Team USA names 97 skiers and snowboarders for 2026 Winter Olympics

People reported that on Wednesday, Jan. 21, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced which athletes qualified to represent the United States in skiing and snowboarding at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Northern Italy. The organization said 97 skiers and snowboarders earned spots, including returning Olympic gold medalists Mikaela Shiffrin, Chloe Kim, Lindsey Vonn, Jessie Diggins, Chris Lillis, Red Gerard, Alex Hall and Nick Baumgartner, and silver medalists Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper and Jaelin Kauf.

Snowboard program director Rick Bower said, according to CBS Sports, "In many ways, making this team is even harder than the Olympics themselves," and U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said in the announcement she is "confident about the impact [Team USA] will make in Italy." Anouk Patty, U.S.

Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport, called it "one of the strongest teams we have sent to the Games." The announcement noted several athletes’ notable histories: Vonn, 41, is making history as the oldest woman ever to compete in Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics after a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024 motivated her return; Shiffrin, 30, is described as the most decorated alpine skier with 107 victories and was recovering from a November 2024 crash; Kim, 25, can pursue a potential three-peat in the women's snowboard halfpipe, and Gerard will return for his third Olympics after becoming the youngest snowboarding gold medalist in 2018.

Key Topics

Sports, Team Usa, Mikaela Shiffrin, Chloe Kim, Lindsey Vonn, Milano Cortina Games