The 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo is set to start on Wednesday with the exciting sport of mixed doubles curling. The United States is expected to put together an exceptional Olympic team. Here are three American athletes who are likely to come away with an Olympic gold medal.
Ilia Malinin
The United States is expected to have a very deep figure skating team. They will contend for gold in four figure skating events, with Ilia Malinin of Fairfax, Virginia (men’s singles), Madison Chock of Redondo Beach, California and Evan Bates of Ann Arbour, Michigan (ice dance) as clear favourites to win gold. You cannot forget about the team event, where the United States and Japan are expected to battle it out for the top spot on the podium.
Malinin cones from a strong figure skating family. His mother Tatiana Malinina won the ladies singles event in the 1999 Grand Prix Final in St. Petersburg, Russia. Malinin’s father Roman Skorniakov was a seven-time national champion in Uzbekistan.
Over the last two years, Malinin has won the World Championship in men’s singles. He has also won gold in the last three Grand Prix Finals and has won seven gold medals in Grand Prix events. In December, Malinin set a world record in the men’s free skate (238.24 points) at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. He also had an exceptional competition at Skate Canada in Saskatoon in the fall, where had 228.97 points in the free skate.
Mikaela Shiffrin
Shiffrin of Vail, Colorado is one of the world’s best female technical alpine skiers. She won the gold medal in the women’s slalom at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi and the gold medal in the women’s giant slalom at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. At the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, you will also have to watch out for Shiffrin in the new event of women’s team combined, which will be making its Olympic debut. Shiffrin has also won eight gold medals at the World Alpine Skiing Championships and a remarkable 107 World Cup gold medals.
Jordan Stolz
The most dominant male speed skater on the planet is also American. Jordan Stolz of West Bend, Wisconsin has the potential to be the best American speed skater since Eric Heiden at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. Stolz will be a gold medal contender in the men’s 500 metres, men’s 1000 metres, and men’s 1500 metres, and is in the conversation to win a medal in the men’s mass start speed skating event. Stolz has won six career gold medals to date at the World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships.
