Olympics 2026: Meet the International Athletes Going for Gold in Milan

Francesco Friedrich, Germany

With four gold medals already in his trophy case, German bobsledder Francesco Friedrich is hoping to pilot his way toward another pair of victories in Milan. 

Should the 18-time world champ successfully defend his back-to-back titles in either the two-man or four-man bobsleigh event, he would become the first athlete in the sport's history to collect five golds at the Games. 

Boasting what he calls "an almost photographic memory," the police officer insists it's fun for him to get lost in the details of his sport: "I am constantly trying to find out new things and trying to make even small improvements." 

As for his record-setting, "I've always just been happy to turn my passion into my profession," he shared. "Potentially writing history is something that just happened." 

Eileen Gu, China

With all eyes on the American-born Chinese freestyle skiing phenom at the 2022 Olympics, Eileen Gu knew she needed to go big if she wanted to go home with the gold in her first event, big air. 

So on her final run, she made the decision to attempt a double cork 1620, 4 1/2 spins in the air while rotating twice off axis—a stunt she'd never actually tried in practice.  

"My whole thing was, it’s all upside," she explained to Time in January 2026. "Because if I land, I will win the Olympics. If I don’t land, then I get to make history as the first person to ever try this trick in such a situation. It’s a decision that I would be super proud of and live with forever." 

And spinning her way to that first gold, plus another in half pipe and a second-place finish in slopestyle was just the, uh, jumping off point for the Stanford international relations student. 

With 20 World Cup titles, she told Time, "The numbers say that I'm, competitively the best free skier that's ever lived." 

And trust that she's run the data. While she admits in her sport, "it's not too cool to try hard," she's "super unapologetic" about being all in, studying the precise momentum and axis rotation required to land each trick. "That's the fun part for me," she explained. "It's super addicting. I'm totally obsessed with it." 

Marco Odermatt, Switzerland

Alpine skiing is a bit of a family business for 2022 giant slalom gold medalist Marco Odermatt, who began following in his parents' ski tracks at age 2. (Incidentally he wasn't all that much older when he met his now-girlfriend, physician Stella Parpan, in kindergarten.) 

He's made it a habit to thank his mom and dad after each of his victories, which includes 52 World Cup wins and three world championships. 

"I'm an athlete who goes all in," the Swiss skier, who also competes in downhill, giant slalom and super-G, told Red Bull's Mind Set Win podcast. "For me this is the best tactic." 

Arianna Fontana, Italy

Short track phenom Arianna Fontana first broke the ice at the 2006 games, winning bronze in the 3000m relay at Turin, some 165 miles from her hometown of Sondrio. Since then she's added 10 more pieces of hardware to become the most decorated Italian female Winter Olympian. (The flag bearer also boasts more medals than any short track speed skater in history.) 

At the age of 15, "Turin 2006 was like my welcome party to the world, to the skating world," the athlete, married to her coach, Anthony Lobello, since 2014, told Olympics.com, "and having this opportunity to skate again at home in 2026 for the games, I feel like it's going to be my homecoming party. So I'm really looking forward to it."

Kaori Sakamoto, Japan

It's fitting that 2022 silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto has chosen the song "Time to Say Goodbye" for her short program as the second-place finisher at the 2025 World Championships will be skating off into the sunset shortly after competing in Milan. 

"I felt now was the time," she explained of her decision last summer, noting she would be 29 at the 2030 Olympics.

Though the figure skating roster is stacked with Americans Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito, "Winning at least silvers in both the individual and team events would be mission completed,” Sakamoto said. "The time left is short, so I’ll live each day to the fullest."

Quentin Fillon Maillet, France

Having become the first biathlete to collect five medals at a single Olympics in Beijing, France's Quentin Fillon Maillet once again has a shot at landing on the podum in the event, a blend of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. 

While it was quite the remarkable ascent from his disappointing debut in PyeongChang, he rejects the idea that it was meant to be. 

"I don't really believe in fate," he insisted. "It's me who does these things, who initiates them. I've put so much hard work in over the years so this feels like a really special reward." 

Kobayashi Ryoyu, Japan

Though ski jumper Kobayashi Ryoyu is still very much at the top of his game—earning individual normal hill ski jumping gold in Beijing—the dedicated golfer and adept clotheshorse is already consider what comes after he makes his leap out of the sport. 

"I'm often asked that, but I don’t really know the answer," the athlete, who has a partnership with Prada told Red Bull. "I guess I don’t want to do anything. That’s why I’m making this relationship with modeling and taking in lots of stimuli to see what I can turn into an idea."

