games.
When she's no longer coaching and traveling, Ro—who's the 2d-oldest of 11 siblings, including a twin sister who's 14 minutes younger—works as a tour recordsdata at the Lake Placid Olympic Heart, indubitably one of a amount of athletes in lower-profile sports who dietary supplements her financial institution legend with a day job.
“I work there, I practice there, I dwell and breathe that environment the total time,” she defined. “And tourists worship it on legend of you’d also like an athlete walking you across the ability, giving you their queer standpoint. It’s indubitably cool, nonetheless it indubitably’s no longer going to cloak every little thing I want to attain this sport.”
Ilia Malinin, Figure Skating
Born to of us who were every Uzbekistani figure skating champions, Malinin took up the sport when he used to be 6—although at the time he preferred taking part in soccer outside in his Virginia hometown as adversarial to practice in a frosty arena.
When he used to be 17, he turned the first and—to this point—most attention-grabbing skater to successfully land a fully circled quadruple axel in worldwide competition, at the 2022 CS U.S. Worldwide Classic.
Malinin, dubbed the “Quad God,” has performed the feat a few times since and is the U.S. men's most attention-grabbing shot at repeating in individual gold in 2026, since “Quad King” Nathan Chen opted no longer to compete in the Milan Cortina Video games.
However, four years after he used to be skipped over for an arena on Team USA, the 20-yr-worn is serious about giving himself the specific shot at a stable exhibiting.
“As soon as I ride to competitions, I don't instruct the medals,” Malinin said on USA These days's Milan Magic video podcast. “I continuously instruct the efficiency and notion what I want to attain, what my job is as a skater. Quite a bit of the times, I prepare myself very effectively so that I will ride on the ice and bring to the better of my ability. And naturally, whereas you’d truly like a comely skate, I'm assumed that the medals can reach with you, as effectively.”
Alysa Liu, Figure Skating
Liu hung up her skates in 2022 after the Beijing Olympics and World Championships, where she won bronze.
“I started after I used to be 5 and I in most cases didn't quit till 16, and I used to be homeschooled my total life,” Liu told NBC News in January, reflecting on her resolution to retire at 17. “And I'm a extraordinarily social individual. I crave human connection. And I used to be residing by myself for heaps of years, no family, no associates around, exciting in regards to the sake of coaching.”
Furthermore, she continued, “I didn't even decide my own programs, admire of us build me in dresses that I didn't want to wear, I used to be actually true admire a robe-up doll and I didn't want to attain it, nonetheless I felt admire I needed to attain my responsibility of going to the Olympics for my younger self.”
She enrolled at UCLA in the autumn of 2023 and enjoyed having a typical life. But a January skiing time out fired up her competitive side, and she declared herself reduction in the game in March 2024. The 20-yr-worn from Clovis, Calif., went on to earn gold at the World Championships in 2025 and is hoping to total the U.S. women folk's 20-yr individual medal drought—preferably with extra gold—at the 2026 Video games.
When she takes the ice now, “it's fully for myself,” Liu defined. “Yeah, it's somewhat cool.”
Madison Chock & Evan Bates, Ice Dancing
The longtime companions are competing of their fourth Olympics, nonetheless first since getting married in June 2024.
“I instruct it true indubitably solidified our commitment to at least one yet every other and our commitment to our craft,” Chock told E! News in December. “We already had such a deep figuring out and bond through skating, nonetheless since we've been married, I indubitably indubitably feel admire we true take every little thing on as companions and champion every other on and off the ice in no topic endeavor we're pursuing.”
While they shared a team gold medal with the relaxation of the U.S. figure skating team in Beijing in 2022, the three-time world champions are unexcited seeking their first Olympic medal as a pair.
“We're working laborious and been striking in the hours and striking in the work,” Bates told E!,” “nonetheless we're so grateful for day after day and for the chance.”
And although the 36-yr-worn and Chock, 33, haven't said whether this shall be their last Olympics or no longer, they know they're getting nearer to their big finale.
“We’ve tried to no longer fetch too emotional, true with the nostalgia of this occasion and the 15-yr rush that we’ve been on,” Bates told NBC Olympics in January at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where they went on to earn gold. “The last payback is to skate effectively, nonetheless we also want to true like that moment, on legend of it’s fleeting and it would also very effectively be the last.”
Hilary Knight, Hockey
The U.S. women folk's national team frail, who won gold in 2018, has confirmed that Milan Cortina will be her fifth and closing Olympics—which will give the 36-yr-worn the file for most Olympic appearances by any American hockey player, man or lady.
And whereas Knight would worship to skate off with yet every other gold medal, she told These days.com, “Half of our roster, maybe well-known extra, has never been to the Olympics. That's a worthy deal, so making positive all individuals is joyful and inspiring to play up to their good skill. Now we like some unbelievable players, and if we're going to fetch them to play the total contrivance up to fat scale admire that, that's going to be elite for our efficiency.”
The University of Wisconsin alum has played at some stage in, and her recent dwelling ice is in Washington, where she's the Seattle Torrent's big title forward. But dwelling-dwelling is in Salt Lake Metropolis, where she sold a apartment with accomplice Brittany Bowe, who’s the oldest member of the U.S. tempo skating team and shall be competing in her fourth and closing Olympics true weeks sooner than her thirty eighth birthday Feb. 24.
“As high-tier athletes, you truly know what that individual can also like, whether it's strengthen or keep,” Knight told NBC Olympics in June 2025. “And I instruct every of us being at a high stage for a moderately long time helps us imprint every other.”
Cory Thiesse & Korey Dropkin, Curling
The blended doubles companions, who joined forces rapidly after the 2022 Beijing Video games, will be competing of their first Olympics collectively after finishing in fifth space at the 2025 World Blended Doubles Curling Championship. To boot to their ability and laborious work, they've credited their complementary personalities for his or her success, which contains a 2023 world championship.
“We true work so effectively collectively. We know end loose and end in the new moment,” Dropkin, 30, told newshounds forward of the Milan Cortina Video games. “We fit so effectively collectively persona-lustrous. There's someone that's termed us no longer too long ago as 'the unruffled and the fire'. Cory's bought that unruffled, assured, stoic persona on the ice. I bring that fiery, passionate vitality. The two mix indubitably effectively collectively.”
He and Thiesse—who's been married to Sam Thiesse since June 2022—are based mostly mostly in Duluth, Minn., where they every like day jobs to finance their curling desires.
Dropkin is a realtor, whereas Thiesse works as a lab tech for a firm that checks mercury stages in wastewater. “I indubitably feel grateful that I like a job that pays the bills whereas I ride compete in curling,” she told Duluth's ABC 10. “This is what we’ve been dreaming of since we were itsy-bitsy teens.”
Source credit : eonline.com
