One of the most beautiful parts about the Olympics is seeing the all of the athletes and personalities who ascend into stardom. Some were expected to be big hits before the Games begin. Others are complete surprises, which always make for great stories.

We compiled a list that includes both — people from all over the place, with different backgrounds and unique paths to the world's biggest stage. Here are the biggest breakout stars from 2026 Milan Cortina...

Not many athletes had a better Games than Breezy Johnson. The 30-year-old skier won Team USA's first gold medal in Alpine skiing on Feb. 8 and then topped it by getting engaged after a run four days later.

Johnson did not win a medal in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and was injured for the 2022 Beijing Games. In her return to the world stage, she became only the second American woman to win the downhill event (behind Lindsey Vonn in 2010).

She'll leave Italy with some serious hardware — both personally and professionally.

The two now share more than just a first name as they head home with matching silver medals. Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin became the first U.S. curling team to win a mixed doubles medal during a thrilling tournament that won the hearts of America early in the Milan Cortina Games.

In the process, Thiesse also became the first U.S. woman to ever win a curling medal of any kind..

And after the mixed doubles tournament, Thiesse went on to make more curling history. She helped lead the U.S. women's team to the semifinal round for the first time since 2002 and set a record by playing the most ends ever in any single Olympic tournament (193).

It's hard to find a bigger star from the first week of the Milan Cortina Games. Competing in his first Olympics, Franjo von Allmen won all three of his races in a five-day span. The 24-year-old Alpine skier took gold in the men's downhill on Feb. 7, the men's team combined on Feb. 9 and then the men's super-G on Feb. 11.

His gold in the downhill event was the first gold handed out at Milan Cortina. He also became the first men's skier to win three gold medals in a single Winter Olympics since 1968.

Sturla Holm Laegreid is in a category of his own. The Norwegian biathlete entered Milan Cortina as an established top performer with a gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Games and multiple world championships to his name. He took that performance to the next level this year and leaves Italy as one of the most decorated athletes with five medals (three silver, two bronze).

But it was what he did off the snow that made him a true "breakout," though the term "star" may not apply. After winning bronze in his first biathlon event of the 2026 Games on Feb. 10, Laegreid was interviewed after the race and delivered a shocking confession that made him an instant viral sensation. He admitted to feeling caught up in bittersweet emotions because he cheated on his girlfriend.

The Prevc parents can say something no other human on the planet can say: They've raised four separate Winter Olympic medalists. After older brothers Cene and Peter took home medals at 2022 Beijing, the Prevc family became the first to have four siblings earn a Winter Olympics medal when younger siblings Nika and Domen climbed the podium at Milan Cortina.

Nika and Domen won gold in the mixed team ski jumping event and Domen won another gold in the men's large hill individual. Nika took home silver in the women's normal hill individual and bronze in the women's large hill individual.

Chloe Kim was heralded as one of the biggest stars entering Milan Cortina, aiming to set Olympic history by winning the women's snowboarding halfpipe for the third straight Winter Games. Instead, it was 17-year-old Goan Choi — in many way's Kim's protégé — who unseated Kim for gold in the halfpipe final.

Choi entered the Winter Games riding a wave of three straight World Cup victories, but she earned mainstream recognition with the gold medal win.

Jutta Leerdam entered Italy as an established speed skater, with a silver medal at the 2022 Games. She is also engaged to American boxer/social media personality Jake Paul.

But the 27-year-old exploded to a whole new level this winter. First, she sped to an Olympic record en route to a gold in the women's 1000m event on Feb. 9 and gained over a million followers in one day afterwards. In her second and final event of the 2026 Olympics, Leerdam finished with silver behind Netherlands teammate Femke Kok.

Entering 2026, the Netherlands had never won a gold medal in short track. Jens van 't Wout, one of the flagbearers for the Netherlands in the Opening Ceremony, set out to change that. He ended up flying past that goal.

The 24-year-old won four medals — including three golds — at Milan Cortina, pacing the field in the men's 1000m, men's 1500m and men's 5000m relay.

Van 't Wout competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics but never finished higher than 4th in any event.

Laila Edwards made history as the first Black woman to play on the U.S. women's hockey team and was a central force in USA's gold medal win. Edwards finished the women's tournament with a +8 plus/minus and had 2 goals and 6 assists.

The 22-year-old also drew a lot of attention off the ice, as she shares a hometown and a bond with the Kelce brothers (Jason and Travis).

Macklin Celebrini has firmly put himself on the map as a global hockey star. Already the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL in 2024, the 19-year-old center has been one of the best players in the men's tournament, helping to lift Canada to the gold medal game against the U.S.

Celebrini entered the gold medal game with 10 points — 5 goals and 5 assists — and was tied for the best plus/minus among all men's hockey players (+7).

Alysa Liu has been well known in figuring skating circles for years, but now she is a household name around the world. The 20-year-old put on an epic performance to become the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. In the process, she endeared herself to the world with her laid-back attitude and relatable reaction after her gold medal performance.

Liu is actually leaving Italy with two gold medals, as she helped the U.S. figure skating squad win the team event.

OK, so full disclosure: Cowan isn't a breakout athlete at the Olympics, as he is not competing. But there may not be any Olympian who exploded on the worldwide scale more than Cowan, whose figure skating videography made him an overnight star. 

How could we possibly have a "breakout stars of the Games" article without mentioning our guy, Nazgul? The Czechoslovakian wolfdog busted out of his kennel and had himself a little adventure — even crossing the finish line on the cross-country course.

Nazgul became a viral hit — so much so that Google even incorporated him into their search page. On Sunday, the day of the Closing Ceremony, anybody who Googled something Olympics-related saw a little Nazgul icon skitter across the bottom of their page.