10 Americans to watch at Milan Cortina 2026

The United States tallied the fifth-most medals at the previous Winter Games in Beijing. Here are 10 Americans who could lead the podium charge over the next 16 days in Milan.

Chloe Kim, snowboarding

Just one month before the Winter Olympics, Kim got a major scare when she tore the labrum in her shoulder during a training run in Switzerland. The injury limited her preparation for the women's halfpipe competition, but it won't keep her out of the Games.

Kim burst onto the scene eight years ago in PyeongChang, capturing Olympic gold in her parents' home country of South Korea. At just 17, she became the youngest woman ever to land two consecutive 1080-degree spins at the Winter Games. Since then, she's added four more Winter X Games gold medals, three world championships, and another Olympic title. No other woman had previously repeated as Olympic champion in the women's halfpipe.

Kim continues to push the limits of her sport. The California native's final run at the 2024 Winter X Games featured the first 1260-degree spin in women's halfpipe history. Don't be surprised if more new tricks are on display at Milan Cortina 2026.

Ilia Malinin, figure skating

You don't receive the nickname "Quad God" without being appointment television. It's hard to believe Malinin was left off the U.S. Olympic team four years ago, especially when you consider his dominant body of work leading up to the 2026 Games. The 21-year-old has won four straight national championships, three consecutive Grand Prix Finals, and the last two world championships. All he's missing is an Olympic gold medal.

Malinin brings flair with his backflips - once banned by the International Skating Union - and unparalleled jumping ability. The Virginia native posted a world-record score of 238.24 in the men's free skate at the 2025 Grand Prix Final, becoming the first skater to land seven quadruple jumps in a single program. He landed his first quad axel in 2022 as a teenager and remains the only person to have completed the feat in international competition.

Lindsey Vonn, Alpine skiing

Nobody would've blamed Vonn for staying retired. The American icon had four overall World Cup titles, three Olympic medals, and more World Cup race victories than any woman (82) when she walked away from the sport in 2019. Injuries had also taken a toll on her body over the years, and she'd undergone multiple surgeries on both knees.

But Vonn had some unfinished business. The Minnesota native announced her comeback in November 2024 at age 40 after undergoing partial knee replacement surgery earlier that year. The procedure relieved Vonn's daily pain, allowing her to compete comfortably again. This season, she turned back the clock with a pair of downhill race wins and three other podium finishes on the World Cup circuit. Cortina d'Ampezzo, where Vonn has 12 wins, will host all the Alpine skiing events at Milan Cortina 2026.

However, Vonn's status for the upcoming Games is suddenly up in the air after she "completely ruptured" her left ACL in a crash during her final tune-up competition. Vonn skied with a brace Tuesday and is "confident" she'll be able to take part in the Olympics. Her first race is scheduled for Sunday, just nine days after her latest knee injury.

Auston Matthews, ice hockey

NHL players will participate in their first Winter Olympics since Sochi 2014. For many of the game's brightest stars, this marks their debut opportunity to represent their countries on the international stage, as the annual world championships overlap with the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Matthews has emerged as the face of the Toronto Maple Leafs since they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2016. The 28-year-old has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy three times as the league's top goal-scorer and recently surpassed Hall of Fame center Mats Sundin as the Leafs' all-time goals leader.

Matthews' resume also features a Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL's most valuable player, and the Ted Lindsay Award, recognizing the winner of a peer vote on the most outstanding player. He consistently receives Selke Trophy consideration, too, as one of the league's top defensive forwards, including a third-place finish in 2024.

Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine skiing

Shiffrin is the winningest Alpine skier ever, yet she left the 2022 Beijing Games without a medal from any of the six disciplines she entered. She registered three DNFs and failed to finish higher than ninth in her individual races - a shocking series of results from a multi-time world and Olympic champion.

Shiffrin's got a chance to exorcise some of those demons in Milan. The 30-year-old plans to have a much lighter schedule this time around, prioritizing the slalom, giant slalom, and team event. She has already secured her ninth slalom season title after claiming her seventh win in eight races. Like her teammate Vonn, Shriffin has a strong track record at Cortina d'Ampezzo, including a second-place finish in the giant slalom at the 2021 world championships.

Red Gerard, snowboarding

Gerard was just 17 years old when he surprisingly conquered the men's slopestyle field at PyeongChang 2018. The Colorado native jumped from last place to the top of the leaderboard on his final run, edging out snowboarding stars Mark McMorris and Max Parrot. With the victory, Gerard became the youngest American man to step atop the podium at the Winter Games since 1928.

Gerard now enters his third Olympics as a veteran of the U.S. snowboarding team. Having won two of the last three Winter X Games crowns, he'll be among the front-runners in slopestyle at Milan Cortina 2026. Gerard is also a medal threat in big air after finishing fifth in each of the previous two Games.

Hilary Knight, ice hockey

Knight is looking to go out on top in her fifth and final Olympics. The American legend has accomplished virtually everything during her decorated international career. She owns a record 10 IIHF Women's World Championship gold medals and is the tournament's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Knight will tie Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser as the only five-time Olympic medalists in hockey.

At 36, Knight will continue playing in the PWHL following the Games. The 5-foot-11 forward tallied 15 goals and 14 assists for a league-leading 29 points last season and was one of three finalists for the Billie Jean King MVP award.

Jordan Stolz, speedskating

All eyes will be on Stolz as he looks to join fellow speedskater Eric Heiden as the only Americans to win three gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. The 21-year-old has often been compared to Heiden as they both excel in the 500-, 1,000-, and 1,500-meter races. In March 2024, Stolz became the youngest all-around speedskating world champion since Heiden accomplished the feat in 1977.

While Stolz swept the aforementioned three disciplines at the 2023 and 2024 world single distances championships, he's more than just a sprinter. He also qualified for the 16-lap mass start and reached the podium in two World Cup events toward the end of last year.

Kaillie Humphries Armbruster, bobsled

Few bobsledders can match Humphries Armbruster's loaded resume. The 40-year-old has two Olympic gold medals in the two-woman race and 10 world championship podiums from her 17 years with the Canadian national team. She switched to the U.S. squad in 2019, adding five more world championship medals and a first-place finish in the inaugural monobob competition at the Winter Games.

Humphries Armbruster took maternity leave during the 2023-24 campaign and is finding her stride once again with her fifth Olympics on the horizon. The decorated pilot has 11 top-five finishes on the World Cup circuit this season, including a victory in the monobob and a runner-up showing in the two-woman race at the most recent stop in Altenberg, Germany.

Campbell Wright, biathlon

The New Zealand-born Wright switched to compete for the U.S. in October 2023, eligible to qualify as the son of Americans and a dual citizen of both countries. Wright has taken the next step in his development as a member of the U.S. squad, going from a junior world champ to a multi-time world championship medalist. The 23-year-old took home silver in both the 10-km sprint and 12.5-km pursuit at the 2025 world championships.

The U.S. had only six world championship medals prior to Wright's podium finishes. If Wright can repeat the feat in either discipline at Milan, he'll be the first American biathlete to medal at the Olympics. Biathlon is the only sport at the Winter Games that the U.S. has failed to medal in.