Stars, Snubs & Surprise Debuts: Inside the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team Reveal

The envelope, please

Colorado Springs, CO — In a low-lit ballroom packed with parents, coaches and a sprinkling of Hollywood agents, U.S. Olympic officials ripped open the proverbial envelope Tuesday and read the 222 names that will wear the red, white and blue in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo next February.

The announcement, streamed live to 3.7 million viewers on NBC’s Peacock, ended months of speculation over who survived the most data-driven selection process in Team USA history. Analytics staff leaned on everything from split-second reaction times to sleep-tracking scores, leaving several veteran medalists on the outside looking in.

The headline makers

• Nathan Chen is back. The three-time world figure-skating champion effectively retired after Beijing 2022, but a private text to high-performance director Mitch Moyer last October—“I miss the grind”—set a comeback in motion. Chen outscored the field by 24 points at nationals and secured the men’s singles slot.
• Sha’Carri Richardson won’t be on the track this time; she’ll be on the bobsleigh. The sprinter’s 0-to-30 m acceleration data convinced USA Bobsled selectors she could push a 400-pound sled faster than any returning brakewoman.
• 16-year-old Alina Scott became the youngest snowboarder ever named to a U.S. Olympic roster, bumping 2018 bronze medalist Zoe Vernier who, despite ranking No. 2 on the World Cup circuit, missed the team by 0.04 points in the new “pressure-score” metric.

The numbers game

For the first time, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) published its selection algorithm in the name of transparency. Athletes earned composite scores weighted 60 % on results, 25 % on current season form, 10 % on teammate-dependant strategic value and 5 % on health metrics. The formula vaulted some outsiders—like curling’s 43-year-old dentist Pete “Dr. Pete” Langland—onto the roster while squeezing out big names.

“We promised objectivity,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “When the math is the tiebreaker, the story writes itself.”

Heartbreak hotel

Two-time gold-winning downhill skier Mikaela Shiffrin will race in Italy, but her longtime teammate and friend Breezy Johnson was left off after tearing her ACL in December. Johnson’s petition for a medical waiver fell one vote short in a 7-6 USOPC board decision.

Elana Meyers Taylor, the most decorated U.S. bobsled pilot of all time, announced her own omission on Instagram before officials took the stage. “The sport I love has moved on,” she wrote. “Time for me to do the same.”

What’s next

The squad—featuring 115 returning Olympians and 107 rookies—will reconvene in January for a high-altitude training camp in Valle di Casies, Italy. With 100 days until the Opening Ceremony, bookmakers already list Team USA as the favorite to top the medal table at 34 overall, three ahead of Norway.

Back in Colorado, parents wiped away tears as the last name was read. Phones lit up with Venmo requests for plane tickets, and a new generation of Winter Olympians began updating their bios.

The roster is out. Let the countdown begin.