Meet the Coloradans headed to the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
Editor’s note: These capsules highlight the Olympians with Colorado ties. In determining who counted as a Coloradan, we included athletes who attended a Colorado high school or college, as well as those who currently live or train primarily in the state. Think we missed someone? Email sports@denverpost.com with your addition.
Alpine skiing
Kyle Negomir
Specialty: Downhill, super-G
Colorado connection: Born and raised in Littleton, “Nego” grew up ski racing at Copper Mountain
What to know: A specialist in the speed disciplines of downhill and super-G, Negomir scored his first World Cup points in 2023. His best career result came in Italy — he was 11th in a World Cup downhill in Val Gardena in December.
Competing: Feb. 7 (downhill), 11 (super-G)
Results: None yet
River Radamus
Specialty: Super-G, giant slalom
Colorado connection: The son of two decorated ski coaches, Radamus grew up in Edwards
What to know: Radamus was just 0.24 seconds from claiming a medal in giant slalom at the Beijing Winter Olympics, finishing fourth. This World Cup season, he’s finished sixth twice and seventh twice in his best event.
Competing: Feb. 11 (super-G), 14 (giant slalom)
Results: None yet
Mikaela Shiffrin
Specialty: Giant slalom, slalom, combined
Colorado connection: Born in Vail, Shiffrin calls Edwards home
What to know: A ski-racing prodigy who won her first World Cup race at 17, Shiffrin is already the GOAT of Alpine — blowing past Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86 World Cup wins in 2023 and becoming the first and only skier to hit 100 wins in Feb. 2025. After a disappointing 0-for-5 showing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she looks primed to rebound on a familiar track in Italy, where she’s won four World Championships medals, including one gold, and landed on three World Cup podiums across five disciplines.
Competing: Feb. 10 (combined), 15 (giant slalom), 18 (slalom)
Lindsey Vonn
Specialty: Downhill, super-G, combined
Colorado connection: Born in Minnesota, Vonn moved to Vail at 12 to train with Ski and Snowboard Club Vail
What to know: Vonn’s riveting comeback story veered way off course on Jan. 30 after she crashed in a World Cup downhill in Switzerland. She announced that she still intends to compete with a brace after completely rupturing the ACL in her left knee, as well as sustaining meniscus damage and bone bruising.
Competing: Feb. 8 (downhill), 10 (combined), 12 (super-G)
Results: None yet
Katie Hensien
Colorado connection: Attended the University of Denver, where she juggled academics and skiing
What to know: Hensien competed for the Pioneers while racing on the World Cup and Europa Cup circuits with the U.S. Ski Team. A tech specialist, her best World Cup result is a fourth in slalom in Oct. 2024.
Competing: Feb. 15 (giant slalom), 18 (slalom)
Results: None yet
Bobsled
Hunter Powell
Specialty: Four-man bobsled
Colorado connection: Fort Collins native. He won the conference championship in indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon at CSU.
What to know: Powell, 29, made the transition from track and field to bobsledding in 2024. His four-man team finished seventh at the 2025 IBSF World Championships.
Competing: Feb. 21-22
Results: None yet
Freestyle skiing
Alex Ferreira
Specialty: Halfpipe
Colorado connection: Aspen native
What to know: This will be the third Olympic Games for Ferreira, 31. He captured the bronze in 2022 and silver in 2018.
Competing: Feb. 19-20
Results: None yet
Jackson Harvey (Australia)
Specialty: Moguls
Colorado connection: Born in Winter Park.
What to know: Harvey, 23, moved to Australia in 2022. His mother is originally from Melbourne.
Competing: Feb. 10, 12, 15
Results: None yet
Birk Irving
Specialty: Halfpipe
Colorado connection: Englewood native who grew up skiing at Winter Park.
What to know: Irving, 26, will be competing in his second Winter Olympics. He finished fifth in the halfpipe in 2022.
Competing: Feb. 19-20
Results: None yet
Svea Irving
Specialty: Halfpipe
Colorado connection: Irving
What to know: Irving, 23, is the younger sister of fellow Olympian Birk. She punched her ticket to the Games after finishing third at the Calgary Snow Rodeo World Cup. Fun fact: Their grandfather is John Irving, the author of “The Cider House Rules” and “The World According to Garp.”
