The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games will feature the best competitors from across the globe in every sport. 

Here are 26 of the top American Olympic hopefuls to keep a close eye on as they look to lead Team USA to victory in February.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Figure Skating

U.S. champions for six of their 14 years together, husband-and-wife duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates will be the ones to beat at the 2026 Olympic Games. As three-time world champions and Olympic team gold medalists, Chock and Bates have racked up an impressive roster of medals over the course of their long careers, and Milan Cortina will be their fourth Olympics together.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Alpine Skiing

One American Alpine skier earned a medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and his name is Ryan Cochran-Siegle. Expectations for the U.S. men's team aren’t as lofty for Milan Cortina as they were ahead of previous Games, however, Cochran-Siegle represents a glimmer of hope. Beyond possessing the medal and familial pedigrees (his mom Barbara Cochran won an Olympic gold medal in 1972), the 33-year-old has found success on Italian soil. At the Junior World Championships in Roccaraso, he claimed two gold medals. In 2021 and 2025, he reached two World Cup podiums in Val Gardena. Coincidentally, and perhaps most significantly, his only World Cup victory came in Bormio on the Stelvio Slopes, which will host the men’s Alpine skiing competitions at the 2026 Games. In all likelihood, his best shot of winning a medal in Milan Cortina will be in the team combined event with Ben Ritchie. 

Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hockey

Kendall Coyne Schofield has earned a gold and two silver medals in her three Olympic appearances for Team USA. The Minnesota Frost (PWHL) forward is a key veteran leader for the U.S. and helped guide them to a 2025 world title over Canada. She's excited to take the ice in Milan with her 2-year-old son, Drew, cheering her on.

Jessie Diggins, Cross-country skiing

Jessie Diggins is a three-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier of all time. She won gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics in the women's team sprint freestyle event. Diggins is expected to compete for gold in the 10km freestyle and is predicted to be a podium contender in skiathlon at the 2026 Games.

Alex Ferreira, Freeski Halfpipe

One of the most exciting halfpipe skiers in the world, Alex Ferreira has been on the podium at every Winter Olympics he’s competed at so far (2nd in 2018, 3rd in 2022). His combination of technical tricks and huge amplitude propelled him to an undefeated season two years ago, and, while some tough competition has emerged since then, this could be the year Ferreira — and his popular alter ego “Hot Dog Hans” — finally claims that Olympic gold medal.

Emily Fischnaller, Luge

Two-time U.S. Olympian, Emily Fischnaller, made her World Cup debut at just 16 years old. Since then, she has become a mainstay of the American team, earning world championship bronze medals in 2019 and 2025, making her the second American athlete to achieve the feat in luge.

Red Gerard, Snowboard Slopestyle/Big Air

Eight years ago, Red Gerard became the youngest-ever Olympic snowboarding champion. After a pair of narrow podium misses at Beijing 2022 (4th in slopestyle, 5th in big air), he remains Team USA’s top medal hope in men’s slopestyle. Gerard, now 25, enters the season as the two-time reigning X Games champion in the discipline.

Alex Hall, Freeski Slopestyle/Big Air

The U.S. again looks set to have a strong team of freeskiers in men’s slopestyle and big air, and Alex Hall is a big part of that. The 27-year-old has proven himself to be a versatile skier capable of landing both big spins and innovative maneuvers. Heading into his third Olympics, Hall already has one gold medal (slopestyle in 2022) and will look to add more hardware to an extensive collection that also includes 12 X Games medals and two Crystal Globes.

Kaillie Humphries, Bobsled

Kaillie Humphries is one of the most decorated woman bobsledders in the sport's history. In 2019, she chose to compete for the United States, after winning two Olympic gold medals and bring home a bronze in three consecutive Olympics for Canada. Upon becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021, she again won Olympic gold — in the women's monobob event in Beijing. After giving birth to her son, Aulden, in 2024, Humphries now is in pursuit of more hardware at her fifth Olympic Games in Milan Cortina.

Erin Jackson, Speed Skating

Erin Jackson made history in Beijing, becoming the first Black American woman to win a medal in speed skating and the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympic gold. Now, she's eyeing her third Olympic appearance less than a decade after she first stepped onto the oval.

Jaelin Kauf, Moguls

Four years after securing silver in Beijing, Jaelin Kauf is set for her third Olympic appearance. She’s coming off the best season of her moguls career, having won the World Cup overall title and world championships gold for the first time ever, but will be challenged by Australia’s reigning Olympic champion, Jakara Anthony, who missed most of last season due to injury. Kauf will have two medal opportunities in Livigno — in addition to moguls, she’s also set to compete in the new dual moguls event.

Chloe Kim, Snowboard Halfpipe

For the third consecutive Winter Olympics, Chloe Kim enters the season as the heavy favorite for gold in women’s snowboard halfpipe. Despite taking time away from the sport, she’s continued to push its progression, becoming the first woman to land a 1260 in a halfpipe run and joining teammate Maddie Mastro in becoming the first women to land double cork 1080s. No snowboarder ever has successfully three-peated as Olympic champion — Kim has a chance to be the first (as do Ester Ledecka and Anna Gasser).

