With each pass Olympic Games, there is something new to recommend. Often, it’s the cool costumes at the opening ceremony, or the new cauldron of the Olympic flame, or maybe the new stadium that the host city won’t use in 10 years. Then there are the brand new records set during each Games, jaw-dropping examples of human strength, talent, and mind-melting perseverance.
But for the 2026 Winter Olympics, some of the most notable firsts came from the Olympic Village rather than the individual venues. They are the ones who push their sports forward and make history in this tournament. Here are 12 athletes who will make history at this year’s Winter Olympics.
Sports: Figure Skating
Amber Glenn, one of the most interesting and versatile figure skaters in recent history, has already collected three US national titles and one Grand Prix Final champion. Openly pansexual, he is known to take victory laps adorned with the Pride flag. Glenn also talks openly about his mental health issues and ADHD. (He’s also a huge fan of Star Wars, Pokémon, and Magic: The Gathering.) While his Madonna-themed short show is well worth watching, his 2024 show performance set to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” is even better.
Notable quote: “The fear of not being accepted is a big struggle for me [going through] ‘just a phase’ or [being] ‘Insecurities’ are common for bisexual/sexual women. I don’t want to put my sexuality in front of people, but I also don’t want to hide who I am.” -Amber Glenn in The Dallas Voice
Sports: ice hockey
When you (or anyone watching Hot Competition) think “hockey player,” the image that comes to mind is that of a burly Russo-Canadian, quick with his skirt and his stick but missing a few teeth. Laila Edwards is anything but. As the first black woman to play on the US Olympic hockey team, Edwards is breaking new ground. She’s getting a little help along the way, too, with fellow Cleveland Heights, Ohio natives Travis and Jason Kelce donating $10,000 to a GoFundMe the Edwards family set up to pay for their daughter’s trip to the games.
Notable quote: “Walking into the rink and having someone say ‘that’s the basketball court,’ who knows about microaggression, taught me lessons and made me grow a thick skin in a game dominated by white people.” -Laila Edwards on TV station KARE 11
Sports: Alpine Skiing
At just 17 years old, Tallulah Proulx is already breaking records, becoming not only the first Filipina to ever qualify for the Winter Olympics but also the youngest Filipino ever to qualify. Although born in California and now living in Utah, Proulx is competing in the Games under the flag of the Philippines. Although she’s unlikely to medal, having finished 16th at the Asian Winter Games, her slalom and giant slalom runs in Milano—and her entry in the middle of the opening event—should be one to watch.
Notable quote: “I’m really happy, and I hope I can be an example to other young Filipina girls and Filipinas in general.” -Tallulah Proulx on ABS-CBN News in the Philippines
Kim Meylemans and Nicole Silveira, and Anna Kjellbin and Ronja Savolainen
Sports: Skeleton (Meylemans and Silveira), Ice Hockey (Kjellbin and Savolainen)
OK, sure, maybe the wives have played against opposing teams in the Olympics before, but the fact that two women’s teams competing against each other at the 2026 Winter Games feels monumental. In the skeleton competition, it is Kim Meylemans from Belgium who wants to do better than her partner, Nicole Silveira from Brazil. In the ice hockey rink, it will be Anna Kjellbin’s Swedish team looking to get past wife Ronja Savolainen’s Finnish team. And for Meylemans and Silveira, going out and competing during these games is more than just a great story. As the couple wrote on Instagram, “With the Games in Italy and the current Italian government making decisions/laws that hurt the LGBTQ+ community (read about it if you can believe it), it feels so special to compete as a married couple and shine a light on marriage equality while doing so.”
