Author: rb809rb

MILAN — On June 24, 2019, the International Olympic Committee voted to award Italy the right to host the 2026 Winter Games.

Nearly 2,500 days later, the Italians are still frantically racing to complete the arena that will host the most anticipated Olympic ice hockey competition in over a decade.

Advertisement

Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena remained an active construction site on Wednesday, just 24 hours before the venue is scheduled to open its doors to the public for a women’s hockey game between France and Italy. At the same time as the French men’s team practiced on the ice, construction crews and arena workers scrambled to finish 11th-hour projects on the concourse or to remove dust and debris created by recently finished ones.

Men in orange construction vests were busy building a merchandise stand in one section of the concourse. Arena staffers in dark blue Milano Cortina 2026 jackets scrubbed layers of dust off stanchions that will soon be used to direct the flow of crowds. Elsewhere, workers scraped and spackled walls, stocked concession stands and set up portable tables and signage. The beeping of forklifts and the smell of fresh paint constantly assaulted the senses.

Even areas of the arena that are ready for the public had the feeling that they were completed only days ago. Manufacturing labels adorned every sink in one bathroom. Messages scribbled on post-it notes or painters tape hung from doors. Large wires poked out of walls, shoes left footprints in construction dust and paint splatter was visible on walls and floors.

Advertisement

Thankfully, the seating bowl as a whole and the playing surface in particular appear to be in far better shape. That’s why Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi felt comfortable reassuring reporters earlier this week that he’s “absolutely certain” the venue will be ready in time.

“One thing we’ve been clear about for a number of days is you’ll have a number of areas where you’ll be very impressed,” Dubi said. “When you walk into the venue, the seating bowl is dramatic. It’s black. Ice is ice.

“Now, do we have every single space in that venue finished? No. And is it absolutely needed for the games? No. So no one’s experience will be tainted by anything that needs to be painted or carpeted after the games. Let’s be very clear. Anything that is public facing … is absolute top.”

The only people apparently unconcerned about the unfinished state of Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena are the hockey stars who will be competing there. Reporters have peppered NHL players with questions about whether they’re concerned the arena won’t be ready. The vast majority have said they’re just happy to have the chance to partake in a Winter Olympics after the NHL opted not to interrupt its schedule to allow players to participate in Beijing (2022) or PyeongChang (2018). 

Advertisement

Last week, American winger Brady Tkachuk insisted that he “could really care less about” the arena controversy. The mindset of U.S. players, according to Tkachuk, is not to waste time worrying about anything outside their control.

“All that stuff always works itself out,” Tkachuk said. “Whether ice is good ice or not good ice, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the opportunity to be playing in the Olympics and going out there and competing to win the gold medal.”

To Olympic organizers, the evolution of Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena is more minor miracle than cause for concern. It was less than two months ago that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly threatened to pull out of the Olympics amid construction delays and concerns whether the ice surface would be playable.

Advertisement

“If the players believe that the ice isn’t safe, then we’re not going to play,” Daly told reporters. “It’s as simple as that.”

Construction of the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena was supposed to begin in 2022, but a lawsuit filed by an order of Roman-Catholic nuns delayed the project by roughly a year. The nuns unsuccessfully argued that construction would encroach on their property and violate noise ordinances.

The problems continued even after shovels hit dirt. The ice surface at the arena is a little more than three feet shorter than those in NHL buildings, leaving players less space to maneuver. The agreement between the NHL, NHL Players’ Association, IOC and International Ice Hockey Federation called for the ice surface to be built to NHL standards.

The crews constructing the arena also moved painfully slowly despite promises from the IOC that it would be ready in plenty of time. Whereas organizers of previous Winter Olympics held test matches at their hockey arenas at least a year ahead of time, those didn’t happen in Milan until less than a month ago. The test matches revealed a venue still under construction and nowhere near Olympic-ready.

