There's no doubt that Colorado is one of the best places to prep for the Winter Olympics. Many of the sports can be practiced right in our own back yards. Did you know that Colorado will send the most Olympic athletes to the Games this year? More than any other state!
Check out these fun facts about the Colorado athletes who are competing this February at the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.
ALPINE SKIING
- Littleton's very own Kyle Negomir (aka "Nego") works with SOS Outreach to mentor kids through exciting experiences in nature when he's not on the slopes. This year will be Negomir's first Olympic run.
- Nina O'Brien is ready to compete in her second Olympics. The Denver native, who splits her time between Denver and San Francisco, broke her leg during the Olympics in Beijing, and again during training 19 months later.
- River Radamus learned to ski before he could walk in his hometown of Edwards. He is currently creating his own foundation to improve access and affordability to the sport of ski racing, and he says that his idol is Nikola Jokić.
- Mikaela Shiffrin is from Edwards, where she learned to ski at age 2 in her family's driveway. She also happens to be the most decorated alpine skier of all time! Mikaela is back for her fourth Olympic Games this year.
- Lindsey Vonn, the winningest speed skier in history, is back for another try at the Olympic Games. She is the only American woman to win Olympic gold in the downhill, and is one of a small group of American athletes making their fifth trek to the Olympics. Lindsey's hometown is Vail.
BIATHLON
- Joanne Reid was born in Madison, Wisconsin, but grew up in Grand Junction. Aside from being a highly decorated athlete with mathematics and engineering degrees, she is known for always breaking things. This marks her third Olympic Games.
BOBSLED
- Hunter Powell, from Fort Collins, started out as a track athlete, but it didn't take long for him to shift his focus to the bobsled. He is the second track athlete from Colorado State University to make an Olympic bobsled team, and the 23rd former CSU athlete to make it to the Olympic Games.
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING
- Lauren Jortberg, a cross country skier from Boulder, was a shining star at Dartmouth College, grabbing multiple podium wins. This will be her first visit to the Olympics.
- Hailey Swirbul's hometown is Carbondale. She spent her summers mountain bike racing with her brother, Keegan. They started Nordic skiing to stay in shape for biking during the winter, and the rest is history! Hailey loves to bake, paint and go fly fishing when she's not participating in the Women Ski Coaches Association.
FIGURE SKATING
- Ellie Kam has been skating since she was a preschooler in Alaska. She relocated to Colorado Springs and qualified for the 2022 US Junior Figure Skating Championships. Ellie skates with partner Danny Shea. This year marks Ellie's first trip to the Olympics.
- Amber Glenn moved to Colorado Springs from Texas to chase her Olympic dream. She is the sixth woman to successfully land the triple axel in a competition.
- Danny O'Shea came out of retirement to practice with Ellie Kam when she needed a partner, and that led to an unexpected official partnership. Danny is the oldest pairs skater from any country to make an Olympic debut since 1948. His hometown of Colorado Springs is thrilled that he's back in the saddle!
FREESTYLE SKIING
- Alex Ferreira, whose hometown is Aspen, competed in the 2018 and 2022 Olympics. He has won one silver and one bronze medal for the halfpipe.
- Birk Irving, originally from Winter Park, now lives and trains in Steamboat Springs. He started young, completing his first 360 at age five and landing his first sponsorship at seven. This is his second Olympics.
- Svea Irving grew up in Winter Park. This is her first time at the Olympis, but Svea finished every event in the 2024-2025 season in the Top 5.
- Riley Jacobs was born in a ski town, Oak Creek. Known for her Top 10 finishes for halfpipe skiing, Riley skis with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. This is her first go at the Olympics.
- Tess Johnson has been skiing since she was 2 years old, attending Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy in her hometown. She made her Olympic debut in the 2018 games.
- Liz Lemley is already a Youth Olympian and plans to join the Air Force and SpaceX in the future. The Vail native joins many first timers at the Olympics this year.
- Charlie Mickel dreamed of the Olympics while skiing at Purgatory Resort and training with the Durango Winter Sports Club. He's thrilled to make his debut as one of four men on the US men’s moguls team.
