Get ready to feel all the feels! In about 55 hours, the Winter Olympics will have us hooked on curling, cheering for the Canadian women’s hockey team, and rooting for a French athlete aiming to win every single biathlon event.
The 2026 Olympics will begin on February 6th in Milan. As we get ready to cheer on American athletes like Mikaela Shiffrin, Madison Chock, and Evan Bates, it’s important to remember that Team USA’s 232 members represent just a portion of all the athletes traveling to Italy for the games.
Okay, so I’m totally obsessed with Eileen Gu, and it’s amazing to think she’s heading to the Winter Games – and apparently, she’s a huge fan of heavy metal music just like me! I saw somewhere she’s planning on finding some new bands and albums while she’s there, which is just… perfect. Seriously, a freeskiing superstar and a metalhead? She’s my hero!
Despite being from San Francisco, the 22-year-old athlete chose to compete for China in her first competition, a decision she described as very difficult.
She felt that participating in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, in the country where her mother was born, was a unique and incredibly special chance to inspire young people.
And she delivered, becoming the youngest person ever to win an Olympic gold medal in freestyle skiing. At just 18 years old, she won gold in both big air and halfpipe, and also earned a silver medal in slopestyle.
She’s aiming to dominate in Milan again this year, but recently told Time magazine that repeating success is harder than achieving it once. She explained, “It’s a much bigger challenge to do something multiple times than to do it one time.”
She’s one of the approximately 3,500 athletes who won’t be competing and wearing the Ralph Lauren uniforms during the Games.
You might already know about Alysa Liu’s amazing jumps and be cheering for Lindsey Vonn’s return to competition. But with athletes from 93 countries participating in the inspiring Parade of Nations, now’s the perfect time to learn about all the incredible athletes and their stories you’ll soon be following.
What truly sets this competition apart is the chance to quickly learn about the challenging sport of ski mountaineering and to understand why Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, a German doubles luge team known as “the Tobis,” are consistently ranked among the very best in the world.
Cheer on local heroes Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, the undefeated curling champions! Plus, don’t miss Ester Ledecka, a talented athlete from the Czech Republic aiming for medals in both alpine skiing and snowboarding.
We’ve created a training guide featuring all the top international athletes you’ll be seeing on social media. It’s designed to help you follow and understand their performances.
Let the games begin.
German bobsledder Francesco Friedrich, who already has four gold medals, is aiming to win two more in Milan.
If the 18-time world champion wins either the two-man or four-man bobsleigh competition, he’ll make history as the first athlete to win five gold medals in the sport at the Games.
Okay, so this officer? He’s incredible! He says he has this amazing memory, like a photograph in his head, and he genuinely loves digging into everything about his work. It’s not just a job for him, you can tell. He’s constantly learning, always searching for even the tiniest ways to get better. It’s honestly fascinating to watch – he’s a total perfectionist!
He downplayed his record-breaking achievement, saying he’s simply grateful to be able to do what he loves for a living. He added that making history was just a happy accident.
At the 2022 Olympics, all attention was on Eileen Gu, the American-born Chinese freestyle skier. She understood she needed to perform at her best to win gold in her first event, big air.
For her last run, she decided to try a very difficult trick – a double cork 1620, which involves four and a half spins in the air combined with two rotations off to the side. It was a move she hadn’t practiced before.
She told Time magazine in January 2026 that she saw no downside to the situation. Either she’d successfully land the trick and win an Olympic medal, or she’d go down in history as the first person to attempt it under those circumstances – a result she’d be incredibly proud of and happy to live with.
Winning gold, along with another in halfpipe and a second-place finish in slopestyle, was only the beginning for the Stanford student who studies international relations.
Having won 20 World Cup titles, the skier told Time magazine that, statistically, she’s the greatest free skier of all time.
She’s dedicated to analyzing the data behind her sport. Although she acknowledges that effort isn’t always celebrated, she fully embraces a meticulous approach, studying the exact physics – the momentum and rotation – needed for each trick. She finds this process incredibly enjoyable and even addictive, describing herself as completely obsessed with it.
For Marco Odermatt, the 2022 giant slalom gold medalist, alpine skiing runs in the family – he started skiing at just age 2, following in his parents’ footsteps. Interestingly, he met his current girlfriend, doctor Stella Parpan, when they were both in kindergarten, not long after he started skiing.
He consistently thanks his parents after every win, and with 52 World Cup victories and three world championships under his belt, he’s had plenty of opportunities to do so.
The Swiss skier, who races in downhill, giant slalom, and super-G, explained on the Red Bull podcast, Mind Set Win, that she always gives her full effort. She believes this approach is the most effective way to compete.
Arianna Fontana, a star in short track speed skating, first gained Olympic recognition at the 2006 Turin games, winning a bronze medal in the 3000m relay near her Italian hometown of Sondrio. Since then, she’s collected ten more Olympic medals, making her the most decorated female Winter Olympian from Italy. She also holds the record for the most Olympic medals of any short track speed skater ever.
The athlete shared with Olympics.com that competing at the 2006 Turin games felt like her introduction to the world of skating. Now, with the 2026 games coming home, she views it as a welcome back celebration. Married to her coach, Anthony Lobello, since 2014, she’s really excited about skating in front of a home crowd again.
It’s a poignant choice that figure skater Kaori Sakamoto, who won silver at the 2022 Olympics, is using the song “Time to Say Goodbye” for her short program. This is especially meaningful as she’s nearing the end of her competitive career, with the 2025 World Championships in Milan likely being her last competition.
She said she felt the timing was right when she made her decision last summer, as she’ll be 29 years old by the 2030 Olympics.
