Wisconsin is well-represented at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with several talented athletes from across the state competing on the world's biggest stage.
From ice rinks and tracks, to snow-covered slopes, these homegrown competitors will showcase the dedication and skill that has made Wisconsin a powerhouse in winter sports.
Here are the Wisconsin athletes to watch this winter as they pursue Olympic glory:
Kevin Bolger: Minocqua, WI
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Olympic Games Beijing 2022
Deedra Irwin: Pulaski, WI
- Biathlon
- Olympic Games Beijing 2022
- Irwin finished seventh in the women's individual event in 2022, the best result for a United States athlete in any international biathlon championship.
- Green Bay neighborhood reporter and fellow Pulaski High alumna Jessica Goska caught up with Irwin's family before they traveled to Italy for the Games.
Marcus Mueller: Brookfield, WI
- Luge
- First-time Olympic Qualifier
Jadin O'Brien: Pewaukee, WI
- Bobsled
- First-time Olympic Qualifier
Joanne Reid: Madison, WI
- Biathlon
- Olympic Games Pyeongchang 2018
- Olympic Games Beijing 2022
Paul Schommer: Appleton, WI
- Biathion
- Olympic Games Beijing 2022
- Schommer qualified for Milan-Cortina despite previously planning to retire from the sport in 2024.
Jordan Stolz: Kewaskum, WI
- Speedskating
- Olympic Games Beijing 2022
John Wroblewski: Neenah, WI
- Ice Hockey (coach)
- U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team
Gold medalist snowboarder Nick Baumgartner is from nearby Iron River, Mich. and this week flew out of Green Bay's Austin Straubel International Airport to travel to Italy for his fifth Olympic Games. Read more about his journey here.
Wisconsin's Olympic presence extends beyond native-born athletes to include competitors who honed their skills at the state's universities and colleges. Several of these athletes come from the University of Wisconsin women's hockey team, which is coached by Mark Johnson. Johnson is not only the winningest coach in Wisconsin history and NCAA women's collegiate hockey history, but was also a member of the legendary 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic Team that won the gold medal against the Soviet Union.
These athletes may have come from different states or countries, but their time training and competing under Wisconsin's world-class coaching helped shape them into Olympic-caliber performers.
The following athletes represent the strong winter sports programs that have made Wisconsin institutions a pipeline to Olympic competition:
Britta Curl-Salemme: University of Wisconsin Graduate
- Ice Hockey
- First-time Olympic Qualifier
Laila Edwards: University of Wisconsin
- Ice Hockey
- First-time Olympic Qualifier
Caroline Harvey: University of Wisconsin
- Ice Hockey
- Silver Medalist at Olympic Games Beijing 2022
Hilary Knight: University of Wisconsin Graduate
- Ice Hockey
- Silver Medalist at Olympic Games Vancouver 2010
- Silver Medalist at Olympic Games Sochi 2014
- Gold Medalist at Olympic Games Pyeongchang 2018
- Silver Medalist at Olympic Games Beijing 2022
Emery Lehman: Marquette University Graduate
- Speedskating
- Olympic Games Sochi 2014
- Olympic Games Pyeongchang 2018
- Olympic Games Beijing 2022
Ava McNaughton: University of Wisconsin
- Ice Hockey
- First-time Olympic Qualifier
Kirsten Simms: University of Wisconsin
- Ice Hockey
- First-time Olympic Qualifier
If you want to keep up with all the action from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, make sure to tune into NBC 26 from February 6-22. We'll bring you comprehensive coverage of Team USA's quest for gold, featuring live events, highlights, athlete profiles and behind-the-scenes stories from Italy.
