This year’s winter Olympics, taking place in Northern Italy, from Feb. 6, 2026, to Feb. 22, 2026, included 116 events, along with new additions such as ski mountaineering and women’s dual moguls. These games contained 47% of women athletes, making this year's Olympics the most gender equal ever. Notable gold medalists include Alysa Liu, Yuto Totsuka, Jordan Stolz, Elana Meyers Taylor and Breezy Johnson.
Alysa Liu is a 20-year-old figure skater from Oakland, California. She first made an appearance in the 2022 Winter Olympics when she was 16, placing seventh in women’s singles. Liu temporarily retired from skating after the 2022 Olympics, but eventually returned about a year and a half later to compete in the 2026 Olympics. Liu had become the first U.S. woman to win gold in Olympic singles since Sarah Hughes 24 years ago.
Yuto Totsuka is a 24-year-old snowboarder from Japan. He began snowboarding when he was only three years old. His first Olympic appearance was in the 2018 Pyeong Chang Winter Games; he placed 11th after enduring a crash in the final. He also went on to the 2022 Winter Olympics and placed 10th. Totsuka won the 2026 gold medal with 95/100 points, beating silver medalist Scotty James by one and a half points.
Jordan Stolz is a 21-year-old speed skater from Wisconsin, who learned to skate on a frozen pond in his backyard when he was just 5 years old. He made his first Olympic debut in the 2022 Olympics when he was 17 years old, placing 13th in the 500m and 14th in the 1000m. This year, he beat an Olympic record, with a time of 1:06.28; the previous record holder had a time of 1:07.18, set by Gerald van Velde in 2002.
Elana Meyers Taylor is a 41-year-old American bobsledder who has been competing since 2007. She is the most decorated female bobsledder; previously winning three silver and two bronze medals at former Olympic games. She became the oldest woman to win individual gold in bobsledding. She additionally advocates for black athletes, mothers, and deaf and down syndrome communities.
Breezy Johnson is a 30-year-old alpine ski racer. She made her first Olympic appearance in the 2018 Winter Olympics when she was 22 years old, placing 7th in the downhill and 14th in the super-G. This year she won the downhill gold medal with a time of 1:36.10, which was .43 seconds faster than the runner up.