Competing: Feb. 19, 21
Results: None yet
Riley Jacobs
Specialty: Halfpipe
Colorado connection: From Oak Creek
What to know: The 23-year-old Jacobs suffered a torn ACL in November 2024 but returned to competition for the 2025-26 season.
Competing: Feb. 19, 21
Results: None yet
Tess Johnson
Specialty: Moguls
Colorado connection: Vail native
What to know: Johnson, 25, was the youngest-ever moguls skier to be named to the national team when she was 14. She has two world championship dual moguls medals: a bronze in 2019 and a silver in 2025.
Competing: Feb. 10, 11, 14
Results: None yet
Elizabeth Lemley
Specialty: Moguls
Colorado connection: Vail native.
What to know: The 20-year-old was named the FIS World Cup rookie of the year in 2022. She also has a pilot’s license to fly four-seaters and prop planes.
Competing: Feb. 10, 11, 14
Results: None yet
Charlie Mickel
Specialty: Moguls
Colorado connection: From Durango
What to know: Mickel, 21, is a two-time national champion.
Competing: Feb. 10, 12, 15
Results: None yet
Landon Wendler
Specialty: Moguls
Colorado connection: From Steamboat Springs.
What to know: The 25-year-old Wendler is making his first Olympic Games.
Competing: Feb. 10, 12, 15
Results: None yet
Hockey
Joel Kiviranta (Finland)
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: Depth winger for the Colorado Avalanche.
What to know: He was part of the Finnish team that won the 2019 Ice Hockey World Championships.
Competing: vs. Slovakia, Feb. 11; vs. Sweden, Feb. 13; vs. Italy, Feb. 14.
Results: None yet
Artturi Lehkonen (Finland)
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: No. 1 left wing for the Colorado Avalanche.
What to know: Lehkonen, 30, is on pace for career-highs in points and assists for the Avs this season. This is his second stint with the Finnish senior national team, following last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Competing: vs. Slovakia, Feb. 11; vs. Sweden, Feb. 13; vs. Italy, Feb. 14.
Results: None yet
Gabe Landeskog (Sweden)
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: Captain of the Colorado Avalanche
What to know: Landeskog, 33, didn’t play with the Avs from the end of the 2021-22 season (when Colorado won the Stanley Cup) until the 2024-25 playoffs due to a knee injury. He’s been Colorado’s captain since the 2012-13 season, when he was just 19, and is the third-longest tenured captain behind just Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin.
Competing: vs. Italy, Feb. 11; vs. Finland, Feb. 13; vs. Slovakia, Feb. 14.
Results: None yet
Nathan MacKinnon (Canada)
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: No. 1 center for the Colorado Avalanche
What to know: MacKinnon, 30, is the NHL’s leading goal scorer (40) this season and is second to Oilers’ Connor McDavid in points (91). The No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft is high among the franchise’s scorers, ranking third in goals (407), second in assists (699) and second in points (1,106).
Competing: vs. Czechia, Feb. 12; vs. Switzerland, Feb. 13; vs. France, Feb. 15.
Results: None yet
Cale Makar (Canada)
Specialty: Defenseman
Colorado connection: Defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche
What to know: Makar, 27, has won the James Norris Memorial Trophy twice in his career for being the NHL’s top defenseman. NHL Network named him the fourth-best player in the league entering this season, two spots behind teammate Nathan MacKinnon. And a fun fact: He was the cover athlete for the NHL 24 video game.
Competing: vs. Czechia, Feb. 12; vs. Switzerland, Feb. 13; vs. France, Feb. 15.
Results: None yet.
Martin Necas (Czechia)
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: No. 1 right wing for the Colorado Avalanche.
What to know: Necas, 27, will be making his third stint with the Czech national team. He scored seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) to help the team win the 2024 IIHF World Championship. He’s on pace for career highs in goals, assists and points this season for the Avs.
Competing: vs. Canada, Feb. 12; vs. France, Feb. 13; vs. Switzerland, Feb. 15.
Results: None yet
More coverage:
Brock Nelson
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: No. 2 center for the Colorado Avalanche
What to know: Nelson, 34, has played 44 games for the U.S. national team, tallying 19 goals and 16 assists.
Competing: vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; vs. Denmark, Feb. 13; vs. Germany, Feb. 15.