Advertisement

The upper two levels of the venue were covered in sheets of plastic and off limits to spectators. Plans for concession stands on the arena concourse had been scrapped. Many locker rooms were nowhere close to being finished. Neither was the adjacent practice rink.

If there was a silver lining, it was that the ice quality exceeded expectations despite multiple large gaps in the exterior walls of the venue that made it difficult to regulate conditions inside. Florian Wieser, a second-division Italian league player who participated in the test event, was one of many “surprised how good [the ice] was” despite a small hole in the playing surface during one game that required a watering can to fix.

“Was the ice perfect?” Wieser wrote on social media. “No, it was on the softer side and the small hole was of course a bad look. But we expected much worse and the ice didn’t affect the game negatively.

Advertisement

“The ice quality will improve drastically when people are skating on it and when the ventilation starts to work.”

The rest of the building remains a work in progress just one day before hockey will be played and just two days before the Opening Ceremony. There will be construction dust and paint splatter, but there will also be hockey.

“Hats off because it started really late,” Dubi said. “What they’ve pulled off in just a few months is really, really outstanding.”

It’s been a year of comeuppance for key members of the New England Patriots’ dynasty. Team owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick were both reportedly snubbed by Hall of Fame voters, and legendary quarterback Tom Brady fears he could be next.

Brady cast doubt on his first-year Hall of Fame chances Tuesday, saying he should “be a little concerned” about missing the cut once he gets his name on the ballot.

Advertisement

Brady made those comments during an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Tuesday. Brady was asked about both Belichick’s and Kraft’s reported snubs, and took issue with both men missing out on the Hall of Fame in their first years of eligibility.

Near the end of his response about Kraft, Brady added, “Maybe it’s not trending so well for ex-Patriots. Maybe I should be a little concerned here.”

That comment drew laughs from Cowherd, but there could be some truth to it. Based on his numbers, Brady is a no-doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer. His trophy case is full. Brady has seven Super Bowl rings, made 15 Pro Bowls, is a three-time All-Pro selection and a three-time league MVP. He holds the all-time NFL records for starts, completions, attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns and first downs. He’s widely considered one of the best — if not the best — quarterback of all time.

Surely, all of that is enough to get Brady into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot, right?

Advertisement

Well, that’s exactly how it looked for both Belichick and Kraft. Both men have resumes that suggest they should have waltzed into the Hall during their first years of eligibility. But that didn’t happen. In Belichick’s case, the coach may have been penalized for his involvement in both Deflategate and Spygate. Kraft may have been similarly punished for both scandals happening while he was the team’s owner.

If Hall of Fame voters follow suit, Brady could actually find himself in trouble when he’s eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028. While Brady may not have played a big role in Spygate, he was a central figure in Deflategate, in which he was accused of intentionally deflating footballs to make them easier to grip and throw. Brady was eventually suspended by the NFL for four games for his role in the scandal. If those scandals were truly the reason Belichick and Kraft were snubbed, Brady should be worried about getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Advertisement

But, as Brady said when discussing Kraft and Belichick, there’s little doubt both men will get into the Hall eventually. Given all they’ve accomplished in the sport, it seems extremely likely Belichick and Kraft will cruise into the Hall of Fame the next time they are eligible.

If Brady does get snubbed during his first year of eligibility, it’s essentially guaranteed he’ll follow that same path. A Pro Football Hall of Fame without Brady doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

The New York Jets have reportedly hired former Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich as their next offensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday.

Reich joins the team after spending the 2025 season as an interim head coach with Stanford. The team eventually brought on Tavita Pritchard to be the full-time option, and Reich was expected to serve as an adviser moving forward. That will no longer be the case now that Reich took the Jets’ job.

Advertisement

Prior to coaching at Stanford, Reich was a head coach in the NFL. He has six years of experience in the role, five of which came with the Colts. Indianapolis went 40-33-1 under Reich, making the playoffs twice.