The American figure skating team, featuring skaters like Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu, and Isabeau Levito, is very strong. According to Sakamoto, achieving at least a silver medal in both the individual and team competitions would be a successful outcome. With limited time remaining, she plans to make the most of every day.
After winning a record-breaking five medals at the Beijing Olympics, French biathlete Quentin Fillon Maillet is a strong contender for a medal again in this winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
Although his comeback from a rough start at the PyeongChang games was impressive, he doesn’t believe it was predetermined or fated.
He firmly stated he didn’t believe in fate. ‘I make my own luck,’ he explained. ‘Everything I’ve achieved is the result of years of hard work, and this feels like a well-deserved reward.’
Despite still being a dominant force in ski jumping – as evidenced by his gold medal in the normal hill event at the Beijing Olympics – Kobayashi Ryoyu is already thinking about his future after he retires from the sport. He’s a passionate golfer and also known for his impeccable style.
People ask me that a lot, but I honestly don’t have a clear answer,” the athlete explained to Red Bull, noting their partnership with Prada. “I think I’m just not driven to do anything specific right now. That’s why I’m exploring modeling and trying to experience new things – to see if anything sparks a new idea or direction for me.”
Ryoyu, the world record holder with a jump of 291 meters set in 2024, plans to stay involved in ski jumping after he retires. He told Red Bull he wants to help grow the sport and make it more exciting, and he’d be happy if he could leave a positive impact.
Ester Ledecká of the Czech Republic achieved an incredible feat in Beijing, winning gold medals in both alpine skiing (Super-G) and snowboarding (parallel giant slalom). However, despite her success, she still hasn’t discovered how to be in two places simultaneously!
As a huge fan, it’s heartbreaking to admit, but it looks like she’s conceded that she won’t be able to compete in both the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo on February 8th and the parallel giant slalom final happening that same day in Livigno – it’s just too much with four hours between the locations. She’s made the tough call to focus on one event, and honestly, it’s a smart move.
Honestly, it was tough, and there were a few tears shed, but we really gave it our all. I knew coordinating everything wouldn’t be simple, but I truly believed we could make it work. As an athlete, I’m unique – this would have been my third time qualifying for the event in two different sports, and I was hoping that would be considered when making things happen. It’s a lot to juggle, and I was really counting on a little extra support.
She’s focusing on slalom racing, but will still compete in the super-G on February 12th. If she wins, she already knows exactly how she’ll celebrate – by spraying her team with champagne, something she says is her favorite thing to do.
Following a silver medal win with Team Canada in PyeongChang, Sarah Nurse had an outstanding performance at the 2022 Olympics. She scored 18 points, leading her team to the championship title and making history as the first Black athlete to win a gold medal in women’s hockey.
She started skating when she was just three years old, and was amazed watching the Canadian women’s hockey team compete in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. As she told Elle Canada, she hadn’t realized girls played hockey and jokingly said she thought she was the only one – a classic case of thinking she was the main character!
Now she’s writing her own story, moving cross-country to play forward for the Vancouver Goldeneyes.
Five years ago, if someone had told me I’d be playing professional hockey and getting a Barbie, I wouldn’t have believed it! I don’t like to set limits for myself because I’ve always surprised myself. Who knows what the next five years will bring?
Everyone experiences both wins and losses, but Italian curlers Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner only experienced wins at the Beijing Olympics. The duo went undefeated with an 11-0 record in mixed doubles curling, securing Italy’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sport.
It’s a very emotional moment, especially since it’s been three years,” said Italy’s flag bearer, Mosaner, speaking to Olympics.com before the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. They had a perfect run throughout the championship. “Returning to competition is wonderful, and representing Italy is always a priority for us.”
Stefan Kraft, a gold medalist with the Olympic ski jumping team in Beijing, is aiming to win the individual championship in Milan.
Winning that award would be the perfect finish to an already incredible season, during which he became the highest-scoring athlete ever in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup – a record he broke with his first victory last November.
Despite his recent victory, the news was quickly followed by an even more joyful event: the birth of his and Marisa Kraft’s first child. He announced the arrival of their daughter on Instagram on December 9th, sharing that both mom and baby were healthy and that they were overjoyed with love.
Growing up in Oslo, Johannes Hosfløt Klæbo dreamed of playing soccer. However, as he explained in a blog post, his mom helped him realize that soccer requires more than just strength – it demands endurance to run continuously for a full 90 minutes.
Instead, he dedicated himself to a sport involving long-distance races – 50 kilometers long – where athletes glide across snow and ice.
“Cross-country skiing truly fulfilled me,” said the five-time Olympic gold medalist. “I credit my success to my determination, the support of my family, and the wonderful coaches I had along the way.”
He’s also close to his fiancée, Pernille Døsvik. They announced their engagement on Instagram in June, and he shared that he’s excited about 2025, hinting at their wedding year.
Sidney Crosby, a celebrated NHL center who has won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Olympic gold medals for Team Canada in 2010 (scoring the winning goal in overtime against the U.S.) and 2014, is now focused on achieving a new objective.
Now that NHL players are back in the Olympics after a hiatus since 2014, Sidney Crosby has the opportunity to win another gold medal. If he does, he’ll be tied with Scott Niedermayer for the most combined championships – including World Championships, Olympic golds, and Stanley Cups.
Looking back on his early career, he says his advice for new players is straightforward: work hard and enjoy what you do. He believes it’s the most basic, yet most important, advice he can offer, based on his own experiences.
Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt are not only teammates and lifelong friends, but also a dominant force in luge, earning six Olympic gold medals – in men’s doubles and the team relay – across the 2014, 2018, and 2022 Winter Games. Known as “the Tobis,” they credit their success to a surprisingly simple strategy: knowing when to give each other space.
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2026-02-04 15:23