Coloradans Gear Up for Famed Olympic Showdown
Two Dozen-Plus Colorado Athletes Test Their Skills in the 2026 Winter Games
Trevor Phipps
After months of speculation, planning and grueling preparation contests, the torch was finally lit for the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
The competitions for various winter sports will run until Feb. 22. In fact, the timing couldn’t have been better. Sports fans now have something to watch, following the Super Bowl, (which had little local interest due to the Denver Broncos’ absence) and prior to the infamous college basketball playoffs known as “March Madness.” And (especially since the event is overseas), sports fans can tune into the Olympics action on NBS, USA and CNBC pretty much on a 24/7 basis.
Also, since Colorado Springs is the home of the U.S. Olympic Training Center, we sport many Colorado natives who venture onto the big Olympic stage. As an added bonus, the state’s famous ski towns, such as Aspen, Vail, Steamboat Springs and Summit County produce many of the country’s top winter athletes that compete in the Winter Olympics.
Notably (but not surprisingly), for tge 2026 Olympics, Colorado has once again sent more athletes to compete for Team USA than any other state. In total, 32 athletes have ties to Colorado, which makes up 13.8 percent of the 232-member Team USA roster.
This year, one Colorado’s hometown Olympic heroes, downhill skiing legend Lindsey Vonn from Vail, ended her five-year retirement in November 2024 just so she could compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The fact that Milan, Italy was the setting for this year’s competition was Vonn’s primary motivation for her big return to the snow.
“I wouldn’t even try this if it wasn’t in Cortina (region in northeastern Italy where some of the Olympic events will occur),” Vonn told Olympics.com in December. “It’s a very meaningful place to me. It’s where I got my first podium. I broke the women’s World Cup win record there; I’ve had a couple of wins there.”
However, just over a week before Vonn’s big return to the ski slopes, she suffered a devastating crash during her run. In fact, during a downhill World Cup race in Switzerland on Jan. 30, Vonn had to be airlifted in a helicopter from the course due to what doctors later said was a troubling left knee injury.
But her coaches are still optimistic that she will be out there competing on the slopes this week, in some form. “This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback,” Vonn shared with fans on Instagram on January 30, according to NBC.com. “My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you for all of the love and support. I will give more information when I have it.”
Other Coloradans to Watch
Although most of the Colorado athletes competing in the Olympics this year come from mountain towns in Colorado, there are two competitors that hail from the Pikes Peak region. The figure skating duo consisting of 21-year-old Ellie Kam and 34-year-old Danny O’Shea are both from Colorado Springs.
The couple competing in the big games this year actually have quite a unique story. In the fall of 2022, O’Shea had given up his decade-long career of couples figure skating and started training female athletes in the sport.
Kam and her partner split midway through their first skating season, prompting O’Shea to step in. The chemistry between the two was so good that O’Shea made the decision to come out of retirement.
The pair now bring a unique combination to the big games with having both a veteran and a rookie. “Ellie didn’t know it at the time, but I was definitely interested in skating with Ellie, having watched her perform,” O’Shea said in a 2023 U.S. Figure Skating interview.
Since 2023, the duo have proved themselves in the sport. The pair earned a national title at the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and their recent trip to Milano Cortina this year. The two can be seen during the figure skating Pairs Short Program event that takes place on Feb. 15.
Out of all of the Colorado athletes, one competitor from Frisco might just snag the biggest spotlight. That distinction belongs to 16-year-old Lily Dhawornvej, who made waves in the sport when she took bronze in snowboard Knuckle Huck (a freestyle, non-Olympic event) at the 2025 X Games in Aspen
Fans can get a chance to watch the teenage snowboarder during the Women’s SBD Slopestyle Qualification on Feb. 16 and the finals on Feb. 17. “The second-generation Thai American brings a fearless style and next-gen energy to her slopestyle and big-air competitions as well as her commitment to uplifting the Asian American snowboarding community through her support of Soy Sauce Nation, an organization that connects underrepresented groups through snowboarding,” 5280.com
This entire week sports fans can tune into the Olympics all day (including the late night and early morning hours). The full schedule for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics can be found at https://www.olympics.com/