After being fired by the team during the 2022 season, Reich joined the Panthers in 2023. His time with the franchise was short, as he was fired just 11 games into the 2023 season. The Panthers were 1-10 when Reich was fired.

Reich will now be tasked with leading the Jets offense forward after a tumultuous campaign — and no answer at quarterback in sight amid the struggles from 2025 free-agent signing Justin Fields.

After an abysmal 3-14 season that landed the organization the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, New York decided to retain head coach Aaron Glenn, though there were plenty of shakeups elsewhere on staff.

Advertisement

Those shakeups started with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who was fired one day after the team’s 48-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15. The defense ranked 31st in points allowed per game in Wilks’ lone season as DC. The defense finished the year by making unfortunate history, becoming the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without forcing a single interception.

In late January, reports indicated the team would also be parting ways with quarterbacks coach Charles London, pass-game coordinator Scott Turner, defensive assistants Roosevelt Williams and Alonso Escalante, defensive line coach Eric Washington and linebackers coach Aaron Curry.

[Get more Jets news: New York team feed]

Days later, it was announced the team would also be parting ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Engstrand was with the Jets for just one season, having joined the staff after five seasons with the Detroit Lions, most recently as their passing game coordinator. The Jets ranked 29th in offensive yards and 29th in points in 2025.

Advertisement

Reich will have his hands full as the organization continues on the road toward a full rebuild. In addition to the No. 2 overall pick, the Jets hold the 16th overall pick, which originally belonged to the Indianapolis Colts. That pick was acquired when New York traded All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner; the Jets also hold the rights to Indy’s 2027 first-round pick.

That will provide the organization with some solid draft capital with which to rebuild. But time will tell if that (and the $80-plus million in projected cap space) will be enough to fill the roster with enough talent to stay afloat in a competitive AFC East.

The 2026 NFL Draft is approaching and fantasy football managers in dynasty formats are likely looking ahead to their first-year player draft. One prospect who enters with intrigue is Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston, who is projected to be among the top five wideouts taken in the draft. Matt Harmon and Nate Tice discussed Boston’s outlook at the next level and brought up a pretty lofty comparison on the latest episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.

While Boston doesn’t profile as a complete receiver at this point, he can do one thing: get North. The Huskies WR excels at getting downfield and winning vertically, though his ability to make plays after the catch leaves plenty to be desired, according to Tice.

Advertisement

Tice likes Boston’s ability to beat zone coverage, his catch range is good and he’s consistent. He had almost identical seasons in 2024 and 2025, catching 63 passes for 834 yards and nine TDs in 2024, and following that up with 62-881-11 this past season. Boston also returned punts for the Huskies and even scored a TD on a punt return in 2025, impressive for a player who stands 6-foot-4, 209 pounds.

Boston going to the Rams is what Tice is hoping for because, well, wouldn’t that be a lot of fun? A big vertical receiver joining Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and (hopefully) Matthew Stafford in Sean McVay’s offense. It might create the world’s biggest receiver trio.

Harmon gets into comps and has a take he wants to uncork. He almost never compares players to this “one-of-one unicorn” but Harmon sees some of Bucs’ future Hall of Famer Mike Evans in the young receiver. When Boston runs routes, Harmon sees Evans. So, of course Tice chimes in with the fantastic line: “Diet Coke Mike Evans is great.”

Advertisement

Harmon doesn’t think Boston will go on to have that type of career and post 1,000 yards each season. But a lite version of Evans, given their physical comparisons and route running, isn’t wild to think. Being the Diet Coke version of a HOFer isn’t half bad.

Lost in the shuffle of all the major trades that went down Tuesday, with James Harden moving to Cleveland, Jaren Jackson Jr. ending up in Utah, and Jaden Ivey going to Chicago, the Bulls made another trade that saw a former All-Star center change addresses.

Nikola Vučević is now a Boston Celtic, as the organization took on Vučević and a second-round selection for Anfernee Simons and a second-round selection.

Advertisement

(Confused about the second-round swap? We’ll get to it.)

