At the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the top athletes across the globe gather on the world’s stage to bring home the gold for their country. Under so much pressure and scrutiny, a furry sidekick to fill their training and competition days full of love is much needed. 

Get to know the cutest companions who are getting Team USA's animal lovers through some of the most challenging and rewarding moments of their lives.

Entering the Olympics as the two-time reigning national champion and the world number two in mass start, Mia Manganello is turning in career-best performances. She has a new sense of gratitude that has given her the confidence to head into her third Olympics in Milan Cortina.

From Crestview, Florida, Manganello’s parents have roots in Italy and owned an Italian restaurant named after her, making this Olympics quite the homecoming for her. In 2002, the Mangellos closed their restaurant and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah so Mia could chase her dreams of speed skating. In 2018, Mangello helped earn the U.S. their first-ever Olympic medal in the women’s team pursuit. In 2025, Manganello won her first ISU World Cup mass start race in her home Salt Lake City. 

The master of mass start has an adorable blonde dachshund named Linguini, aka Gweeny. Gweeny is about to be 4 years old, weighs 6 pounds and loves to ride in Mia’s backpack while she bikes. Mia has posted their cycling adventures on Instagram, showing Gweeny’s ears take flight in the freeze and sharing a granola bar together on their ride. Gweeny also loves to lay on the porch and watch her mom mow the lawn. 

Mia’s favorite things to do outside of skating is number one (of course) playing with Gweeny, and then doing game nights with friends and drinking margaritas.

25-year-old pro snowboarder Chloe Kim is a two-time Olympic snowboard halfpipe champion who burst onto the Olympic stage at just 17 years old. Kim is the child of South Korean immigrants and was born in California, but grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, where she trained with her father. 

You might recognize her boyfriend Myles Garrett, NFL defensive player on the Cleveland Browns, who was wearing a shirt with Kim’s face on it as he cheered her on at the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park. 

Kim won silver, attempting but falling on back-to-back double cork 1080s during her second run. Choi Gaon of South Korea took the gold in a full circle moment. Gaon was inspired and mentored by Kim, and is now the first Korean female athlete to win an Olympic medal in snow sports. The two shared a tight, emotional embrace after the competition. 

Kim is certainly an animal lover with an array of different pets. First, is her bestie Reese, a mini Australian shepherd that she got in 2016 during a pivotal moment in her life. Reese is Kim’s partner in crime and a whirlwind of energy. The two love to go to the beach together and take road trips. Reese even shared the cover of Sports Illustrated with Kim after she won gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Reese even has her own Instagram account fans can follow.

Kim also has an Arabian chestnut horse named Momo, who she got in 2022. Kim describes Momo as the goofiest and gentlest horse she’s ever met. And as a third somewhat unexpected companion, Kim has a ball python, named Jellybean, who she feels a strong connection with. 

Ilia Malinin, known as the “Quad God,” made history at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics by becoming the first athlete to land a backflip on the ice in decades. The 21-year-old two-time world champion was the first skater to land seven quadruple jumps at the Grand Prix Final in December 2025.

In July 2025, Malinin posted to Instagram a video of his two cats playing with the caption, “I would like to introduce new members into the family. I welcome the Quadcats, Mysti and Miu Miu.”

After helping Team USA secure its second straight gold medal in the figure skating team event, Malinin gave his gold medal to his cat. Malinin posted an adorable photo of Mysti wearing a (fake) gold medal, which NBC Sports posted to X. 

The married ice dancing duo, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, recently took home silver in the ice dance final on Wednesday.

The iconic husband and wife team are very public about their love for their two toy poodles, Henry and Stella, who love to tag along at the skating rink and watch their mom and dad practice. Their family of four is a package deal — a typical day consists of Henry and Stella coming along to skating sessions, pilates, and ballet.

Chock and Bates recently partnered with Nulo Pet, which is a pet food company known for their high quality ingredients. Henry and Stella made an awesome appearance in the commercial alongside their parents.

The second oldest child out of eleven children and originally a track and field athlete in college, Mystique Ro is a force to be reckoned with in skeleton.

