With just nineteen days before the opening ceremony in Milan, Team USA is finalizing its preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The roster will include top athletes from various sports, like Lindsey Vonn, Maxim Naumov, and more, and they are ready to bring that gleaming gold medal for their country.

As athletes practice in these final days leading up to the major event, as reported by USA Today, President Donald Trump announced a US delegation to attend the February 6 opening ceremony. This team will be led by Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance and will also include iconic American Olympians whose very stories could serve as inspiration for the current competitors.

Indeed, the soul of this delegation lies with the athletes. The selection of the Lamoureux twins, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, is a direct nod to one of Team USA’s most dramatic modern victories. The sisters ended a twenty-year gold medal drought for Team USA women’s hockey at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, where they dethroned Canada.

With the score tied late in regulation, Monique Lamoureux-Morando scored a breakaway goal. “I didn’t even see it because I was going for a change,” Jocelyne later recalled. The game then moved to a shootout, where Jocelyne secured the victory with a decisive move her sister dubbed the “Oops…I Did It Again” goal. So, the sisters will be joined by two legends from the skating world.

Apolo Ohno, who earned eight medals in short track speed skating, including golds in 2002 and 2006, and figure skater Evan Lysacek, the 2010 Olympic champion, complete this prominent US delegation. This group will also witness a unique opening ceremony.

For the first time at a Winter Olympics, the traditional Parade of Nations will unfold simultaneously across four locations: Milan’s famed San Siro stadium and the mountain venues of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Predazzo, and Livigno. With all this, the stage at Milano-Cortina is ready for Team USA to shine.

Team USA’s opportunities are abundant at the upcoming Winter Olympics

At Beijing 2022, Norway took the top spot with a total of 37 medals, which included 16 golds, and then came Germany with a total of 27 medals, which included 12 golds. However, the United States came in third with just 25 medals (9 golds), and this time at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the team will look forward to standing at the top of the medal podium.

Looking at the women’s figure skating team, it is determined to end a generational 20-year singles medal drought, as the squad consists of Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu, and Isabeau Levito. Glenn, who secured the national gold medal with 233.55 points, said, “That’s the most intense I’ve reacted to any skate ever.” Following her was Liu in second with 228.91 points and Levito in third with 224.45 points.

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Levito showed her own excitement, following her qualification to the Winter Olympics, saying, “I’m going to do just my normal, consistent training routine, because it will be like any other competition except much more fun and exciting. We have such a great team and so many great resources and I really enjoy skating for this country.”

Apart from skating, in alpine skiing, Team USA has Lindsey Vonn, who is preparing for her comeback in the Winter Olympics, and she has already secured two World Cup wins in the current season. This also includes Mikaela Shiffrin, who is looking for her retribution as she returned home empty-handed from Beijing.

Looking at the men’s figure skating roster, Ilia Malinin is ready for his first Olympic Games, alongside Maxim Naumov, who had an emotional qualification following a year after his parents’ tragic death in the Potomac River crash.

So, with such legends in the US delegation at the opening ceremony, it will have a positive effect on the participating athletes, as they will be motivated to bring glory to their nation at the Winter Olympics.