New York’s Olympic Hopeful
The excitement is palpable in New York, New York! The city will have just one homegrown athlete vying for a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics—a dream long harbored by many residents.
Kamryn Lute, a 21-year-old from Tudor City, is set to take part in the high-energy world of speed skating. Having represented the United States in Italy, this will mark her debut at the Olympics.
“I’m really thrilled,” Lute shared, reflecting on the upcoming opening ceremony. “It’s becoming more real as the days go by. It’s been a surreal experience so far.”
“Since I started competing, I’ve always wanted to make it to the Olympics,” she added.
Lute will be racing in the women’s 3,000-meter relay and the 1,500-meter relay at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, alongside teammates Kristen Santos-Griswold, Corinne Stoddard, Julie LeTai, and Eunice Lee. She earned her spot with her first two World Tour relay medals.
Reflecting back, Lute recalls watching the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics with her parents, where her interest in speed skating sparked. “I didn’t really understand it when I was five, but the short track racing was just so exciting,” she remembered. “My mom said, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’ and I joined a club right away, skating full time ever since. I’ve always had the Olympic dream.”
Being the only Big Apple native at the Olympics feels, well, pretty amazing to her.
Finding ice to skate on in New York can be a challenge compared to soccer fields or swimming pools. Lute’s parents went the extra mile, finding a training center in Washington, D.C., where her dad worked often.
Even though the commute was demanding, Lute was committed to her Olympic aspirations. Just shy of the 2022 Beijing Games, when she was 17, she faced her own hurdles. Fatigue hit her hard, and she was later diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease—an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid—and then lupus.
Despite these challenges, Lute didn’t waver in her determination to achieve her long-held goal. “I’ve always wanted to keep skating. I pushed through it all, doing whatever it took,” she reflected.
“You can have all the physical ability, but if your mind isn’t right, it becomes really hard,” she said, a lesson learned during tough times. “I began to realize I wanted to skate for myself, rather than feeling pressured by others, which happens when you’re young.”
Lute acknowledged that the mental aspect is equally as important as the physical: “There were times I thought, ‘Wow, this training is tough.’ But with age, I’ve realized how much I truly love the sport.”
She credits her parents for helping her chase her dreams. Just before she races, Lute plans to engage in a prayer ritual that her parents introduced to her when she was younger.
Once everything is over, she looks forward to some downtime back home, especially after years of training in Utah. “New York City is still my favorite place in the world,” the Olympian concluded.
