2026 Winter Olympics Ready to Begin

The Olympic Games, held every two years, turn aspirations into achievements and athletes into renowned figures.

The Winter Olympics are set to commence this week in Italy, where thousands of hopefuls are gathering in the northern regions to enjoy skiing, skating, sliding, and all the thrilling events the Games promise.

Among these aspiring athletes? Over 200 Team USA members will be competing, and for some of them, names you’ll soon recognize might emerge in the coming weeks.

Let’s take a look at five standout athletes who could make a significant impact.

Women’s skeleton first appeared in the Olympics at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, during which Tristan Gale and Lee Ann Parsley took home gold and silver for the U.S. Since then, the U.S. has secured only one additional medal in women’s skeleton: Noel Pikus-Pace’s silver at the 2014 Sochi Games.

But Mystique Law aims to change that.

Law’s journey into the world of sledding is quite unique. She was originally a standout track and field athlete at Queen’s University in Charlotte, competing in various events, including the heptathlon. She was part of the women’s 4X100 meter relay team.

In 2016, she attended a sliding sports training combine for Team USA and finished in the top three for skeleton, paving the way for her new career.

Since then, Law has put in tremendous effort in the skeleton sport. She made her IBSF World Cup debut in the 2023 season, securing her first podium finish by coming in second that December. By 2024, she clinched her first World Cup victory and earned gold at the Pan American Championships that March. Additionally, at the 2025 IBSF World Championships in Lake Placid, she won silver in women’s skeleton and gold alongside teammate Austin Florian. With that silver medal, she became the first American to medal in women’s skeleton at the Olympics since Pikus-Pace in 2013.

More recently, she also scored a silver medal in the first race of the 2026 World Cup, finishing second in Winterberg, Germany.

If you have a nickname like “QuadGod,” fame might just be around the corner.

This is exactly what Ilia Marin is aiming for.

His entry into figure skating is notable, though maybe not entirely unexpected, considering his parents, Tatyana Marinina and Roman Skorniakov, were both Olympic figure skaters from Uzbekistan. He served as an alternate for the U.S. team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and took home gold at the 2022 World Junior Championships.

Flash forward to the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where he landed a quad flip, a quad axel (a first in history), two quad lutzes, a quad toe loop, and a quad salchow. This made him the first in history to land six quads in a single routine. Although he stumbled on his quadruple loop attempt, he still won by a landslide—46.82 points ahead of second-place Andrew Tolgashev—securing his third consecutive U.S. title.

Marin nabbed his fourth title in St. Louis this past January.

“It feels great,” Marin stated in a recent media interview. “I’ve been really committed, especially after the 2022 Nationals. It means a lot to me to follow in the footsteps of my parents, who are two-time Olympians. I’m honored and thrilled about this experience.”

If you’re looking for creative flair, his signature maneuver, the “raspberry twist,” is certainly one to watch, and it even ties back to the meaning of his last name in Russian.

Meanwhile, Jordan Stoltz has been sweeping the sprint speed skating scene. He dominated the World Cup season, winning all his 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter races, as well as five out of nine 500-meter races, and he’s qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics. This follows an impressive showing at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships.

Stolz made his Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games, finishing 13th in the 500 meters and 14th in the 1,000 meters. But since then, he’s been on fire, winning both the 1,000m and 1,500m at a World Cup just nine months post-Olympics.

He has set his sights on three gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Games, potentially becoming the second American to achieve three or more golds in the Winter Olympics.

Ilia Marin isn’t the only figure skater from Team USA poised for greatness; Alisa Liu could similarly rise.

The 20-year-old’s journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics has had its ups and downs. At just 13, she snagged her first national title at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships by performing two triple axels, something no other girl had done before.

She earned a spot on Team USA for the 2022 Winter Olympics and took home bronze at the 2022 World Championships, but later chose to step back from competition.

“I’m moving on with my life,” she said on Instagram.

Liu went on to enroll at UCLA, pursuing a degree in psychology while taking time away from skating.

“I felt really trapped and stuck,” she expressed, noting that stepping away was her way of breaking free from the skating world.

A fateful trip to Everest with a now-famous friend reignited her passion for skating. She competed at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, clinching gold at the 2025-26 Grand Prix Final in her first appearance. At the 2026 U.S. Championships, she qualified for Team USA and took home a silver medal, finishing just behind Amber Glenn.

After that experience, her objectives in Italy became clear.

“I’m really excited to get on stage and showcase myself. I hope people see not just my skating but also the real me,” she shared.

Laila Edwards has already made history for Team USA and may continue to do so on the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

She began skating at the tender age of three but later transitioned to hockey. Currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin, she has led the Badgers to three consecutive National Championship Game appearances, winning two titles.

In November 2023, Edwards was named to the U.S. women’s team for the Rivalry Series against Canada, making her the first Black woman to play on the senior team. Following this, she joined the IIHF Women’s World Championship, where she netted a goal against the Czech Republic—making her the first Black woman to score for Team USA. She also scored a hat trick in the semifinals against Finland and helped lead Team USA to the gold medal game against Canada.

With six goals and two assists in the tournament, she became the youngest player to be named Tournament MVP at the IIHF Women’s World Championship at just 20 years old.

Edwards later played defense in the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, contributing one goal and three assists over seven games, helping the team secure a gold medal.

When she takes to the ice in Italy, she will make history as the first Black woman to represent Team USA in Olympic hockey.