Hilary Knight, Hockey

Four-time Olympian, Hilary Knight, has earned an Olympic gold and three silver medals over the course of nearly a two-decade career with Team USA. The PWHL star has announced plans to retire from Olympic competition after the 2026 Games and said she hopes to go out on a "high note" with another Olympic gold. The team captain reigns supreme in all-time goals, points and assists at the IIHF Women’s World Championships.

Alysa Liu, Figure Skating

Alysa Liu, two-time U.S. national champion and 2025 world champion, is best known for her impressive comeback after shocking fans with an early retirement at age 16 following the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Two years later, she rediscovered her love for the sport, returning on her own terms, and without expectations for the impressive results she had commanded in her early teens as the first U.S. woman to land a quad. Despite this, she skated two impressive programs to win the world title, the first American woman to achieve the feat since 2006.

Ilia Malinin, Figure Skating

Undefeated for over two years, Ilia Malinin is a two-time world champion, two-time Grand Prix Final champion and three-time U.S. national champion. He is the first — and only — figure skater to land a quadruple Axel, and at just 20 years old, he largely is the favorite for Olympic gold at the Milan Cortina Games.

Auston Matthews, Hockey

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is expected to be a key leader for Team USA at his first Olympic Games in Milan. The NHL All-Star is one of the most dominant scorers in the league and has been named Rookie of the Year, MVP, Most Outstanding Player, as well as top goal scorer three times. Matthews earned silver with Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

Elana Meyers Taylor, Bobsled

Elana Meyers Taylor is an American bobsledder and the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history. Since joining the U.S. national team in 2007, she has earned five Olympic medals — three silver and two bronze — across four Games. A powerful pilot known for her explosive starts and determination, Meyers Taylor has been a driving force in elevating women’s bobsled and advocating for greater opportunities in the sport.

Mystique Ro, Skeleton

Mystique Ro, is a U.S. skeleton athlete and the first American athlete to win a skeleton race on the World Cup circuit in eight years. A former track and field athlete, Ro was recruited to skeleton when she was deemed too small for bobsled. She since has gone on to become the first American to win a world championship medal, earning silver in 2025, and the gold-medal winner at the inaugural mixed team event with Austin Florian.

Kristen Santos-Griswold, Short Track

Kristen Santos-Griswold raced to the top of the short track field in the years following the Beijing Games, earning nine medals during last year's six World Tour events en route to collecting her first Crystal Globe. Then 30 years old, Santos-Griswold became just the third American to earn the honor.

Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing

Name an Alpine skiing record and there's a solid chance Mikaela Shiffrin holds it. World Cup victories? Check (she’s got 101 of them). World championship medals? Yup (8). Crystal Globes? You bet (16). A mark she has not yet broken, but likely will have the chance to at Milan Cortina, is the record for most Olympic gold medals in American Alpine history. 

Corinne Stoddard, Short Track

Eyeing a second Olympic bid, last year's World No. 3, Corinne Stoddard, began her latest season with four wins at national championships, a national record, and five medals (1 silver, 4 bronze) through the first two World Tour events. 

Jordan Stolz, Speed Skating

As the world's fastest skater and a former world champion in three distances, Jordan Stolz holds countless records, World Cup victories, and world titles. The only thing left on the 21-year-old phenom's list is an Olympic medal. In 2026, Stolz could become the first Olympian since Canada's Cindy Klassen in 2006 (and the first American since Eric Heiden in 1980) to win multiple speed skating medals at a single Winter Games.

Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, Curling

Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, aka Team Cory and Korey, formed their on-sheet partnership in 2022, and it didn’t take long for them to find success. The American curlers won the 2023 U.S. Mixed Doubles Championships and followed up the victory with an even more impressive one, taking gold at the 2023 Mixed Double World Championships. The duo hasn’t looked back since and became two of the first Americans in any sport to qualify for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Matthew Tkachuk, Hockey

Matthew Tkachuk will be participating in his first Olympic Games after winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the Florida Panthers in 2024 and 2025. He'll be competing alongside his brother and NHL star, Brady Tkachuk, for Team USA in Milan. Matthew and Brady's father, Keith Tkachuk, is an NHL Hall of Famer who also was a four-time Olympian.

Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skiing

At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Lindsey Vonn became the first (and only) American woman to win a gold medal in the Alpine skiing downhill event. 15 World Cup Crystal Globes, four world championship medals, one retirement and one unretirement later, the all-time great is poised to add more hardware to her already vast collection.

Campbell Wright, Biathlon

Campbell Wright is a 23-year-old dual citizen who joined Team USA two years ago after competing for New Zealand at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Now, Wright is set to represent the U.S. at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. The U.S. never has earned an Olympic medal in biathlon and Wright could be the team’s best shot at changing that.