- Landon Wendler likes to play hockey and DJ in Steamboat Springs when he's not training with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Alhough he is a decorated athlete, this will be Landon's first attempt to medal at the Olympics.
- Dylan Walczyk is originally from Rochester, New York, but his family relocated to Blue River in Summit County to support his skiing goals. He has always bucked the system when it comes to the US Ski Team. He refused to leave Colorado when he was selected for the team in 2012. In 2022, he had to compete as an independent when he wasn't selected for the team.
ICE HOCKEY
- Brock Nelson recently signed a three-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche, relocating his family to Denver from New York. Nelson comes from a family of medal winning hockey players, and he has played on five world championship teams for Team USA.
- Jaccob Slavin grew up playing hockey alongside his five siblings in Erie. He played at Colorado College before being drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes. He has spent his entire professional career with the Hurricanes and is thrilled to be heading to the Olympics this year.
NORDIC COMBINED
- Niklas Malacinski, a Steamboat Springs native, joined the Olympic team at the end of January, and will compete for the first time this year. He is currently the only American man ranked within the Top 30.
SKI JUMPING
- Annika Belshaw, attended Steamboat Springs High School and grew up ski jumping at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. This is her first Olympics.
- Jason Colby, a Steamboat Springs native and new Olympian, lives by the motto “Work until your idols become your rivals."
SKI MOUNTAINEERING
- Cam Smith, a highly decorated multi-sport athlete from Crested Butte, one of two USA Ski Mountaineering athletes ever to qualify for the Winter Olympics. This winter marks his first time competing at that level. Smith is also an instructor for the Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte.
SNOWBOARDING
- Chase Blackwell grew up in Longmont, most recently placing fifth at the U.S. Grand Prix at Copper in December. Chase is excited about his first Olympics.
- Jake Canter is from Evergreen, competing in his first X Games at age 15. This is Jake's first attempt at the Olympics.
- Lily Dhawornvej is Frisco's "rising star in American snowboarding", often training at Copper Mountain. The 16 year old is competing in her first Olympics,
- Stacy Gaskill hails from Golden, where she learned to ski at only 2 years old. She attended the University of Colorado and competed in snowboard cross in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She came in 7th.
- Red Gerard from Silverthorne has his own trick park at his house and is the youngest Olympic snowboarder to ever win gold. He has a nonprofit called Red's Backyard Foundation, which helps kids to enjoy outdoor sports at no cost. This is Red's third Olympics.
- Ollie Martin hails from Vail/Wolcott, and he burst into the snowboarding scene in the 2024-2025 World Cup season at age 16. Prior to his first time competing at the Olympic level this year, Ollie claimed the title of youngest male rider to win a World Cup slopestyle event at the Calgary Snow Rodeo.
- Jake Pates started out as a skateboarder in Eagle, Colorado when he was just 8 years old. Ten years later, he was the eighth place winner in the halfpipe at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games. Jake still skateboards and teaches lessons to local kids in his community.
- Maddy Schaffrick is returning to the US Snowboard Halfpipe Team after a ten year absence due to struggles with her mental health. The Steamboat Springs native had joined the team as a coach in 2022 when a training trip sparked her to pick up the sport again. This will be Maddy's first time competing in the Olympics.
- Cody Winters started a window washing company in his hometown of Steamboat Springs at 18 years old to finance his dream of competing at the Olympics. He has become one of the few snowboarders in the world who has done well in both snowboard cross and alpine racing.
Sometimes, athletes will find themselves representing other countries at the Olympics. Here are the Colorado Olympians who will be competing against the USA.
- German Ski Team | Jakob Moch, a first-year student at the University of Colorado in Boulder
- Estonia Ski Team | Alvar Alev, a former CU Ski Team member
- Colorado Avalanche players competing at the Olympics, but not for Team USA:
- Joel Kiviranta (Finland)
- Gabe Landeskog (Sweden)
- Artturi Lehkonen (Canada)
- Cale Makar (Canada)
- Martin Necas (Czech)
- Devon Toews (Canada)
Cheer on your favorite Colorado Olympic Athletes this year from February 6 through February 22. You can find the schedule here.