Ro, who just made her Olympic debut, finished seventh Sunday in the skeleton mixed team event and finished fifteenth overall Saturday in women’s skeleton. Ro’s mother, Nicole Ro, and community members gathered at The Crab Barn early Friday morning in Long Neck, Delaware to cheer her on. Her mother was emotional and honored to watch her daughter live out her dreams. 

During the pandemic, Ro volunteered at a local shelter in Charlotte by walking dogs and spending time with the dogs and cats. This led her to rescue a beagle mix named Tatanka, aka Tanka Bear, who has his own Instagram account. 

Breezy Johnson claimed the first gold medal of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics for Team USA during the Alpine skiing women's downhill event. Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina is the same course where Johnson crashed in 2022, and Johnson was prepared to re-write history. 

Johnson had to miss the Beijing 2022 Olympics due to her injury, so this 2026 Winter Olympics is very special to her. Not only did she secure a gold medal this time around, but she even scored a ring. Johnson’s boyfriend Connor Watkins proposed on the mountain after her super-G race. The wooden jewelry box was engraved with the Taylor Swift lyrics, “Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?” 

Johnson has a sweet border collie named Shadow. The two have more in common than one would think. Johnson tore her ACL during the 2019 season, and in 2020, Shadow also tore her ACL. Johnson had to rehabilitate Shadow. She also has a cutie orange cat named Nugget. 

Maddie Mastro is known for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the halfpipe. In 2019, she made history by landing the first double crippler 900 in a women’s snowboarding competition at just 18 years old. She recently became one of the first two women to land a double cork 1080. Snowboarding is where Mastro can be innovative, courageous and challenge herself.

Mastro’s pride and joy is her rescue dog, Pippy. Pippy is a cute 10-pound rescue Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix from the streets of LA. Mastro grew up in a house with six rescue dogs and her love for animals has always been a part of her story as she is a huge advocate for animal adoption rights. Mastro adopted Pippy when she was only four months old, and she has the same scrappy, fearless spirit as Mastro. 

Mastro calls Pippy her “soulmate,” the love of her life, and her little sidekick. Mastro starts and ends everyday with Pippy. A crucial part of Mastro’s mental health — Pippy gets her out of bed on her bad days, and it’s therapeutic for Mastro to just throw the ball and play with her. Pippy traveled with Mastro to Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Canada and all over the U.S. for competitions. She also loves to ride in Mastro’s backpack during her mountain bike rides. 

26-year-old Amber Glenn is proudly a part of the iconic Team USA “Blade Angels” trio with Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito. She is the oldest American female figure skater in nearly a century to make her debut at the Olympics.

From Plano, Texas, she first learned to skate at a suburban Dallas mall. Glenn sadly missed the chance to qualify for the 2022 Beijing Olympics after she tested positive for COVID just before the U.S. Championships. Glenn is a fierce competitor who naturally connects with the audience when she performs. She wears her heart on her sleeve when she skates and has one of the most difficult short programs. Glenn is a world leader in both the technical and artistic side of figure skating as she consistently lands triple Axels.

Glenn is a big dog person. You will always find her scrolling through cute dog videos on her feed or watching anime edits. She has a young, excitable Schipperke named Ukkima aka Uki. Uki is her safe space and reminds her that she is not just what she does on the ice.

20-year-old fellow “Blade Angels” member Alysa Liu has two cats who share her obsession with figure skating. Liu just made history in the women's free skate on Thursday, copping the gold medal for Team USA in a dazzling gold dress. The U.S. has not won a medal in women’s individual singles since Sasha Cohen took silver in 2006, and has not earned gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002. Liu beat Japanese rivals Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto. 

Liu’s father, Arthur, first started Liu in skating at 5 years old in their hometown of Oakland, California. Liu retired from figure skating at 16 years old shortly after competing in the 2022 Beijing Olympics and did not return until 2024. She is the ultimate comeback kid who returned on her own terms, taking charge of her training and artistic decisions. 

Liu has a black cat named Sesame, who cheered her on as she dazzled the crowd during her short program on Tuesday. Her friends back home taking care of her cats documented the moment.