Let’s get into some trade grades.

Chicago Bulls: B

The Bulls did Boston a solid by easing its tax burden, taking on over $6 million in salary in the swap.

You’d think lowering Boston’s tax bill would be worth a second-rounder outright, but apparently not in this economy.

That said, the Bulls did move up, and significantly so.

The Celtics relinquished a second, courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans, which is currently slotted to land at No. 32, and the Celtics walk away with a 2027 second via Denver, which is expected to be low.

It’s unclear if Simons will play a role in Chicago moving forward. His expiring contract, worth $27.6 million, is a number he’s highly unlikely to receive again in free agency, meaning the Bulls could possibly get him back at a decent price.

Advertisement

For the rest of this season, Simons does work within Chicago’s fast-paced offense in which it shoots a lot of 3-pointers and has a keen focus on offensive volume.

Will he get minutes alongside the recently acquired Ivey? Time will tell, but the Bulls currently have one of the deepest backcourts in the league from an offensive perspective.

Boston Celtics: B+

Look, this team needed a center, especially one who can stretch the floor. Vučević can do that. He’s hit 39.1% of those shots over his last 121 games and is getting them up at a decent volume (4.5 per), which fits well with how Boston plays.

Advertisement

Vučević also provides the team with strong rebounding (10.4 for his career) and can string together nice passing patterns.

He’ll give the Celtics an interior offensive boost they’ve lacked for a while, all while the organization saves money on its tax bill.

Yes, the Celtics did give up a high second in what could be an absolutely loaded draft, but if that means solving an issue and getting a more streamlined cap sheet, so be it. That should be worth it at the end of the day.

The coaching carousel has been as active as ever this offseason, with over half of 2025’s play-callers being replaced for next season. Of the 17 spots to fill, 15 of the play-calling roles are set, with a unique group of three (two of whom are former NFL quarterbacks!) who have never called plays in the NFL before. Fantasy football analyst Joel Smyth breaks down what we should expect from the offenses built by the first-time play-callers.

Sean Mannion – Philadelphia Eagles

In early 2024, Sean Mannion was still on an NFL practice squad as a veteran quarterback. Two years later, and he’s the offensive coordinator and play-caller for one of the most talented offenses in the league. The former QB and third-round pick in 2015 spent his career as a backup in the league, including two years with Sean McVay in Los Angeles and is looking to make his mark in the NFL as a coach following his playing career. Mannion spent his last two seasons in Green Bay working as an offensive assistant before becoming the Packers’ quarterback coach in 2025. He helped develop Jordan Love and, perhaps more impressively, Malik Willis this season, who surprised with his play at the end of the year.

Advertisement

Matt LaFleur has not had many direct disciples go on to become play-callers, but he is part of the vast coaching tree of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Nathaniel Hackett went from LaFleur’s offensive coordinator to the Broncos head coach, leading Denver to only outscore two offenses in 2022. In the last three seasons without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers identity has been built on running the ball while being creative in the passing game. The biggest difference in Mannion’s offense compared to the Eagles’ 2025 play-caller, Kevin Patulla, could be the high rate of motion.

The Packers offense, as well as the whole Shanahan/McVay tree, uses plenty of motion, while the Eagles ranked 28th in 2025, a stark difference compared to their 2024 season. Kellen Moore moved on after that one brilliant season in Philadelphia to become the Saints’ head coach and play-caller. As the Eagles fell to the bottom in motion, the Saints ranked fifth.

Although it’s nowhere near a guarantee, the potential Mannion provides to the Eagles is high. Saquon Barkley can stay in a high-volume offense, while Jalen Hurts can receive easier opportunities in a more creative attack. The biggest benefactor may be A.J. Brown after his stagnant role in 2025. The Eagles used Brown on the outside at an extreme rate, making his role more difficult in a low-motion offense.