Results: None yet
Jaccob Slavin
Specialty: Defenseman
Colorado connection: Erie native and a star at Colorado College
What to know: Slavin, 31, joins Nick Shore (2022), Troy Terry (2018) and John Grahame (2006) as Colorado natives named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team in the 21st century. He has twice won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2021 and 2024), which is the NHL’s sportsmanship award.
Competing: vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; vs. Denmark, Feb. 13; vs. Germany, Feb. 15.
Results: None yet
Devon Toews (Canada)
Specialty: Defenseman
Colorado connection: Defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche
What to know: Toews, 31, was part of the Canadian team that won the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last year. Since joining Colorado in 2020, he’s been paired with Cale Makar as the team’s top defensive line. They’re projected to stay together in the Olympics.
Competing: vs. Czechia, Feb. 12; vs. Switzerland, Feb. 13; vs. France, Feb. 15.
Results: None yet
Figure skating
Ellie Kam
Specialty: Pairs with Daniel O’Shea
Colorado connection: Grew up in Colorado Springs, currently attends the University of Colorado — Colorado Springs.
What to know: Kam, 21, teamed with her pairs partner, Danny O’Shea, in 2022. Together, they’ve captured two bronzes, a silver and a gold over the last four U.S. Championships.
Competing: Team event pairs, Feb. 6 and 8; Pairs short program, Feb. 15; Pairs free skating, Feb. 16.
Results: None yet
Daniel O’Shea
Specialty: Pairs with Ellie Kam.
Colorado connection: Colorado Springs resident. Graduated from the University of Colorado — Colorado Springs.
What to know: O’Shea, 34, is a veteran of the sport. This will be his first Olympic Games after missing out in 2018 when he and his partner, Tarah Kayne, finished runner-up in the U.S. Championships. They were given an alternate spot for the Games as the U.S. only had one pairs spot that year.
Competing: Team event pairs, Feb. 6 and 8; Pairs short program, Feb. 15; Pairs free skating, Feb. 16.
Results: None yet.
Nordic skiing
Lauren Jortberg
Specialty: Cross-country skiing
Colorado connection: Boulder native
What to know: Jortberg, 28, was a three-time NCAA All-American at Dartmouth College.
Competing:
Results: None yet
Niklas Malacinski
Specialty: Nordic combined
Colorado connection: Grew up in Steamboat Springs
What to know: The 22-year-old was a gold medalist at the 2024 U.S. National Championships and won gold and silver at the 2023 World University Games. His father was a ski instructor and his mother was nearly an Olympic swimmer.
Competing:
Results: Nothing yet
Hailey Swirbul
Specialty: Cross-country skiing
Colorado connection: Born and raised in El Jebel.
What to know: Swirbul, 27, retired in 2023 but came back in 2025. She competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Competing:
Results: None yet.
Ski jumping
Annika Belshaw
Specialty: Ski jump
Colorado connection: Born and raised in Steamboat Springs.
What to know: Belshaw, 23, has won nine gold medals at the U.S. National Championships. She isn’t the only ski jumper in her family. Her younger brother Erik also competes professionally.
Competing: Feb. 7
Results: None yet
Jason Colby
Specialty: Ski jump
Colorado connection: From Steamboat Springs.
What to know: Colby, 19, was the highest-ranked American ski jumper in 2024.
Competing:
Results: None yet
Ski mountaineering
Cam Smith
Specialty: Ski mountaineering
Colorado connection: Lives in Crested Butte. Graduated from Western Colorado University.
What to know: The 30-year-old is an 11-time U.S. Ski Mountaineering national champion and five-time North American Ski Mountaineering champion.
Competing: Feb. 19 and 21
Results: None yet
More coverage:
Sled hockey
Brett Bolton
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: Attends CU-Boulder.
What to know: Bolton, 19, was part of the Team USA roster that won the Para Hockey Cup in December. He scored his first career hat trick (three goals in a game) in the semifinal and followed it up with the game-winning goal in the championship.
Competing: vs. Italy, March 7; vs. Germany, March 9; vs. China, March 10.
Results: None yet
Declan Farmer
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: Lives in Boulder.
What to know: Won gold medals with Team USA in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He is the U.S. all-time leader in career goals, assists and points.
Competing: vs. Italy, March 7; vs. Germany, March 9; vs. China, March 10.
