In February, athletes from the United States will travel to Milan, Italy to compete in the 25th Winter Olympic Games. Among the nearly 4,000 Olympic athletes are some familiar faces that Ohioans might recognize.
The games will consist of nearly 4,000 athletes from 93 different countries. In the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the United States had the third most medals out of all countries, placing behind Norway and Germany. Of the 25 medals won, nine gold medals were handed to stars such as Chloe Kim (snowboarding) and Nathan Chen (figure skating).
In two Winter Olympic Games appearances, Chloe Kim has won Olympic gold medals back-to-back in the women’s halfpipe, with her first at the age of 17 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This time around, Kim could win back-to-back-to-back gold medals with a win this February — an extremely rare and prestigious feat.
However, while training in Switzerland, Kim fell on her shoulder and partially tore her labrum, sidelining her until just before the Olympic Games. In an Instagram post, Kim addressed the situation:
“I’m so grateful that I will be good to go for the Olympics.”
She is expected to participate, but may be limited as she hunts for her third consecutive gold medal.
Kim is the girlfriend of Cleveland Browns’ defensive end Myles Garrett, who recently just broke the NFL’s single season sack record.
Additionally, the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams also look to compete for medals. The men’s team has not won an Olympic gold medal since 1980 when they played the Soviet Union in the famous “Miracle on Ice” game.
However, the men did not win a medal in the 2022 games, while the women won silver in Beijing. The women are searching for their first gold medal since 2018, attempting to win their third overall.
Zach Werenski, a defenseman for the local Columbus Blue Jackets, will be representing Team USA in Italy. Werenski is widely considered one of the top defensemen in the NHL. In 2025, Werenski represented Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“I feel like USA Hockey is probably the best it’s ever been right now,” Werenski said to Blue Jacket reporters, hoping to bring the gold back to the U.S.
Werenski’s teammate and Blue Jackets goalkeeper Elvis Merzlikins will also play in Italy this winter, representing Latvia. In 2020, Elvis made the NHL All-Rookie Team; will help Latvia search for their first Olympic medal.
On the coaching staff for Team USA Hockey is John Tortorella, who coached the Blue Jackets from 2015-2021. The former Blue Jacket will be an assistant to head coach Mike Sullivan, the current head coach for the NHL’s New York Rangers.
As for the women’s hockey team, former and current Ohio State Buckeyes will skate for the U.S. Hannah Bilkin and Cayla Barnes play professionally for the Seattle Torrent, one of eight teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL); they will team up with current Buckeyes Emma Peschel and Joy Dunne.
In 2024, Peschel and Dunne helped Ohio State win the NCAA Women’s Hockey Championship, the program’s second national title.
Three more Ohio-born athletes will compete for Team USA. Quinn Dehlinger (Cincinnati) will compete in freestyle skiing, while Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights) and Gwyneth Philips (Athens) will compete with the women’s hockey team.
Most Ohio-linked athletes will be in attendance at the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, kicking off the start of the Olympic Games. Fans can watch events on Peacock, the NBC Olympics website, NBC and USA Network. The games will conclude with the closing ceremony on Feb. 22.
