There are eight incredibly gifted athletes currently competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo who call the DMV area their home!
These competitors will fight for gold while representing Team USA across several sports, ranging from figure skating to sled hockey.
Ilia Malinin — Figure Skating
Considered one of the top figure skating talents in the world today, the 21-year-old, who calls Vienna, VA, his hometown, is set to make his Olympic debut while being considered the favorite to win gold in the Men’s Singles event.
Figure skating will be one of the first events to take place in this year’s Olympic Games, so Ilia will be competing starting on February 7th.
Brandom Kim – Short-Track Speedskating
A Fairfax, VA, native, Brandon is currently the national record holder for the fastest 500-meter race with a time of 39.83 seconds, which is just 0.335 seconds behind the world record!
Despite his impressive performance in the world circuit and the U.S. National Championships, Brandon is considered an underdog for a medal position, which means our community support could play a big role in his potential Cinderella story.
His specialty event is the 500-meter race, which will take place on February 18th at 2:15 pm EST.
Conor McDermott-Mostowy — Long Track Speedskating
A native Washingtonian, Conor will be making his Olympic debut this year!
Conor has developed into an LGBTQ+ icon following his prideful statements following his national championship victory in 2021, even stating, “As a gay athlete, I think visibility is extremely important,” in his Team USA bio.
His specialty event is the 1,000-meter, Mass Start race, which will take place on February 11th at 12:30 pm EST.
Mystique Ro – Skeleton
The 31-year-old Nokesville, Virginia, native is making her Olympic debut in Skeleton after spending most of her youth focused on being a track and field athlete.
Since taking on the sport of Skeleton, Mystique has developed into one of Team USA’s leaders, even being the first American to earn a medal in the sport in twelve years just last year at the 2025 FIL World Championships.
Women’s skeleton runs will be taking place between February 12th and 15th.
Carsten Vissering — Bobsled
The now 28-year-old native of Bethesda, Maryland, started his bobsledding career at the age of 25, an incredible testament to his athletic ability and strength.
Before his career in bobsledding, Carsten was a very successful swimmer, taking second place in the 2019 NCAA championships for the 100-yard breaststroke, so while his movements as a swimmer might not directly translate to bobsled, his work ethic, athleticism, and strength certainly did.
Carsten competes in the four-man bobsled event, which will take place on February 21st and 22nd.
Bryan Sosoo — Bobsled
A former track and field star for Monmouth University, the 29-year-old Laurel, Maryland, native will be making his Olympic debut.
His role is one of the two ‘push athletes’ on the four-man bobsled team, which means he is one of the two teammembers sitting in the middle, and he is one of the team members most responsible for the sled’s acceleration.
Sosoo also competes in the four-man bobsled event, which will take place on February 21st and 22nd.
Evan Nichols — Sled Hockey
The 21-year-old Evan Nichols from Haymarket, Virginia, will be competing in his second Paralympic Games after being the youngest member of the USA sled hockey team back in 2022 in Beijing at the age of 17.
The Paralympic Games will be taking place after the completion of the Olympic Games, which means that the USA sled hockey team won’t compete until March 7th.
Noah Grove — Sled Hockey
A native of Frederick, Maryland, the 26-year-old Noah Grove will be competing for his third Paralympic gold medal alongside his DMV area native teammate, Evan Nichols.
The Paralympic Games will be taking place after the completion of the Olympic Games, which means that the USA sled hockey team won’t compete until March 7th.