Advertisement

Declan Doyle – Baltimore Ravens

At 29 years old, Declan Doyle is easily the youngest play-caller in the NFL. However, unlike the other two first-timers on this list, Doyle did serve as an offensive coordinator last season when he joined Ben Johnson’s regime in Chicago.

If Doyle is able to recreate Ben Johnson’s success in the slightest, it will become a great move for Baltimore.

Johnson’s and Doyle’s offense was known for its play-action passing. Caleb Williams made great progress in Year 2 in a largely unfamiliar offense that included 34% of its passing attempts coming via play action, second only to Sean McVay’s Rams. So the question becomes: how is Lamar Jackson in the play-action game?

Advertisement

In his marvelous QB1 overall season in 2024, Jackson averaged the highest fantasy points per snap on play-action passes. However, in a struggling 2025 season … still No. 1. Seventeenth in fantasy points per game, but the best in play action passing.

The Ravens’ personnel and overall tendencies were largely similar to Chicago’s in 2025. Doyle, especially as a coach who’s the same age as his QB, has a low floor like most first-time play-callers, but his path to Baltimore has been what you want to see in a new hire.

David Blough – Washington Commanders

The true wildcard of the play-caller carousel is David Blough. Another former quarterback — who was coaching quarterbacks for only two seasons — but this time, he’s an internal hire. Kliff Kingsbury is out in Washington, and with him, one of the more unique offenses to grace the NFL. His one-of-one offense would place star WRs solely on one side of the field, run no-huddle two times as often as any other team and have nearly no plays under center. Although it’s often mirrored in college, I’d be surprised to see Blough try to recreate the Kingsbury way.

Advertisement

The Commanders offense had its weaknesses, but it provided plenty of fantasy production with a healthy Jayden Daniels in 2024. The risk is similar to that of Philadelphia, but this time, with less to model after and more to create from scratch. It will be an extremely difficult task for a young coach with a young quarterback.

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has received a temporary restraining order to potentially allow him to play for the Volunteers in 2026.

Aguilar filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Knox County (Tennessee) Chancery Court on Monday to try to play next season even though he’s officially out of eligibility. On Wednesday, Aguilar got a TRO in his favor ahead of an injunction hearing Friday.

Advertisement

If Aguilar gets the injunction, he’s likely to be on Tennessee’s roster in 2026. If he doesn’t, his chances of getting that extra season of eligibility are a lot lower.

“This outcome — after the plaintiff withdrew from a federal lawsuit and separately filed a lawsuit in state court with the exact same facts — illustrates the impossible situation created by differing court decisions that serve to undermine rules agreed to by the same NCAA members who later challenge them in court,” the NCAA said in a statement after the TRO was granted. “We will continue to defend the NCAA’s eligibility rules against repeated attempts to rob high school students of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create. The NCA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for all college athletes.”

[Get more Vols football news: Tennessee team feed]

The former Appalachian State quarterback officially began his college football career in 2019. He redshirted at a community college in 2019 before his school’s 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He then played two seasons at a different junior college before he transferred to App State ahead of the 2023 season.

After two seasons with the Mountaineers, he transferred to UCLA for the 2025 season. However, he left the Bruins after just a couple months when former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. Aguilar ended up at Tennessee in what was essentially the first trade in modern college football history.

Advertisement

Aguilar has cited Diego Pavia as an example in his lawsuit. The former Vanderbilt QB played his final season of college football in 2025 after he successfully argued that his junior college time shouldn’t count against his NCAA eligibility. However, Pavia’s college career began in 2020, a year after Aguilar’s did.

Like Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, Aguilar filed his lawsuit against the NCAA in state court — ostensibly in an attempt to get a more favorable permanent ruling. Chambliss, who transferred to Ole Miss from Division II Ferris State, is seeking a sixth season of eligibility to play for the Rebels in 2026 after leading Ole Miss to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff in 2025.