Ryoyu, who set a world record in 2024, landing a 291-meter jump, is certain his next act won't take him too far from the sport. As he told Red Bull, "Even after I retire, I want to make a contribution to the world of ski jumping, to liven it up and make it more popular. And if I can say I made a difference, that would be great."

Ester Ledecká, Czech Republic

While Czech Republic athlete Ester Ledecká topped the podium in Beijing for both the Super-G alpine skiing competition and the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding, she hasn't quite figured out the trickery required to be in two places at once. 

And with the women's downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo set for Feb. 8, the same day the parallel giant slalom final kicks off four hours away in Livigno, she's accepted defeat. 

"I cried a bit few times about it, but we did the best we could,” Ledecká said. "I understand that it's not easy to coordinate the program, but I believed that it could be done. I'm the only athlete who has qualified for the event in two sports for the third time, so I was hoping that they would take that into account."

Instead, she'll concentrate on shredding, while still snapping into her skis for the super-G on Feb. 12. And should she emerge victorious, she's got her victory lap all planned. As she wrote on Instagram Jan. 18, "Spraying my team with champagne is my favorite thing to do."

Sarah Nurse, Canada

After helping Team Canada win the silver in PyeongChang, Sarah Nurse shot her shot at the 2022 games, recording 18 points to lead her squad to an Olympic championship and become the first Black athlete to win gold in women's hockey. 

First lacing up her skates at age 3, she was stunned when she saw the Canadian women compete in Salt Lake City in 2002. "I didn’t know girls play hockey," she joked to Elle Canada. "I thought I was the only one. Main-character syndrome."

Now she's writing her own story, moving cross-country to play forward for the Vancouver Goldeneyes. 

"If you had asked me five years ago if I would be doing any of the things that I’m doing now—playing professional hockey, getting a Barbie doll—they wouldn’t have even been in the realm of possibility," she mused to Elle. "I try not to limit myself because I’ve always exceeded my own expectations. In another five years, who knows where I could possibly be?"

Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, Italy

You win some, you lose some, unless you're Italian curling duo Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, who emerged from their Olympic debut in Beijing 11-0 in mixed doubles, earning their country its first ever curling gold.

"It's definitely emotional also because it’s been three years," Mosaner—a flag bearer for Italy—told Olympics.com ahead of the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, where they also scooted through undefeated. "Getting back on the ice and competing again is something beautiful, and doing it for the Italian colours is always important for us."

Stefan Kraft, Austria

An Olympic team gold medalist in Beijing, ski jumper Stefan Kraft hopes to make the, uh, leap to individual champion in Milan. 

That hardware would be the cherry on top of a season that saw him become the all-time leading points scorer in FIS Ski Jumping World Cup history, breaking the record with his first win of the season last November. 

And yet that win was overshadowed weeks later when he and wife Marisa Kraft welcomed their first child. "Welcome to the world, our little princess," he wrote in the Dec. 9 Instagram announcement, "everybody is healthy and we are overwhelmed with love."

Johannes Hosfløt Klæbo, Norway

As a kid, Oslo-born Johannes Hosfløt Klæbo "wanted to be a soccer player," he wrote in a blog post, "then my mom pointed out to me that a soccer player cannot only be powerful: he must also be resilient and run for 90 minutes without ever stopping."

So, instead he focused on the sport that requires him to propel himself through snow and ice in 50-kilometer races. 

"Cross-country skiing was what moved my soul," explained the athlete, whose Olympic hardware includes five gold medals, a silver and a bronze, "and I owe this to my spirit, my family, and the instructors I was lucky enough to meet."

Another key VIP in his life: fiancée Pernille Døsvik. Announcing their June engagement on Instagram, he wrote, "2025 just keeps getting better and better."

Sidney Crosby, Canada

Having collected three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and gold medals as part of Team Canada in 2010 (where he netted the winning overtime goal in the final game against the U.S.) and 2014, NHL center Sidney Crosby has set his sights on a new goal. 

With NHL athletes returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, Crosby has a chance to skate away with another gold, tying Scott Niedermayer for the most combined World Championships, Olympic golds and Stanley Cups.

Reflecting on his days as Sid the Kid, he noted his advice for up-and-comers is "pretty simple: work hard and have fun. That was probably the simplest advice you could give. But it couldn’t be more true in so many situations that I’ve experienced."

Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, Germany