7 US Athletes to Watch at the Olympics

The Olympics are underway and among the talented pool of US athletes competing across 32 sports are a figure skating "god" with insane odds of winning gold, a young speedskater with a shot at five medals, and a legendary skier pushing on despite a banged-up knee. Seven US athletes to watch:

• Campbell Wright, biathlon: The 23-year-old, born and raised in New Zealand to American parents, hopes to become the first American to claim a medal in biathlon, per the New York Times. He picked up two silvers (in sprint and pursuit) at the 2025 world championships, followed by another in this season's World Cup competition.
• Ilia Malinin, figure skating: Dubbed the "Quad God" for his frequent quadruple jumps, the 21-year-old from the DC-area has a 99.01% implied probability of winning gold, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook, which is "almost unheard of at the Olympics," per Sports Illustrated.
• Chloe Kim, snowboarding: Already a legend at 25, she's aiming for her third consecutive Olympic gold in the halfpipe. A 2024 world champion in halfpipe, she remains strong despite suffering an injury earlier this season.
• Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine skiing: The 30-year-old is ready for a comeback. She won gold at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics but was left off the podium in 2022 after a devastating series of crashes. The Times reports she's now "in top form in slalom."

• Lindsey Vonn, Alpine skiing: The 41-year-old tore an ACL less than a week ago. So what is she doing at the Olympics? Looking for gold, of course. "As many times as I crash, I've always gotten back up. As many times as I've failed, I've always won," the three-time Olympic medalist tells USA Today. Her last Olympic medal, a bronze, came in 2018.
• Jordan Stolz, speed skating: At just 21, he's considered "the best speed skater in the world," per the Times, having won World Cup titles in the 500, 1,000, and 1,500-meter events for two years in a row. It's not out of the question that he could win five gold medals at these games, which hasn't happened since 1980, per the CBC.
• Jessie Diggins, cross-country skiing: "One of the most physically gifted cross-country skiers in US history," per NPR, the 34-year-old knows how to dig deep. She suspects she had food poisoning at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, yet still managed to win a silver medal hours after rolling out of bed, the Times reports. The Guardian reports she "could leave Italy with more medals than anyone else in the US delegation."