Advertisement

Neither Tennessee nor Ole Miss has a solid backup plan at quarterback if the legal maneuvering falls short, either. The chances of each team contending in the SEC hinge largely on their starting quarterbacks returning for the 2026 season given that neither the Vols nor Rebels added an experienced quarterback in the transfer portal.

American Winter Olympics fans will have plenty of hopefuls to root for who will contend for medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. The United States features athletes capable of standing on the podium for a number of events, including figure skating, ice hockey, snowboarding, speed skating and Alpine skiing.

Whether the U.S. can improve on its third-place in the medal count from the Beijing Games has yet to be seen. But here are 12 competitors who are among America’s best candidates to return from Italy with a medal for their trophy case.

Advertisement

Chloe Kim, snowboarding

Kim, 25, won gold in the halfpipe competition at both the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and 2022 Beijing Olympics. She is expected to follow up with a third gold in Milan Cortina, something no Olympic snowboarder has ever accomplished. Last year, Kim became the first woman to ever land a double-cork 1080 — two forward flips while spinning 360 degrees — in competition. However, a recent shoulder injury suffered during training could make her pursuit more difficult.

Ilia Malinin, figure skating

The “Quad God” brings his quadruple-jumping prowess to his first Olympics after winning four U.S. championships, two World titles and three Grand Prix Finals. At 21, Malinin is the first and only skater to complete a quadruple axel in international competition. And he is the only athlete to land seven quadruple jumps, doing so at the 2024 Grand Prix Final. That makes him the clear favorite for a gold medal.

Advertisement

Alex Hall, freestyle skiing (slopestyle)

Hall, 27, is pursuing his second consecutive Olympic gold medal. Competing in Milan-Cortina will be sort of a homecoming for the freestyle skier, whose mother is from Bologna, Italy. Hall has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Italy because of that. A gold medal win for Hall would give the U.S. top honors in the slopestyle event for the third time in the past four Winter Olympics. (Sage Kotsenburg won gold at the 2014 Sochi Games.)

Jordan Stolz, speed skating

After dominating the world in the 1000- and 1500-meters last season (plus three World Cup wins in the 500), Stolz, 21, goes into the 2026 Winter Games as a favorite to medal in his second Olympics. No American man has earned a medal in the 500m event since 2006 or the 1000 since 2010. And if Stolz wins in more than one of those three races, he’ll be the first American since Eric Heiden in 1980 to seize multiple medals in speed skating.

Advertisement

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, ice dancing

The husband-and-wife team will compete in their fourth Winter Games together in Milan Cortina and an ice dance Olympic medal is really the only prize the ice-dancing duo haven’t won. Chock and Bates have won the past five U.S. championships — and seven overall, surpassing Meryl Davis and Charlie White for the most — while also earning the last two Grand Prix Finals and three World championships.

Jessie Diggins, cross-country skiing

Diggins. 34, will attempt to medal for the third consecutive Winter Games after winning bronze and silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, in addition to earning a team sprint gold at Pyeongchang in 2018. Her individual medals were the first won by an American woman in cross-country skiing. Diggins is considered a contender for gold in the 10km freestyle event and could also medal in the skiathlon, which also combines traditional cross-country skiing and freestyle techniques.

Lindsey Vonn, Alpine skiing

Vonn, 41 is still planning on competing in her fifth Winter Olympics after coming out of retirement and suffering a torn ACL just days before competition is to begin. She remains the only American woman to win a downhill skiing gold medal in Olympic competition, in addition to two bronze medals. She has also won 12 World Cup races in Cortina. That success, along with a partial knee replacement, was a contributing factor to her returning after a five-year hiatus. But the torn ACL is certainly not ideal. Vonn says her plan is to still compete in the downhill and Super-G events. Before, her chance at a medal were on solid ground, but is she still after suffering the torn ACL? Not even she knows yet.

