While the United States has largely dominated the Summer Olympics — topping the overall medal table 19 times — the Winter Olympics are a slightly different story.
Norway is the all-time medal leader in winter competition, and at the 2022 Games in Beijing, the U.S. finished third in the medal count, behind first-place Norway and second-place Germany.
For the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, here are the events in which Americans are most likely to take home some hardware.
Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing was the event most kind to Americans in 2022, as the United States won a total of eight medals across the competitions.
Alex Hall will be defending his gold medal in the men’s slopestyle, while the U.S. will also be looking to repeat gold in mixed team aerials.
There were also four silver medalists, including Jaelin Kauf in women’s moguls, Colby Stevenson in men’s big air and David Wise in men’s halfpipe. Kauf, Stevenson and Wise are all set to return to the Games next year.
Nick Goepper also won silver in men’s slopestyle, but he has retired from that competition and will switch to halfpipe in Italy.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding was arguably the U.S.’ best event in Beijing, as the country took home three gold medals, the most of any discipline.
The headliner will be Chloe Kim, who in 2018 became the youngest woman to win a snowboarding gold medal when she won at 17 years old in the women’s halfpipe.
Lindsey Jacobellis won two golds: a solo one in snowboard cross and a team win with Nick Baumgartner in mixed snowboard cross.
Baumgartner, 43, and Jacobellis, 40, are the elder statespeople of the group. While Baumgartner is training for his fifth Olympics, Jacobellis’ participation is up in the air after she had a child earlier this year.
Figure skating
The U.S. won three medals in figure skating in 2022, but one of its most decorated skaters won’t be defending his title in Italy.
Nathan Chen, who won gold in both men’s singles and the team event, won’t compete in 2026 as he has decided to pursue medical school instead.
“I just want to open doors to kind of see what’s the best sort of approach for me,” Chen told the Los Angeles Times in August. “And frankly, at this point in time in my life, I’ve already accomplished enough in skating that I’m quite satisfied with my career.”
The States will still be looking to defend its team title, which includes wife and husband Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
The ice dance team of Zachary Donohue and Madison Hubbell, who won bronze and participated in the team event, won’t be returning after retiring from competition in 2022.
Some youthful faces should be in their skating prime, however: Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn will both be coming off championships in 2025, while Ilia Malinin — the only skater to land a fully rotated quadruple axel — will be participating in his first Olympics.
Bobsleigh
Or as you probably know it, bobsled, was responsible for three American medals in Beijing.
Two women took home hardware in monobob. Elana Meyers Taylor won silver, while Kaillie Humphries — who competed for Canada in 2010, 2014 and 2018 — won gold.
Humphries became a naturalized American citizen shortly before the 2022 Games. She stopped competing for Canada after filing a harassment complaint in 2018.
Meyers Taylor, who will be participating in her fifth Olympics in 2026, also won bronze in the two-woman with Sylvia Hoffman.
Cross-country skiing, Alpine skiing and ice hockey
The U.S. won four medals across these three disciplines, though they should receive a boost in 2026.
Lindsey Vonn, who has three Olympic medals, is returning to Alpine skiing. She retired from competition in 2019 after suffering several injuries, but resumed her career late last year.
Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine skiing’s most decorated athlete, is looking to return to the podium in 2026. She won golds in 2014 and 2018 but uncharacteristically struggled in Beijing. Shiffrin is still working her way back to her athletic peak after suffering a serious injury last November.
In ice hockey, the United States women will be looking for redemption after winning silver in 2022. The men, who did not make the podium in Beijing, will have some reinforcements next year as NHL players will be returning to the Games for the first time since 2014.