The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are right around the corner—here are 16 Wisconsin Winter Olympians to cheer on.
As tough, cold, and snowy as Wisconsin winters can be, they sure do make ideal training grounds for future Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes. With a winter season that spans (at least) four to five months of the year (yes, false spring in April, we’re looking at you), it’s no surprise that winter sports feature some of Wisconsin’s finest athletes.
This year, there’s a healthy mix of returning athletes and those making their debut who have Wisconsin ties. Whether they call the Badger State their home or have gone to school here, we’re ready to cheer them on through ice, sleet, and snow in this year’s Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Laura Dwyer
Sport – Wheelchair Curling (Paralympics)
Wisconsin connection – Laura attended UW-Greenbay and is from Oconomowoc.
Fun fact – According to Team USA’s website, in the 2022 Paralympic Winter Beijing Games, she was the first female alternate. The success Laura and her partner Steve Emt experienced at the world championship allowed the US to qualify for this year’s Olympics, where mixed doubles wheelchair curling will debut. Mixed doubles only uses five stones, compared to the usual eight.
Steve Emt
Sport – Wheelchair Curling (Paralympics)
Wisconsin connection – Steve’s hometown is listed as DeForest.
Fun fact – Steve is a two-time Paralympian (2018 and 2022), who used to also be a walk-on basketball player for UConn. When he’s not on the ice, he’s an author and advocate against drunk driving who speaks to high school students around the country. Steve is the other half of the Dwyer-Emt team representing the US in the mixed doubles wheelchair curling event.
Deedra Irwin
Sport – Biathlon
Wisconsin connection – Deedra grew up in Pulaski (right outside of Green Bay).
Fun fact – Competing in the 2026 games is the second Olympic appearance for Deedra. In 2022, she set an American record by placing seventh in the biathlon event. Growing up so close to Green Bay, Deedra is, of course, a diehard Packers fan.
Dan Rose
Sport – Wheelchair Curling (Paralympics)
Wisconsin Connection – Dan’s hometown is in Tomah, and he attended UW-Eau Claire.
Fun fact – Dan is a U.S. Army Reserve veteran making his Olympic debut at the 2026 games this year. In 2018, he competed in several different sports during the 2018 National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
Matt Thums
Sport – Wheelchair Curling (Paralympics)
Wisconsin connection – Matt hails from Ogema, went to school at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, and currently calls Weston home.
Fun fact – Matt competed in the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing on a team that placed 5th and has competed in the World Championship for six years. Like many Wiscosinites, when Matt isn’t curling, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and camping.
Liam Cunningham
Sport – Sled Hockey (Paralympics)
Wisconsin connection – Liam grew up in River Falls.
Fun fact – Liam is making his Olympic Sled Hockey debut at just 17, but is already a pro at all things Para Hockey-related (literally, Liam already has two championships under his belt). Hockey is a family affair for the Cunningham’s—both Liam’s brothers play hockey for the U.S. Naval Academy.
Britta Curl-Salemme
Sport – Ice Hockey
Wisconsin connection – Britta attended UW-Madison.
Fun fact – Britta has been playing hockey for most of her life, notably for five seasons with UW-Madison. During her time as a Badger, she won three national championships, but Britta’s hockey story didn’t end there. In addition to making her Olympic debut this year, she also plays for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) with the Minnesota Frost.
Laila Edwards
Sport – Ice Hockey
Wisconsin connection – Laila attended UW-Madison.
Fun fact – Since 2023, Laila has achieved all sorts of records on the ice, including a 2025 gold medal and 2024 silver medal in the World Championship. She also became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. women’s hockey team in 2023, according to her profile on Team USA’s website.
Caroline Harvey
Sport – Ice Hockey
Wisconsin connection – Caroline attended UW-Madison.
Fun fact – Caroline first played ice hockey in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where her team won a silver medal. In the five years she’s played in the World Championship (2021-2025), her team has placed and taken home a medal every year.
Hilary Knight
Sport – Ice Hockey
Wisconsin connection – Hilary attended UW-Madison.
Fun fact – The 2026 Olympic Games will mark Hilary’s fifth time representing Team USA. Each of the last four Winter Games she’s been a part of her team has taken silver three times, and gold another. When she isn’t busy being a rockstar on the ice, she advocates for gender equity in sports and supports the PWHL.
Ava McNaughton
Sport – Ice Hockey
Wisconsin connection – UW-Madison
Fun fact – Since 2010, Ava has known ice hockey would have a special place in her future. As long as she’s been playing, Ava has been a goaltender—this will be her Olympic debut.
Paul Schommer
Sport – Biathlon
Wisconsin connection – Paul’s hometown is Appleton.
Fun fact – This will be Paul’s second trip to the Olympic Games (first participating in 2022), but he’s been a member of the U.S. Biathlon team since 2017.
Kirsten Simms
Sport – Ice Hockey
Wisconsin connection – Kirsten attended UW-Madison.
Fun fact – This year’s Olympic Games aren’t only special because it will be Kirsten’s debut, but because she’ll be playing alongside her Badger teammates, Laila, Caroline, and Ava (featured above).
Jordan Stolz
Sport – Speedskating
Wisconsin connection – Jordan calls Kewaskum home.
Fun fact – Early on, watching the 2010 Olympic Games inspired Jordan’s own Olympic dreams—he made his Olympic debut at 17 in the 2022 Beijing Games.
Emery Lehman
Sport – Speedskating
Wisconsin connection – Emery attended Marquette University (Milwaukee).
Fun fact – Emery is a three-time Olympian. His 2014 debut made him the youngest male U.S. speedskater at 17 (beating out Eric Heiden, also a Wisconsin native, by two days).
Marcus Mueller
Sport – Luge
Wisconsin connection – Marcus hails from Broofield.
Fun fact – Marcus and his luge partner, Ansel Haugsjaa, will be making their Olympic debut this year at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Previously, in 2024, they were Junior World Champions.