Advertisement

Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing

Shiffrin is the winningest Alpine skier in history — man or woman — with 108 World Cup victories. But her success in the Olympics has been muted by her lofty standards (2 golds, 1 silver). Four years ago at the Beijing Games, Shiffrin failed to medal. Now, in her fourth Games, she will have three tries to redeem herself, including the slalom, her speciality. She has seven World Cup slalom victories this season alone. To say it’s gold or bust for her might be a bit much, but she will arrive as the overwhelming favorite.

Alysa Liu, figure skating

As part of one of the strongest figure skating contingents the U.S. has sent to an Olympics, Liu is making a comeback after retiring at 16 years old following the Beijing Games. Following a two-year hiatus, she found her love for skating again. Liu, 20, showed she could still compete at the sport’s highest levels by winning the 2025 World championship, the first American woman to do so since 2006. In 2019, she was the first American woman to land a quadruple jump at the 2019 Grand Prix.

Kallie Humphries, bobsled

Humphries, 40, is pursuing gold in her second consecutive Olympics for the U.S. Prior to winning the women’s monobob event in Beijing, Humphries had medaled in two-woman bobsled in three Winter Games (gold in Vancouver and Sochi, bronze in Pyeongchang) for Canada. Those accomplishments make her the first athlete to win gold medals for both Canada and the U.S., where she became a citizen in 2021.

Advertisement

Erin Jackson, speed skating

Jackson, 33, won gold in the 500-meter event in Beijing. That made her the first Black American woman to win a medal in speed skating and the first to win an individual medal at a Winter Olympics. Making her accomplishments even more impressive is that she didn’t participate in speed skating until 2016, previously competing in figure skating, inline skating and roller derby. The Milan Cortina Games will be her third Olympics as she attempts to win gold in the 500m competition again.

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

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

A legend coming out of retirement, a legend in her prime trying to erase bitter memories from four years ago and a future legend’s health in doubt — these are just some of the storylines heading into the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

What’s that you ask — Milan Cortina? Yes, these Games will be held in multiple sites, with the city of Milan hosting some of the arena events — hockey, figure skating and speed skating — while Cortina (some five hours northeast) is where women’s skiing, as well as the nordic, sliding and curling events will be held. There’s also Bormio for men’s skiing and Livigno for freestyle skiing and snowboarding where …

The U.S. hopes Chloe Kim will be healthy …

She won gold in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe in 2018 … as a 17-year-old, then again in 2022 and now, at the elderly age of 25, Kim is expected to be one of the biggest stars on the U.S. team, going for a third-straight top-of-the-podium finish. But after separating her shoulder during a training run in early January, Kim’s status for these Olympics was thrown up in the air. A week later, though, she said she’s good to go, “just” having torn the labrum in her shoulder, and Team USA (and NBC) breathed a collective sigh. A three-peat would solidify Kim as the greatest her sport has ever seen, if she’s not there already, but still there will be questions about her health — maybe the biggest question ahead of these Olympic Games. The second-biggest question is …

Is Lindsey Vonn really a contender?

She’s 41, eight years removed from her last Olympic Games, 16 years from her one and only Olympic gold and yet … Lindsey Vonn, on a replaced knee, is coming out of her 2019 retirement for one last go. Why? Well for starters, Cortina, where the women’s skiing events will take place, is maybe her favorite mountain in the world. Is she a medal contender? Well, she’s won two World Cup downhills this year, so there’s that. Plus, as mentioned before, Cortina is a place she loves, having recorded 12 of her 82 World Cup victories there. But … and this is a big but … can she really compete on a torn ACL in her left knee suffered just days ago? She insists she will be in the starting gate on Feb. 8. That would inarguably be the story of the Olympics and inarguably the greatest comeback of her comeback-filled career. And Vonn isn’t the only one who’s back …

Advertisement

The NHL is back, too

After a 12-year hiatus, the NHL is back to allowing its players to compete for gold. NHL players first competed in the Olympics back in 1998, and did so until 2014 when, essentially, the NHL got sick of going on hiatus for a few weeks to make room for Olympic competition. Alas, the league is back to “grow the game” and to appease players who want to wrap a gold medal around their necks. While players such as Connor McDavid (Canada), Sidney Crosby (Canada) and Auston Matthews (USA) will be there, newly-minted NHL goal king Alex Ovechkin will not. Why not?

