With the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics around the corner, it’s a tradition for nations to select their flag bearers for the auspicious occasion of the Opening Ceremony Parade of nations. Every time, Team USA, with their unique charm of dominance in the events, fills the air with excitement. But as of now, there’s no representative from the nation confirmed for the grand event.

Despite the absence of an official announcement from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the event will showcase numerous icons from various sports. As reported by the Olympic Games, there are six flag bearers, and the list starts from Brazilian gymnastics icon Rebecca Andrade to cross-country ski legend Franco Nones.

Simone Biles’ biggest ‘rival’: Rebeca Andrade

Rebeca Andrade’s journey to success is just historic. She became Brazil’s first female gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the vault. Furthermore, in her career, she added a gold Olympic gold in the floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Games.

The rest of her accolade collection includes four more Olympic medals (three silver, one bronze), nine World Championship medals (three gold, four silver, two bronze), four Pan American Games medals (two gold, two silver), and six Pan American Championships medals (four gold, two silver).

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Andrade is a respectable individual even among her competitors. At the Paris Olympics, when she won the floor exercise gold medal, during the podium, both Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowed to her.

“I’ve never had an athlete that close, so it definitely put me on my toes. It brought out the best athlete in myself, so I’m excited and proud to compete with her,” Biles said about her rival. Similarly, Chiles added, “Why don’t we just give her flowers? Not only has she given Simone her flowers, but a lot of us in the United States, our flowers as well. So giving it back is what makes it so beautiful. I felt like it was needed.”

One of the fastest marathon runners: Eliud Kipchoge

In track and field, Eliud Kipchoge’s name echoes throughout the fans. And he will be another flag bearer at the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Being a national icon in Kenya, his accolades are staggering.

Kipchoge is a back-to-back Olympic gold medalist in the marathon category, winning the gleaming medal at the Rio Games in 2016 and again at the Tokyo Games. He was also the first person to ever run a marathon under two hours, which he achieved in Vienna’s Prater park, where he ran 4.4 laps of the Hauptallee in 1:59:40. This achievement was also recognized by the Guinness World Records. However, there’s much more in his athletic career.

Apart from the two golds in the Olympics, he achieved a silver and a bronze in the Games, two World Championship medals (one gold, one silver), one World Indoor bronze medal, one Commonwealth Games silver medal, a World Cross Country Championship title, and 12 World Marathon Majors (eleven gold, one silver).

Tonga’s multi-sport talent: Pita Taufatofua

Tonga’s Pita Taufatofua is often famed as the “Shirtless Tongan,” who is celebrated as a dedicated multi-sport Olympian whose perseverance and cultural pride extend far beyond his viral moments.

He represented his nation at three consecutive Olympic Games, but in a twist. Indeed, he isn’t just a Summer Olympian, but also a Winter Olympian. In taekwondo, he was at Rio and Tokyo, but at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, fans saw him as a cross-country skier.

Taufatofua’s athletic career is built purely out of resilience. Six broken bones, three torn ligaments, three months in a wheelchair, a year and a half on crutches, and hundreds of hours of physiotherapy describe his tough mentality.

Fought for both medals and citizenship: Cindy Ngamba

Cindy Ngamba’s story is one of those to motivate. Facing many challenges growing up, she flew from Cameroon to the United Kingdom as a child but then engaged in a prolonged fight for her citizenship.

She found boxing at the age of 15 and mentioned that it “helped me and my mental health.” Through the sport, she was able to build connections and train hard to reach the Olympic Games.

At the Paris Olympics, Ngamba represented the Refugee Olympic Team alongside over 30 athletes like her. Furthermore, she won a bronze medal in the middleweight category and also joined Team Great Britain’s Lewis Richardson during the celebrations.

That gesture from a fellow Olympian was emotional for her, as she said, “It meant the world to me. Lewis, me and many of the GB boxers have shared the ring. They always treated me just like a family, part of the boxing team. And to be able to share that moment with him, knowing what we have gone through, what he has gone through and what I’ve gone through, it was very emotional.”

A Winter Olympics star and a mother: Martina Valcepina

Martina Valcepina made history as Italy’s youngest-ever Olympian at the 2010 Vancouver Games at just 17 years and 258 days old. Since then, she has multiple accolades in her resume.

Once admiring athletes like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, she went on to secure three Olympic medals (two silver, one bronze), one World Championships bronze medal, one World Team Championships bronze medal, and 16 European Championships medals (four gold, seven silver, five bronze). But her biggest flex? Becoming a mother and still keeping up with sports.

“I discovered I was pregnant at the [2014] Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. After Sochi, I stepped away from the sport for two years as I felt I couldn’t be both a mother and an athlete. But I soon felt attracted to the sport again, and as my [twin] daughters [born in September 2014] got older, and with the help of my family, I gradually returned to full-time training,” she said.

“All of this would not be possible without my family’s help. Giving birth has taken away my anxieties, insecurities, agitation and timidity of the past. I’ve learnt to control my emotions more, and I have surprised myself with this new level of focus.”

‘Little blue guy’ not so tiny when it came to Winter Olympics accolades: Franco Nones

Franco Nones etched his name into Olympic history at the 1968 Grenoble Games. Known as the “Little Blue Guy” or the “Little Italian” because of his 1.7 meter (5 foot 5 inches) stature, Nones achieved a stunning victory that was a turning point for the sport.

In the 30 km event, he became the first non-Scandinavian or non-Soviet male to win an Olympic cross-country skiing medal, as he secured the historic gold for Italy. His reaction to it? Quite normal.

“It was a beautiful day, the temperature was perfect, it was almost impossible to prepare the skis badly or incorrectly,” Nones once recalled. “At that point I knew that everything was going well and that sooner or later my opponent would have to fall back.”

Stories of these individuals, from Andrade to Nones, carry the spirit of every athlete and fan who will be present at the Winter Olympics in Milan.