With just nineteen days before the opening ceremony in Milan, Team USA is finalizing its preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The American contingent will include top athletes from various sports, like Lindsey Vonn, Ilia Malinin, and more, ready to bring that gleaming gold medal for their country. But in their midst will also be some seasoned veterans.

As athletes practice in these final days leading up to the major event, as reported by USA Today, President Donald Trump announced a US delegation to attend the February 6 opening ceremony. This team led by Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance, will include iconic American Olympic champions whose very stories could serve as inspiration for the current competitors.

It includes the Lamoureux twins, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, part of one of Team USA’s most dramatic modern victories. The sisters helped end a twenty-year gold medal drought for Team USA women’s hockey at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, where they dethroned Canada.

The sisters will be joined by two legends from the skating world.

Apolo Ohno, who earned eight medals in short track speed skating, including golds in 2002 and 2006, and figure skater Evan Lysacek, the 2010 Olympic champion, complete this US delegation who are set to witness a unique opening ceremony.

For the first time at a Winter Olympics, the traditional Parade of Nations will unfold simultaneously across four locations: Milan’s famed San Siro stadium and the mountain venues of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Predazzo, and Livigno. With all this, the stage at Milano-Cortina is ready for Team USA to shine.

Team USA’s medal chances are abundant at the upcoming Winter Olympics

At Beijing 2022, Norway took the top spot with a total of 37 medals, which included 16 golds, and then came Germany with a total of 27 medals, which included 12 golds. The United States came in third with just 25 medals (9 golds), and this time at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the team will look forward to standing at the top of the medal podium.

After falling behind for so long, the U.S. figure skaters are expected to end a 20-year singles medal drought in the women’s event. The team consists of Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu, and Isabeau Levito.

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Glenn, who recently won nationals with 233.55 points, said, “That’s the most intense I’ve reacted to any skate ever.” Following her was Liu in second with 228.91 points and Levito in third with 224.45 points.

Of the three, Glenn, with her triple Axels and Liu, the reigning world and Grand Prix champion, remain strong contenders for gold, while Levito, on her day, is a dark horse for the podium amidst a truly stacked women’s field.

Looking at the men’s side, the gold medal favorite, Ilia Malinin, is ready for his first Olympic Games, alongside Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov, who had an emotional qualification a year after his parents’ tragic death in the Potomac River crash.

In ice dance, the gold medal is Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ to lose, though France’s Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and reigning Olympic champion Guillaume Cizeron are expected to pose stiff competition for the top spot.

Apart from skating, in alpine skiing, Team USA has Lindsey Vonn, who is preparing for her comeback in the Winter Olympics, and she has already secured two World Cup wins in the current season. This also includes Mikaela Shiffrin, who is looking for her retribution as she returned home empty-handed from Beijing.

So, with such legends in the U.S. delegation at the opening ceremony, it will have a positive effect on the participating athletes, as they will be motivated to bring glory to their nation at the Winter Olympics.