Meet the Minnesota winter Olympians and Paralympians heading to Milano Cortina
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Almost 40 athletes who are heading to the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic games have connections to Minnesota — whether they live here, train here or were born here.
The athletes are competing in games from skiing, snowboarding and the biathlon, but the vast majority of Minnesota representation are in curling and — of course — hockey.
MPR News will track how the athletes with Minnesota ties are doing throughout the Milan Games. Check back for updates on their competitions and who makes it to the podium.
The Olympic Games begin Friday and continue through Feb. 22. The Paralympic Winter Games take place from March 6 to March 15.
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Jump to: Biathlon | Curling | Wheelchair Curling
Men’s Hockey | Women’s Hockey | Sled Hockey
Alpine Skiing | Cross-Country Skiing | Para-Nordic Skiing
Biathlon
Margie Freed
Margie Freed of Apple Valley will be competing in her first Olympic games this year.
She has been competing in cross-country skiing since middle school, but only started training for the shooting side of the Biathlon last year.
Before joining Team USA, she raced as a Division I athlete for the University of Vermont and competes for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project.
Lucinda Anderson
New to the Olympics, Lucinda Anderson has been cross-country skiing since high school. She switched to the biathlon in 2024 as part of the U.S. Biathlon's Project X program.
A Golden Valley native, she attended the University of New Hampshire and competed on the Nordic ski team. She enjoys knitting during the season as a way to relax.
Curling
Taylor Anderson-Heide
Taylor Anderson-Heide is a five-time national champ, twice in mixed doubles (2015, 2018), twice on a team with her twin sister Sarah (2019, 2021) and most recently in 2025 as the lead of the St. Paul Curling Club.
Anderson-Heide and her sister Sarah finished fifth at the Youth Olympic Games Innsbruck in 2012 at just 16 years old.
Born in Philadelphia, she attended the University of Minnesota and now lives in Minneapolis.
Danny Casper
Danny Casper skipped on the U.S. team that won a silver medal in the 2023 FISU World University Games. This was the second U.S. medal at the Winter Games.
Casper suffers from an autoimmune disease, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which caused him to miss some of the 2024-25 season. The disease has made it difficult to walk and use his hands at times.
Casper is originally from New York but attended the University of Minnesota and now lives in Minneapolis
Korey Dropkin
With his teammate Cory Thiesse, he was fifth at the world mixed doubles and won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials mixed doubles last year, qualifying for Milano Cortino. Although he has an impressive World Cup track record, this will be his very first Olympic Games.
Since qualifying, he has stepped back from the Olympic Men’s team to focus on training mixed doubles with his partner, Cory Thiesse.
Originally from Massachusetts, Dropkin started curling at the age of 5 before moving to Duluth. There, he works full time as a licensed realtor.
Dropkin and Thiesse secured a silver medal in the mixed doubles curling event.
Cory Thiesse
Partnered with fellow Minnesotan Korey Dropkin, Duluth native Cory Thiesse is returning for her second Olympics.
A decorated curler, she and Dropkin came in fifth at the world mixed doubles and also won the mixed doubles at the Olympic Trials last year.
Thiesse attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, studying exercise science and works as a lab technician.
Thiesse and Dropkin secured a silver medal in the mixed doubles curling event.
Aidan Oldenburg
Aidan Oldenburg hails from the town of Mapleton outside of Mankato where he went to college and graduated in 2022.
A lead on team Casper, he and his teammates clinched a best-of-3 game at the Olympic Trials back in November, defeating five-time Olympian John Shuster’s team.
Outside of curling, Oldenburg boasts an impressive repertoire of other activities, including juggling flaming torches at the Minnesota State Fair with his brother. In high school, he was a successful pole vaulter and bowler, ran cross country and did trap shooting.
Tara Peterson
Sister to Tabitha Peterson, Tara is returning for her second Olympic games since 2022 in Beijing. She grew up in Burnsville and now lives in Eagan and works as a dentist.
Peterson won her first national championship in 2014 and has competed since then, only taking a break to attend dental school.
Aside from curling, she also likes to golf. She landed a hole-in-one in 2021.
Tabitha Peterson Lovick
Returning for her third Olympics, Tabitha is competing alongside her sister Tara.
She and her sister helped win a bronze medal in 2010 at the junior world championships and won another for Team USA in 2021 at the world championships as skip. This was the first medal for American Women’s curling in 15 years.
