- More than a dozen Michigan-connected athletes are expected at the Winter Olympics
- The games run through Feb. 22 across Milan, Cortina and northern Italy
- Athletes with Michigan ties are competing in many events, including hockey, skiing, skating and snowboarding
More than a dozen athletes with ties to Michigan are expected to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, representing communities from the Upper Peninsula to metro Detroit.
The Games open Friday, with events spread across northern Italy, including Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Competition runs for 16 days, ending with the closing ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Athletes will compete for 116 gold medals across eight sports and 16 disciplines, from alpine skiing and ice hockey to speed skating and snowboarding.
NBC and Peacock will carry live broadcasts and replays of most events. USA Network and CNBC will air select competitions and highlights.
As in past Winter Olympics, Michigan’s footprint is shaped largely by collegiate programs, hometown training rinks and ski trails with athletes who competed or trained in the state.
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Here are athletes with Michigan ties to watch in the coming weeks:
Ice dancing
Michigan has long been a fertile training ground for ice skaters, drawing athletes from around the world. The state is well-represented in this year’s Olympics for ice dancing, which is a sort of ballroom dancing on skates that focuses on rhythm, footwork and musical interpretation.
Evan Bates and Madison Chock are a married duo with deep Michigan connections. Bates began skating at age 4 in Ann Arbor, later graduating from Huron High School and the University of Michigan. Chock started skating in California and moved to Michigan as a teen to train, graduating from Novi High School. They each won a gold medal in the 2022 Olympics, are three‑time world champions and have won multiple U.S. national champions.
Christina Carreira is originally from Canada, trained in Michigan and endured years of cross-border commuting and a long citizenship process. She became a US citizen last year, paving the way for her to compete for the country in the Winter Olympics. The Associated Press recently profiled her journey. She’ll ice dance with longtime partner Anthony Ponomarenko, who she’s shared podiums with at US Figure Skating Championships and international events.
Emila Zingas, a Grosse Pointe Farms native, trains at the Novi Ice Arena with Ukrainian partner Vadym Kolesnik under coach Igor Shpilband. The pair has medaled at the US championships and international competitions.
Alternates: Should other US ice dancers drop out, first alternates Caroline Green and Maryland native Michael Parsons train at the Michigan Ice Dance Academy in Canto. Second alternates Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville, from Washington, D.C., also train at the facility.
When to watch: Ice dancing competitions run Feb. 9 through Feb. 11.
Ice hockey
Michigan will also be well represented on the ice in hockey.
On the US men’s team, brothers Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes are both from Michigan and will be making their Olympic debuts. Quinn is a defenseman and NHL All-Star with the Minnesota Wild. Jack is a forward for the New Jersey Devils.
Dylan Larkin, a Waterford native, is the captain of the Detroit Red Wings. The Winter Olympics will be his first.
Kyle Connor played youth hockey in Detroit before spending one season at the University of Michigan. He will also be competing in his first Winter Olympics this year.
On the US women’s team, Megan Keller is a Farmington Hills native and former Boston College captain. She won Olympic gold in 2018 and silver in 2022.
Kirsten Simms was raised in Plymouth, spending her early years playing hockey with boys before switching to the Little Caesars AAA girls program in eighth grade.
When to watch: Ice hockey competitions run Feb. 5 through Feb. 22.
Snowboarding
Nick Baumgartner was born and raised in Iron River and attended Northern Michigan University before pursuing snowboarding professionally. Baumgartner won his first Olympic gold in 2022 at the age of 40. He still visits Ski Brule in Iron River, where he learned his craft, and after traveling the world, says good powder at Mount Bohemia in the Keweenaw Peninsula is still “as good as anything that I’ve ever ridden anywhere on this planet.”
Jake Vedder, a Pinckney native, began snowboarding at eight years old. In 2016, he won gold at the Winter Youth Olympic Games. He competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
When to watch: Snowboarding competitions run Feb. 5 through Feb. 18.
Freestyle Skiing
Kaila Kuhn is from Boyne City. She transitioned from gymnastics to aerials at age 12 and developed through the Park City Elite program. She became the youngest American to win an individual world aerials title and captured two gold medals at the 2025 World Championships. Kuhn competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics, finishing eighth in aerials.
Winter Vinecki is a Gaylord native who has earned multiple World Cup podiums in aerials and competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where she finished 15th in aerials. She’s a Team USA veteran with consistent World Cup and international experience.
When to watch: Freestyle skiing runs Feb. 7 through Feb. 19.
Biathlon
Deedra Irwin is a Wisconsin native who trained extensively in northern Michigan and competed for Michigan Technological University. It’s her second Olympic appearance in the biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. She did not medal at Beijing in 2022 but placed seventh in one event, which was reportedly “the best-ever finish in an individual event” by a US biathlete. There, she also struck up a romance with snowboarder Robby Burns, who later “put a ring on it.”
When to watch: Biathlon competitions run Feb. 8 through Feb. 21
Bobsleigh
Jasmine Jones was born in Pennsylvania but competed in track and field at Eastern Michigan University, where she was a standout sprinter before moving into bobsledding. She’s part of a two-woman bobsleigh team that qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be her first.
When to watch: Bobsleigh competitions run Feb. 12 through Feb. 22
Cross-country skiing
Zak Ketterson was a three-time NCAA All-American at Northern Michigan University. He’s a Bloomington, Minnesota native and Stifel U.S. Ski Team B Team Nordic skier who trains in Minneapolis with Team Birkie.
When to watch: Cross-country competitions run Feb. 7 through Feb. 22
Editor’s note: This list is based on publicly available rosters, qualifiers and training ties as of early 2026 and may not include every athlete with a Michigan connection. Who did we miss? Contact the reporter at jjames@bridgemi.com.
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