Winter Olympics 2026: Comebacks, New Stars, Fresh Hope

The 2026 Winter Olympics are serving up more than medals—they're delivering stories of perseverance, renewal, and dreams that refused to die.

Taking place across northern Italy over two and a half weeks, these Games welcome back in-person spectators for the first time since COVID restrictions emptied stadiums in 2022. Over 16 sports will unfold across venues spanning nearly 9,000 square miles, creating moments that remind us why we love watching human potential unfold.

Legendary skier Lindsey Vonn is back at age 41, competing after a partial knee replacement and retiring as the winningest female skier in history back in 2019. Despite a crash just days before the opening ceremony, her triumphant World Cup season proves that some champions refuse to let their stories end.

Figure skater Alysa Liu reversed her teenage retirement and now brings a 2025 world title and renewed passion to her second Olympics. Halfpipe snowboarder Maddy Schaffrick clinched her first Olympic spot at 31, more than a decade after burnout forced her away from the sport she loved at just 20 years old.

The NHL is finally back in Olympic hockey after missing more than a decade of Games. Stars like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and legend Sidney Crosby finally get their shot at Olympic gold, while 19-year-old phenom Macklin Celebrini represents hockey's bright future.

A completely new sport joins the Winter Olympics for the first time: ski mountaineering, or "skimo." Athletes race both up and downhill, alternately wearing and carrying their skis in backpacks. Americans Anna Gibson and Cameron Smith made history with a World Cup mixed-relay win in December, earning the U.S. its first Olympic skimo spots.

The Ripple Effect

These comeback stories reach far beyond the medal podium. When Vonn returned to competition after major surgery, she inspired countless people facing their own physical setbacks. When Liu rediscovered her love for skating, she showed that it's never too late to reclaim joy in something you once treasured.

The youngest U.S. Olympic curling team in 20 years brings fresh energy to the sport, led by 24-year-old Danny Casper. Meanwhile, halfpipe queen Chloe Kim returns to defend her title, and Alpine skier Breezy Johnson seeks redemption on the same Cortina slopes that destroyed her knee just weeks before the 2022 Games.

These athletes remind us that setbacks aren't endings—they're just plot twists in longer, more beautiful stories.