Results: None yet
Malik Jones
Specialty: Forward
Colorado connection: Born and raised in Aurora.
What to know: He was part of the gold-medal-winning team in the 2022 Beijing Games.
Competing: vs. Italy, March 7; vs. Germany, March 9; vs. China, March 10.
Results: None yet
Snowboarding
Chase Blackwell
Specialty: Halfpipe
Colorado connection: Blackwell hails from Longmont and considers Copper Mountain his home mountain.
What to know: As a young boy, Blackwell wanted to be like Shaun White after he saw the Olympic legend compete at the X Games at Buttermilk. He wound up facing White in 2021 at the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen, where he captured the U.S. National Championship as the top American finisher on the World Cup circuit.
Competing: Feb. 11, 13
Results: None yet
Jake Canter
Specialty: Slopestyle, big air
Colorado connection: Calls Silverthorne home
What to know: Canter overcame a life-threatening traumatic brain injury in 2016 while training on a trampoline at Woodward Copper. Doctors gave him only a 20 percent chance of living. He recovered and returned to nowboarding in 2017, though the injury left him permanently deaf in his right ear.
Competing: Feb. 5, 7, 16, 18
Results: None yet
Lily Dhawornvej
Specialty: Slopestyle, big air
Colorado connection: Lily and her brother, Caleb, also a competitive snowboarder, grew up riding at Copper Mountain
What to know: Dhawornvej’s uncle, a snowboard instructor at Copper, taught her and her brother how to ride. She’s a human joystick — adept at riding switch and spinning in all four directions.
Competing: Feb. 8, 9, 16, 17
Results: None yet
Stacy Gaskill
Specialty: Boardercross
Colorado connection: The University of Colorado student hails from Golden.
What to know: At the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Gaskill finished seventh in women’s boardercross and ninth in the mixed team event. Outside of snowboarding, she’s a three-time World Ultimate Frisbee champion as a member of the University of Colorado Women’s Ultimate A Team.
Competing: Feb. 13, 15
Results: None yet
Red Gerard
Specialty: Slopestyle, big air
Colorado connection: Gerard lives in Silverthorne.
What to know: Gerard, 25, the gold medalist in slopestyle at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, will be competing in his third Olympics — and plans to roll deep with some 40 family members and friends in tow to watch him compete. He has seven siblings — five brothers and two sisters.
Competing: Feb. 5, 7, 16, 18
Results: None yet
Ollie Martin
Specialty: Slopestyle, Big Air
Colorado connection: Martin’s hometown is Vail.
What to know: Just 17, Martin enters his first Olympics as the youngest male snowboarder in history to win a World Cup slopestyle event. The two-time world championship bronze medalist also holds the distinction of being the youngest snowboarder ever to land a 2160-degree spin and the first rider in the world to stomp both a frontside and backside 2160.
Competing: Feb. 5, 7, 16, 18
Results: None yet
Jake Pates
Specialty: Halfpipe
Colorado connection: Pates hails from Eagle.
What to know: After finishing eighth in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games’ halfpipe final, Pates stepped away from competitive snowboarding in 2019 as a result of repeated head injuries. In March 2020, he founded the Happy Healthy Brain Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about concussion protocols and advancing brain health for athletes through baseline brain scanning.
Competing: Feb. 11, 13
Results: None yet
Madeline Schaffrick
Specialty: Halfpipe
Colorado connection: Schaffrick’s hometown is Steamboat Springs.
What to know: A teenage prodigy who first made her professional debut in 2008 at just 14 years old, Schaffrick stepped away from competitive snowboarding at 20 and found a career as a plumber. She returned to competition in 2024 after a nearly decade-long hiatus spent coaching and will compete in her first Olympics at 31.
Competing: Feb. 11, 12
Results: None yet
Cody Winters
Specialty: Boardercross, parallel giant slalom
Colorado connection: Steamboat Springs is his hometown
What to know: Winters finished 29th in parallel giant slalom at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. In January 2025, he captured third place in parallel slalom at Bad Gastein, Austria—Team USA’s first Alpine snowboard world cup podium since 2015. He is the first rider to compete in World Cup events across both parallel and snowboard cross disciplines since 2009, managing one of the most demanding competition schedules in snowboarding.
Competing: Feb. 8, Feb. 12
Results: None yet
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.