When she is not curling, Tabitha works as a pharmacist.
Rich Ruohonen
As an alternate, Rich Ruohonen has a chance to make history as the oldest Olympian competitor at the Winter Olympics.
The 54-year-old has curled since he was in 5th grade (starting at the St. Paul Curling Club), and has competed for the U.S. at the world championships in 2008 and 2018, where the team finished in sixth place.
Outside of the sport, he works as a personal injury lawyer out of Brooklyn Park.
Aileen Geving
Aileen Geving is an alternate for the Women’s curling team. She went to school and lives in Duluth.
No stranger to the Games, Geving competed in both the 2018 and 2022 Olympic games, placing eighth and then sixth. Most recently she helped win a bronze medal for the women’s team at the 2021 world championships.
Back to top.
Wheelchair Curling
Oyuna Uranchimeg
Originally from Mongolia, Uranchimeg became paralyzed following a car accident in 2000. She started curling at age 43 after seeing a wheelchair curling club in action in Blaine.
A few years later she joined the U.S. national team, and eventually went on to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, finishing fifth in the mixed doubles. At the 2024 World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, she and her partner Mathew Thums went 6-0 in round robin play before losing in the quarterfinals.
Uranchimeg says the United States is “The country where I was reborn.”
Men’s Hockey
Brock Faber
Brock Faber, who plays defense for the Minnesota Wild, is making his return to Team USA after finishing fifth in Beijing in 2022. He is from Maple Grove and he attended the University of Minnesota. He is one of the youngest players on Team USA.
Faber is a proud supporter of the Special Olympics Games taking place in Minneapolis this year. His sister Paige has a cognitive disability and plays for MN Special Hockey. He says Paige is “The light of my life. She’s been the best sister I could have asked for. She has special needs yet teaches me things every day.”
Jake Guentzel
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, forward Jake Guentzel grew up in Woodbury. His dad, Mike, is a former hockey player and assistant coach for the University of Minnesota team.
His Team USA debut was last year in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament, including teams from Finland, Sweden, Canada and the US.
He currently plays left wing for the Tampa Bay Lightning and has won a Stanley Cup alongside the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is his first time in the Olympics.
Brock Nelson
Originally from Warroad, dubbed Hockeytown USA, Brock Nelson is part of a long lineage of professional hockey players.
Nelson has played in 5 world championships for team USA, snagging a bronze in 2015, though this is his first Olympics. He has over 300 career goals and is one of the top scorers overall in the 25-26 NHL season.
Jake Oettinger
A goalie for team USA, Jake Oettinger was born in Lakeville.
Most recently, Oettinger played in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament and won a bronze in the 2021 world championships. This will be his first Olympic Games.
Off the ice, he also enjoys playing golf and water sports.
Matt Boldy
A hockey player since age 2, Matt Boldy has been a leading forward on the Minnesota Wild for the last 5 seasons.
Boldy has represented the U.S. at the 2022 and 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's World Championship and 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
This is his first Olympics.
Quinn Hughes
Quinn Hughes plays defense for the Minnesota Wild and is one of three brothers in the NHL.
Hughes attended the University of Michigan where he played hockey from 2017 to 2019, earning All-American honors. Before being traded to the Wild, he spent seven-and-a-half seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.
He has represented the U.S. on the national stage in 2018 and 2019. In the 2018 World Championship he helped the team take home bronze from Denmark.
Joel Eriksson Ek
Competing for team Sweden, Joel Eriksson Ek has been a center for the Wild for the last decade.
He is part of one of the most effective centerlines in the NHL, named the GREEF line, which includes Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno.
Eriksson Ek was born in Karlstad Sweden and played in the Swedish Hockey League before competing in the U.S.
Sled Hockey
Liam Cunningham
Liam Cunningham has played Sled Hockey since he was 7, after being diagnosed with a degenerative bone disorder in his legs. He has since played for the Wild Sled Ice Hockey program and eventually made his way to the U.S. Men’s Sled Hockey Team.
Cunningham is the youngest player named to the U.S. sled hockey team for the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships.
Originally from Wisconsin, he is a student at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights.
Women’s Hockey
Lee Stecklein
Lee Stecklein is from Roseville and attended the University of Minnesota. While there, she was part of the first and only perfect team in NCAA women’s history. Since then, she has played defense for the Minnesota Whitecaps and most recently, the Frost.
