Many of the sports and events at the Winter Olympics are a curiosity. What typically breaks through for observers is the individual athletes and the stories they bring to competition. Naturally, the physical feats they achieve and the accomplishments they reach at the world’s highest level of sport is also compelling.
Here are eight of the most intriguing athletes viewers can follow in Milan Cortina once the 2026 Winter Games begin on Feb. 4
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Lindsey Vonn: Alpine Skier, United States
Of all the athletes competing in Milan Cortina, none may draw more curiosity than veteran Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn. And that was before she announced she’d torn her ACL just days before competition is set to begin.
She is the only American woman to win a downhill skiing gold medal in Olympic competition, in addition to earning two bronze medals (Downhill, Super-G).
At the age of 41, Vonn is still planning on participating in her fifth Winter Games after being retired for five years and suffering the ACL injury. She originally opted to step back from competitive skiing due to a variety of injuries, notably her right knee that sustained a torn ACL and a lack of cartilage resulting in bone rubbing against bone.
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However, after undergoing a partial knee replacement, Vonn felt strong enough to return to the slopes. Competing in Cortina, where she’s won 12 World Cup races, also provided motivation. In December, she qualified for the 2026 Winter Games after winning a World Cup race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and is planning on racing in the downhill and Super-G events. She insists she will be in the starting gate for the downhill on Feb. 8. If she does, it will immediately become the story of these Olympic Games.
Mystique Ro: Skeleton, United States
Ro, 31, ran track (hurdles) in college but began competing in skeleton in 2023 after being deemed too slow to complete in bobsled. Last year, she was the first American to medal in the event, winning an individual silver and team gold at the World Championships.
She likened herself to “a human penguin” in attempting to describe her chosen event.
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“Imagine a human penguin,” Ro told Vogue. “And the fastest speed is the best. More speed is always better. But it’s a little counterintuitive because your natural fight or flight instincts kick in and you want to slow down. To succeed, you just have to embrace the chaos, and you have to be very subtle.”
Ester Ledecka: Snowboarding and Alpine Skiing, Czechia
How about winning gold in not just one sport, but two? Ledecka previously won gold medals in the Super-G alpine skiing competition and the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and is aiming to do so again in Cortina.
An Olympic gold medal in the parallel giant slalom would be the third of her career after she also won at the 2022 Beijing Games. That would make her the first snowboarder to ever win gold at three consecutive Olympics.
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Ledecka initially hoped to persuade the International Olympic Committee to reschedule the Alpine downhill competition because it’s on the same day as her snowboarding event — and 150 miles away. But that effort failed and she will attempt to win another gold in the Super-G.
Ilia Malinin: Figure Skater, United States
No athlete in Milan will have a more intriguing nickname than the “Quad God.” Ilia Malinin, 21, earned the moniker with his skill in landing quadruple jumps (and quad-quad combinations). As a result, he has fully embraced the title, sporting it on t-shirts, hoodies and hats.
Malinin was the first and only skater to complete a quadruple axel in international competition, doing so at the 2022 U.S. International Classic. Additionally, he is the only skater to have landed seven quadruple jumps at the 2024 Grand Prix Final.
The son of two Olympic figure skaters will compete in his first Olympics after winning three U.S. championships, two World titles and three Grand Prix Finals. He is viewed as the favorite to win gold.
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Sarah Nurse: Ice Hockey, Canada
By leading Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Games, Nurse became the first Black woman to win Olympic gold in ice hockey. That’s paired with the silver that Canada won in 2018. At the Pyeongchang Games, she scored the game-winning goal for Canada in a 2-1 win over the United States.
The biracial Nurse has been outspoken against racism in sports during her college playing days at Wisconsin, her professional career and in international play.
Nurse, 31, totaled 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) four years ago, setting a scoring record for a single Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament. That beat out teammate Marie-Philip Poulin by one point. (Nurse notched the assist on Poulin’s gold medal-winning goal.) Nurse’s assist total also set an Olympic single tournament record.
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Eileen Gu: Freestyle Skiing, China
Gu, 22, was born in the United States, but competes for China in international competition. She won gold in the big air and halfpipe events at Beijing. Gu also won silver in slopestyle, making her the first to win three freestyle skiing medals during a single Olympic Games.
Last August, Gu suffered an injury from “a very terrible accident” during training in New Zealand that required medical imaging. In a statement, she said the accident was “man-made” and implied that a fan interfered by recording video or taking photos during a training exercise. The specific injury was not revealed, but Gu has had to bow out of competition in the past due to hip and shoulder injuries.
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Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner: Curling, Italy
Never lost! Constantini and Mosaner have never been defeated in international competition. They went 11-0 in Beijing, competing in their first Olympic Games. After a three-year break, the duo slid through undefeated at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.
That record makes Constantini and Mosaner a heavy favorite for gold in Cortina. Additionally, they will be competing in their home country. Mosaner will be a flag bearer for Italy during the Opening Ceremony.
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