Olympics 2026: Meet the Team USA Athletes Going for Gold in the Milan Cortina Winter Games
This year’s Winter Games had no shortage of game changers.
As the top athletes from across the world gathered in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina for the 2026 Olympicsmany longstanding records were put to the test—but some rising stars managed to make history in their own ways.
Among the notable competitors who called Olympic Village home for the duration of the sporting event was Then Edwardswho became the first Black woman to compete for Team USA in Olympic hockey. In fact, she and her teammates ultimately took home gold after defeating Team Canada 2-1 during their Feb. 19 faceoff.
“To have that ability to be a role model and hear that people are looking up to me,” Laila, 22, said in an interview with ESPN published Feb. 4. “I take that with a lot of pride and gratitude.”
Alpine skier Tallulah Proulx also broke barriers in her own right as the first woman to represent the Philippines in the Winter Games. And like Laila, the 17-year-old set out to affect young spectators who may not have otherwise seen themselves represented on the slopes.