Stecklein is an Olympic veteran, having competed in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Olympic Games. In 2014 and 2022 she earned a silver medal and in 2018 took home the gold. She has won back-to-back Walter Cup wins with the Frost as well.
In Milano Cortina she will play defense for Team USA.
Grace Zumwinkle
From Excelsior, Grace Zumwinkle has played with the Minnesota Frost for her entire Professional Women’s Hockey League career. She helped Team USA secure a silver medal in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Outside of the Olympics she has had a decorated college (University of Minnesota) and professional career for the Frost, winning three medals in the Women’s World Championships and back-to-back Walter Cup wins with the Frost.
In the 2026 Olympics, Zumwinkle will be playing forwards for team USA.
Kendall Coyne Schofield
Nicknamed “the fastest woman in hockey,” Kendall Coyne Schofield is captain of the Minnesota Frost and has earned a combined 26 medals in international competitions.
In 2019 she was the first woman to compete in an NHL skills competition, finishing within a second behind winner Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
Coyne Schofield will be returning as a forward for Team USA, marking her fourth appearance in the Olympic Games. She has won back-to-back Walter Cup wins with the Frost as well.
Abbey Murphy
A captain for the University of Minnesota team, Abbey Murphy will be returning for her second Olympic Games, winning silver in 2022.
Murphy has become known as a highly aggressive player, both in her trash talk and tactics, with Team USA Coach John Wroblewski saying "There's always that fine line with a player that plays the way that she does, and I'm truly amazed at how she's mastered it.”
Outside of the Olympics, Murphy has solid World Championship experience, participating in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, winning two gold and two silver medals.
Kelly Pannek
Making her Olympic debut in 2018, Kelly Panek helped Team USA win their first gold medal. Since then, the Plymouth native and University of Minnesota attendee has competed in the 2022 Olympics and is now returning for her third Games.
Panek has an impressive collection of seven medals in Women’s World Championships (four gold and three silver. She’s also won back-to-back Walter Cup wins with the Frost.
She will be playing as a forward with Team USA in Italy.
Britta Curl-Salemme
North Dakota native Britta Curl-Salemme is joining Team USA for her first Olympic competition.
Curl-Salemme played for the University of Wisconsin’s team, a two-time captain and winning three national championships with the Badgers. Since then, she has competed in four World Championships and nabbed a medal each time.
Mark Johnson of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” says Curl-Salemme was one of the best captains in Wisconsin history, saying “She’s genuine, she’s real, she’s considerate, she thinks of other people before herself.”
Rory Guilday
From Chanhassen and an alum from Cornell University, Rory Guilday is joining Team USA for her first Olympics.
She plays defense for the Ottowa Charge and has earned a gold and two silver medals in the World Championships.
In 2016 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor that caused her to lose most of her vision in her right eye. Despite this she has seen enormous success on the rink after regaining her balance and muscle strength after being sidelined for over a year.
Taylor Heise
Taylor Heise is from the small town of Lake City and attended the University of Minnesota where she played as a forward.
Heise was the first overall pick in the 2023 PWHL Draft for the Minnesota Frost. Since then she has won two Walter Cups with the team and was named 2024 PWHL Playoffs MVP.
Heise learned to juggle when she was a kid, after her dad promised $100 to the first of his children to learn, and she uses the skill to help center herself before games
Denisa Křížová
Competing for Czechia, Denisa Křížová is a forward player on the Minnesota Frost. This is her second Olympic appearance, with the 2022 Beijing games her debut.
She has also played in the Czech Republic Women’s Hockey League as well as the Swedish Women’s Hockey League. She won bronze in the 2022 and 2023 World Hockey Championships. She’s also won back-to-back Walter Cup wins with the Frost.
Klára Hymlárová
Klára Hymlárová is a forward on the Minnesota Frost and will be representing Czechia on the world stage.
In the 2014-15 season she started to play for Czechia’s U-18 national team and played with them for three championships.
She played five seasons at St. Cloud State before being drafted 15th overall by Minnesota in 2024. In her senior year she played both forward and defense, showcasing her adaptability in the sport.
Alpine Skiing
Paula Moltzan
Paula Moltzan is a slalom and giant slalom specialist from Prior Lake. She started skiing at Buck Hill, where Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn learned to ski as well.
In 2015 she became the first U.S. woman to take home a gold in the junior world championships.
She has had a very successful last few years, leading the American slalom team in both Andorra and Slovenia and placing top 5 in Courchevel, France. Most recently, she secured a bronze medal in the giant slalom in the 2025 World Championships in Austria.
