Every Colorado Olympian & Paralympian at the 2026 Winter Olympics – And How They Did

A few months removed from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics & Paralympics earlier this year, let’s take a look at how Colorado Olympians shaped the Winter Games, including Longmont’s own Chase Blackwell and Boulder’s Declan Farmer (all-time leader in points, goals, and assists for international sled hockey). Colorado sent more athletes (33 Olympians, plus one alternate, and 14 Paralympians) than any other state in 2026.

Colorado Olympians at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Colorado’s athletes helped Team USA deliver a standout performance at the 2026 Games, reinforcing its position as a global winter sports powerhouse. The U.S. secured 33 medals, including 12 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze, while competing across 16 disciplines.

Alpine Skiing

• 🥇 Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards) – Gold, women’s slalom. Now holds four Olympic gold medals and eight world championships, making her one of the most decorated alpine skiers in history.
• Lindsey Vonn (Vail) – Returned after nearly six years of retirement, but ruptured her ACL in a training run in Switzerland the week before the Games, then fractured her tibia in a practice run days before competition. Did not race.
• Nina O’Brien (Denver) – Competed in alpine skiing.
• River Radamus – Placed 17th in giant slalom and 19th in the men’s team combined (second Olympics).

Shiffrin’s gold medal win was among the most emotionally powerful moments of the entire Games. Carrying the weight of her 2022 Beijing disappointment — where she DNF’d three events as the heavy favorite — she laid down a 0.82-second lead after Run 1, the largest first-run margin in Olympic slalom since 1960. Speaking to reporters after the race, she said: “I wanted to be free, I wanted to unleash. Through a lot of discussions with my psychologist and my mom and my team, everything we said was that, despite pressure or nerves, I want to feel this skiing. In the end, today, showing up — that was the thing I wanted most. More than the medal.” Her winning margin of 1.5 seconds was the largest in Olympic alpine skiing since 1998. Asked what she’d tell her younger self, she kept it simple: “Just stay true to what feels good in your heart.”

Freestyle Skiing & Moguls

• 🥇 Elizabeth Lemley (Vail) – Gold in moguls, bronze in dual moguls.
• 🥈 Jaelin Kauf (Vail) – Silver in women’s dual moguls at the event’s Olympic debut.
• Charlie Mickel (Durango) – Competed in the Olympic debut of dual moguls; grew up skiing Purgatory.
• Tess Johnson (Vail) – Competed in moguls.
• Megan Jortberg – Olympic debut in moguls.

Lemley’s gold was one of the Games’ biggest upsets. Entering as a 20-year-old largely unknown outside the moguls circuit, she put down a score of 82.30 that was untouchable — forcing defending champion Jakara Anthony into a costly stumble. Her coach John Dowling told the Denver Gazette: “She was a total unknown. We knew she could do it. But nobody else did. You’re an unknown quantity until you do it. But there’s a lot of power in being an unknown.”

Lemley, who grew up skiing Vail and was on skis before she could walk, reflected on the surreal new reality in a post-race interview with Olympics.com: “I keep just imagining introducing myself, like ‘Hey, I’m an Olympic gold medallist’ — which is insane to me.”

Halfpipe Skiing

• Birk Irving (Winter Park) – Competed in halfpipe (second Olympics).
• Svea Irving (Winter Park) – Competed in halfpipe (Olympic debut). Birk’s sister; the siblings trained together for over a decade.

Snowboarding

• 🥉 Jake Canter (Silverthorne) – Bronze, Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle.
• Taylor Gold (Steamboat Springs) – Competed in halfpipe. Two-time Olympic medalist: silver at PyeongChang 2018, bronze at Beijing 2022.
• Red Gerard (Silverthorne) – 6th in slopestyle, 20th in big air. The 2018 Olympic gold medalist did not medal in 2026.
• Lily Dhawornvej (trains at Copper Mountain) – 11th in slopestyle (Olympic debut).
• Stacy Gaskill (Golden) – Competed in snowboard cross.
• Faye Gulini (Vail) – Competed in snowboard cross.
• Chase Blackwell (Longmont) – Competed in halfpipe.

Longmont’s Chase Blackwell described his Olympic debut with equal parts awe and humility. Going into Milan, he had landed his competition run cleanly only one other time. Speaking to the Leadville Herald after returning home, he said: “I do remember landing and riding away and the crowd being super stoked.” Though he finished 15th and fell just short of the finals, the experience only sharpened his focus. “Obviously I would have loved to have made the final,” he said. “But realistically, [I’m] just super proud of myself.” He also spoke to the pride of representing his home state: “The support I’ve gotten from Colorado in general, from Longmont and Leadville, has been great. Colorado is the No. 1 state with the most athletes here,” he told the Summit Daily ahead of competition. Blackwell has already set his sights on the 2030 Winter Olympics in France.

