The 2026 Winter Olympics took place Feb. 6-22 across Milano Cortina, Italy. Athletes took part in sports such as figure skating, speed skating, snowboarding, curling, the biathlon and cross-country skiing. Team USA came home with 33 medals (12 gold) to land the team second place at the 2026 games. Norway placed first with 41 medals (18 gold) and the Netherlands followed the United States with 20 medals (10 gold).
Ohio was well represented, sending some of its strongest winter athletes to compete for Team USA. The notable athletes included five women and three men, representing men’s and women’s hockey, men’s snowboarding and men’s and women’s freestyle skiing. Ohio natives representing Team USA included Laila Edwards, Redmond Gerard, Kyra Dossa, Derek Krueger, Connor Curran, Quinn Dehlinger, Gwyneth Philips and J.T. Miller.
Ohioans not only competed in the Olympics, they also came home with hardware and historic moments. Cleveland Heights native Laila Edwards became the first Black woman to win a gold medal in women’s hockey in the 2-1 victory over Canada. Edwards’ goal tied the championship game 1-1, propelling the teams into overtime, which led to the eventual win for Team USA. Currently, Edwards plays for the Wisconsin Badgers and was the NCAA leader in scoring last year. Goalie Gwyneth Philips, an Athens native, was also a part of the women’s gold medal team.
Men’s hockey also fared well in Italy, bringing home another gold medal for Team USA. East Palestine native J.T. Miller, a 6’1 forward playing for the New York Rangers, represented Ohio in six games in the Olympic tournament this year. He helped guide the United States to its first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.
Other near-podium finishes include Rocky River born Redmond Gerard, who placed sixth in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle and Chagrin Falls native Derek Krueger, who placed 11 in Men’s Aerials freestyle skiing.
