TEAM USA HEADS TO ITALY

As the 2026 Winter Olympics begin, America's top athletes reveal what it really takes to rise — and recover — on sport's biggest stage

- By DANIEL TRAINOR

The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here — and Team USA is arriving in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. As the world's best athletes descend on Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin's can't-miss moment in men's figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin's long-awaited redemption tour on the slopes, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates chasing gold as newlyweds in their fourth Olympic Games together.

With pressure mounting and history on the line, these athletes aren't just competing for medals — they're skating, skiing and sliding into some of the most defining moments of their careers. Us Weekly spoke exclusively to some of Team USA's biggest stars as they prepare to take center stage when the Milano Cortina Games kick off Feb. 6.

Redemption Mode

Some of the most powerful Olympic stories are born from heartbreak. In 2022, Mikaela Shiffrin arrived in Beijing as a heavy favorite, expected to dominate the slopes.

Instead, she suffered a stunning series of DNFs (Did Not Finish) and left without a medal. "A lot of people who were tuning into Mikaela Shiffrin for her biggest race were tuning in when I didn't win a medal," Shiffrin tells Us. "They were saying, 'Don't even come home. You failed us.

You didn't bring home any gold."" The emotional weight of that moment has stayed with her - and reshaped her perspective heading into 2026.

"That's the hardest thing or the most loaded thing, and I'm very aware of it now, emotionally and mentally," she continues. "The hurdle I've been working on with my team and with my psychologist and with my family and everybody around me is: We could go to these Games and we could do everything right, and it could still go wrong." Now, coming off a dominant season that saw her make World Cup history, Shiffrin, 30, is embracing a different mindset.