Ski Jumping

• Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs) – Competed in the Olympic debut of women’s large hill ski jumping.
• Erik Belshaw (Steamboat Springs) – Together, the Belshaw siblings were the first brother-sister duo to represent Team USA in ski jumping.
• Jason Colby (Steamboat Springs) – 7th in Mixed Team, 20th in Men’s Normal Hill, 31st in Men’s Large Hill.

Figure Skating

• 🥇 Ellie Kam & Danny O’Shea (Colorado Springs) – Gold in team figure skating; 7th in pairs.

Kam and O’Shea’s gold was an unlikely one. Going into the team event, the Colorado Springs pair were considered the weakest link on a squad of reigning world champions — but their personal-best free skate proved the difference in a one-point victory over Japan. Speaking to NBC after the performance, O’Shea described their mindset going in: “Before we even left home, we decided that our goal was to come in and experience as much joy as we possibly could. Not to worry about trying to be perfect, or force anything, but to soak it all in and bring as much joy to other people as we can.”

For O’Shea — who turned 35 at his first Olympics after three decades of skating and twice retiring — the moment was especially hard-earned.

Colorado Paralympians in Milan-Cortina 2026

At least 14 Colorado residents competed for Team USA, contributing to a second-place overall finish of 24 medals (13 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze).

Para Alpine Skiing

• 🥈 Patrick Halgren (Fraser) – Silver, men’s super-G standing – the first Team USA medal in that event since 1998.
• Meg Gustafson (Edwards) – Olympic debut; her older brother Spenser served as her guide.
• Audrey Crowley (Eagle) – Olympic debut.
• Allie Johnson (Granby) – Second Paralympics (also competed in 2022).
• Jasmin Bambur (Granby) – Fifth Paralympics (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026), competing in GS slalom sitting.
• Hailey Griffin (Paonia) – Olympic debut.
• Kyle Taulman (Winter Park) – Second Paralympics.
• David Williams (Fraser) – Second Paralympics.

Para Snowboarding

• Noah Bury (Fraser) – Paralympic debut.
• Zach Miller (Silverthorne) – Second Paralympics.

Wheelchair Curling

• Daniel Rose (Aurora) – Paralympic debut.

Sled Hockey

• 🥇 Declan Farmer (Boulder), Noah Grove (Salida), Malik Jones (Aurora) – Members of the U.S. sled hockey team that won a record fifth consecutive Paralympic gold medal, defeating Canada 6-2.

Boulder’s Declan Farmer, now a four-time Paralympic gold medalist, was again the tournament’s most dominant force — setting a new Paralympic single-tournament record with 14 goals and 24 points, and breaking the all-time career record for points at the Paralympics along the way.

In the lead-up to the gold medal match, Farmer told CPR News: “That pressure isn’t necessarily just to win gold; it’s to be the best team we can be. We’ve worked really hard. I don’t think we have any regrets in how we’ve approached our preparation.” After the 6-2 gold medal win over Canada, he offered a blunt measure of how far the program has come: “We’ve raised the bar so much. If this 2026 team played our 2018 gold-medal-winning team, we’d probably beat them 8-0. We have gotten so much better.”

Why Colorado Produces Elite Winter Athletes

The 2026 Games made the case as clearly as ever. Colorado athletes contributed across six different Olympic sports, and the state’s Paralympians helped Team USA earn a second-place finish in the overall Paralympic medal standings.

Colorado’s natural advantages create an ideal foundation for elite training. The state’s high altitude improves endurance, while consistent snow conditions allow for long, reliable seasons. Athletes also benefit from direct access to world-class terrain, including the best ski resorts in Colorado, where training environments closely mirror Olympic-level competition.

Culture and Athlete Development Pipeline

Beyond geography, Colorado’s ski culture plays a critical role in athlete development. Success is built through:

• Structured youth programs that identify talent early
• Ski towns encouraging daily exposure to winter sports 
• Strong community support from families and coaches

This integrated pipeline consistently produces top-tier winter athletes, many of whom have trained at the best ski resorts in Colorado.

FAQs

How many Colorado Olympians competed in 2026?

33 athletes, the most of any state.

Who are the most famous olympians from Colorado?

Stars like Mikaela Shiffrin and Red Gerard.

How did Colorado paralympians perform?

Colorado paralympians helped drive Team USA’s 24-medal success.

Why does Colorado produce elite athletes?

Its geography, training systems, and ski culture.

Are there training advantages?

Yes, high altitude and elite resorts enable year-round training.

What sports do paralympians from Colorado compete in?

Para alpine, snowboarding, and Nordic skiing.

Where can you follow them?

On Team USA platforms, social media, and major sports networks.