Winter Olympics Underway
Light the torch, the Olympics are here! After four years of waiting and anticipation, the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games are finally upon us. The United States of America, coming off 40 gold medals and 126 total medals in the 2024 Summer Olympics, are ready to dominate in this year’s winter games. This year’s games come with great anticipation, as the U.S. looks to seek revenge in ice hockey after a devastating loss in 2025 in a thrilling faceoff between the U.S. and Canada, where Canada secured the win in overtime with a final score of 3-2.
The nation rallied behind the U.S. in that exciting matchup versus Canada. The two sides have had some historic battles over the years, such as in 2010 where Canada defeated the U.S. to secure gold in an overtime thriller. Since then, the U.S. did not secure a victory against the northern neighbors. However, in 2022 the U.S. struck back, defeating Canada 4-2 in the preliminary round, their first victory against Canada since 2010.
However, this year’s games might look different, as the Olympics committee has sanctioned NHL players to return to play for their countries. With this information, Canada jumps out as the early favorites to win gold. The U.S. however, has assembled a roster of NHL players from various organizations. With their oldest player being J.T. Miller, the 32-year-old forward and captain of the New York Rangers and their youngest player, defensive powerhouse Brock Faber, born Aug. 22, 2002 and currently playing for the Minnesota Wild. The overall energy by the U.S. fanbase has entered the halls here at the University of Dallas. Fans around the school have begun discussing the upcoming games, creating watch parties and purchasing jerseys and gear. The excitement is intoxicating and the U.S. is ready to take home the gold!
Alpine Skiing, one of the most difficult Olympic sports, is about precision, timing, technique and execution. The U.S. is led by a star studded roster, including Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Bryce Bennett and Ryan Cochran-Siegle. This roster will be heavily favored to bring home gold and be a shining example for the various U.S. teams.
Snowboarding might seem easy, but in the Olympics one small misstep could lead to failure. The U.S. brings in a veteran roster, as well as rising stars, including halfpipe specialists; Chloe Kim, Maddie Mastro, Bea Kim, Chase Josey, Lucas Foster, Alessandro Barbieri and Levko Fedorowycz. For the slopestyle and big air competition, the U.S. will be represented by Red Gerard, Chris Corning, Julia Marino and Hailey Langland. Finally for the snowboard cross, U.S. representatives include Nick Baumgartner, Stacy Gaskill, Jake Vedder and Cody Winters. These stacked rosters will have their work cut out for them as China will have Yiming Su competing in big air and Ester Ledecká from Czechia for women’s parallel giant slalom, who are heavy favorites in their respective categories.
When looking at the overall games, the U.S. comes in as a top three contender to take home the most gold. Their favored athletes include Ilia Malinin in the men’s figure skating competition and both Madison Chock and Evan Bates for ice dancing. Another heavy favorite is speed skater Jordan Stolz who will compete in the 500m, 1000m and the 1,500m, Stolz stands as the favorite in all three categories favoring in at -1100. While the U.S. comes in as heavy favorites, Norway has a 61% chance coming in to be the winners of the Olympic games and bring home the most gold.
Currently the U.S. is projected to win 30-32 gold medals and finish in the top three for total medals. Teams like Norway, China and Canada will be formidable opponents in this year’s games. The U.S. will need to rally behind its representatives and hope that once again the U.S. dominates, overall the 2026 Olympic Winter Games are shaping up to be a race to the finish!