Because Russia is still banned from team competition

While no Russian teams will be allowed to compete, Russian athletes will be allowed to compete individually under the “Individual Neutral Athlete” flag … though don’t expect many of those. The latest ban, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, came via an IOC decree in 2023 that disallows any Russian or Belarusian athlete who “actively” supports the Russian war effort. What will this mean for the medal table? Well, back at the 2022 Winter Games, when Russia competed under the “Russian Olympic Committee” moniker, a designation aimed at penalizing the country for its 2016 state-run doping operation, Russians took home 32 medals, including five golds. By comparison, the USA won 25 medals at those 2022 Games, none of which were won by ….

Mikaela Shiffrin, who is looking to redeem herself

She’s the winningest skier in history, man or woman, having won 104 World Cup races … and yet, Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympic experience has produced just two gold medals. While that may be enough for 99.999% of the world, it’s an underperformance for someone as great as Shiffrin, who failed to win anything at the 2022 Games in Beijing. Those Olympics were a disaster for the GOAT: a DNF in slalom, giant slalom and combined; a 9th in Super G; an 18th in downhill. She’s battled injuries and may not be in top form at Cortina, but she can still dominate the slalom — her best event. She’s not the only one looking for redemption …

Can the U.S. recapture figure skating gold?

Between 1992 and 2002, U.S. women won three gold medals. But since Sarah Hughes won at Salt Lake in 2002, the U.S. women have but one silver medal — via Sasha Cohen in 2006. That could (should?) change in Milan, as the U.S. features a trio of medal contenders in Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito. Glenn just won her third straight U.S. national championship; Liu is the reigning world champion after coming out of a two-year retirement; and while Levito may be the quietest of the three, she is the last woman not named Glenn to have won a national championship. While this trio of American women look to rise to the top of the podium …

Will Eileen Gu’s star rise even higher?

She won three medals in Beijing, including gold in women’s freestyle skiing big air competition, and with more than 2 million following her on Instagram, Eileen Gu is one of the few Winter Olympic crossover stars. Now she’s back, still born and raised in the United States but competing for China, and she’s among the favorites in three disciplines: halfpipe, freestyle and big air. Speaking of big air …

Advertisement

Will a ski jumping partnership with Norway pay off for the U.S.?

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and that’s what the U.S. has done with Norway, who has dominated Olympic ski jumping to the tune of 36 medals to the United States’ one (at the 1924 Games). Four years ago, after yet another medal-less performance at the Beijing Games, the U.S. teamed up with Norway, sharing coaches and training camps. One of those Americans who moved to Norway to train was a teenager named Tate Frantz, who took silver at last February’s junior world championships in his hometown of Lake Placid, New York. Then, he scored more points in World Cup competition than any American in history. Now 20, can Frantz be the United States ski jumper to win a medal in over a century? As for another first …

What’s new? How about Ski Mountaineering

The lone newcomer at this year’s Olympics, Ski Mountaineering — or Skimo — is pretty much what it sounds like — a combination of climbing up a mountain (on skis using skins), hiking on the mounting (in boots) and descending down a mounting (on skis without skins) through gates. The duo of Cam Smith and Anna Gibson just demolished a world-class field in December. In February, Skimo will be a must-see event, as will …

Advertisement

Big air, which is getting even bigger

Two big-air competitors — one on skis, one on a snowboard — have completed 2340s in competition. (That’s 6.5 times around, in case you were wondering.) Will Italian skier Miro Tabanelli and/or Japanese snowboarder Hiroto Ogiwara go that big in Itlay? And will anyone else try to match them? It’s dizzying to watch, but if you can stomach it, it’s absolutely must see T.V.