When Moltzan is not training, she works as a whitewater raft guide and has her own vegetable garden.
Along with her teammate Jacqueline Wiles, Moltzan secured a bronze medal in the new team combined race. Moltzan participated in the slalom half, while her teammate Wiles handled the downhill half.
Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn is a downhill and super-G specialist who was born in St. Paul before she moved to Colorado when she was 12.
On Jan. 30, she ruptured her ACL during a world cup competition in Switzerland but will still be competing in the Games.
A highly decorated skier, Vonn has secured 84 World Cup victories, including 45 downhill wins and 28 super-G. She is the first and only American woman to win an Olympic gold in downhill skiing.
Known for her resilience, she has dealt with serious injuries throughout her career leading to a retirement in 2019, but has since made a strong comeback, landing second place in the super-G in the last Alpine Ski World Cup.
On Feb. 8, after successful practice runs, Vonn clipped a gate during her first race and lost control, crashing and breaking her leg with in the first 12.5 seconds of her run.
Cross-Country Skiing
Jessie Diggins
The most decorated cross-country skier in the U.S. is returning to the games after claiming a silver in the 30km freestyle and bronze in the sprint freestyle in the 2022 Olympics.
Diggins made history with Kikkan Randall in 2018 as a part of the first American team to take home a gold medal in cross country skiing.
Diggins is an advocate for multiple philanthropic organizations including The Emily Program, an eating disorder treatment center; Girls Forward Foundation, a nonprofit that helps young girls get involved in sports; and Protect our Winters, an anti-climate change organization.
Diggins battled through injury to claim bronze Thursday in the women’s 10‑kilometer interval start.
Zak Ketterson
Zak Ketterson, who grew up in Bloomington and attended Northern Michigan University, recently joined the team USA Cross Country Ski Team.
A major highlight of Ketterson’s career was in 2022 when he competed with Olympic regulars Rosie Brennan, Scott Patterson and Jessie Diggins in the world cup mixed relay in Falun, Sweden. Skiing the second leg, his team took home the gold, earning him the Jessie Diggins Award and marking the first time an American team has won a gold medal at a world cup.
Para-Nordic Skiing
Max Nelson
Max Nelson is a visually-impaired skier who made his first Olympic appearance as the youngest on the Nordic skiing team in Beijing 2022. Fighting brain cancer and a retinal disease, he has had a rougher journey than many to the Olympics.
He is from Grant and attended Mahtomedi Highschool, graduating in 2022. In 2021 he won a high school conference race against sighted skiers.
Outside of skiing Nelson enjoys playing piano.
Sydney Peterson
Returning to her second Paralympic Games, Sydney Peterson has set a high bar for herself. In the 2022 Beijing Paralympics she competed in four events and nabbed a medal for three of them.
In addition to her gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals, she has an impressive world championship record, earning seven medals in the last four years.
Peterson, who is from Lake Elmo, graduated from St. Lawrence University with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. Now, her goal is to get a Ph.D. in neuroscience.
Speedskating
Giorgia Birkeland
Giorgia Birkeland grew up in White Bear Lake who from 2020-25 competed on the national long track team.
She competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics after winning in the Olympic trials qualifying race. She went on to place 12th in the finals at Beijing.
Birkeland was born in Scandiano, Italy. In her free time, she likes to ski and paint.
Greta Myers
A hockey player for 12 years, Greta Myers eventually switched to speed skating when she was 12 after being approached by a coach from her club. The Lino Lakes native eventually became the first American woman in 20 years to win an all-around medal at the World junior Championships in 2023.
In 2025 she placed fifth in team pursuit, 15th in the mass start, and 20th in the 1,500 meter.
This is her first time competing in the Olympic Games.
Snowboarding
Iris Pflum
Iris Pflum is a parallel giant slalom snowboarder from Minneapolis.
She trains with the G Team Snowboard and Freestyle Club at Buck Hill and Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area.
In 2025, she and Walker Overstake grabbed third place in the mixed team parallel giant slalom quarterfinals, upsetting Italian athletes Maurizio Bormolini and Elisa Caffont. In the finals they landed a bronze, just barely beating Slovenia.
This is Pflum’s Olympic debut.
MPR News senior producer Aleesa Kuznetsov, digital producer Matt Mikus and digital editor Anna Haecherl contributed to this report.
