The 2024 Summer Olympics ended three months ago in August and while that great tournament has simmered down, the 2026 Winter Olympics is coming around the corner. As the 2024-25 winter season approaches, many athletes are already beginning their campaigns to qualify to compete in Italy. The competition is ramping up in many of the upcoming sports and for the next year, events and tournaments of all kinds will be taking place across the world. Some of these tournaments will be taking place in the United States, a nation that hosts many athletes looking for their shot at not only qualification but at winning medals for their country in 2026.
For starters, the United States’ teams for both men and women have already qualified for the ice hockey event followed by their respective IIHF (International Ice Hockey Foundation) World Ranking.
Last month, in October, from the 18th to the 20th, the beginning of the 2024-25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating took place in Allen, Texas. 2024 Skate America was the first of six events across the world leading up to the Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France from December 5 to December 8. At 2024 Skate America, American figure skater Ilia Malinin scored first place in men’s singles and Isabeau Levito scored third in women’s singles.
For the pairs, Ellie Kam and Daniel O’Shea placed second while Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov placed third for the United States. Madison Chock and Evan Bates also scored second place in ice dance. With 2024 Finlandia Trophy and 2024 Cup of China still yet to be finished, the United States currently has 12 medals in total across the previous events leading up to the Grand Prix Final.
The FIS Alpine World Cup season kicked off on October 26, 202,4 in Sölden, Austria and as of now, the second event in Levi, Finland has just concluded. Among some of the biggest news coming out of the early events are American skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn.
As the World Cup season edges closer to Beaver Creek, Colorado in mid-December, Colorado’s own Mikaela Shiffrin won her 98th World Cup race in Finland. With this record-extending victory, she now has the chance to reach 100 World Cup wins by the time the season enters the United States in Killington, Vermont on November 30th.
On November 14, 2024, it was announced by three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn that she would be coming out of retirement to compete for the United States ski team once again. It has been five years since Vonn announced her retirement, but with the big return to skiing during the World Cup season, one could be hopeful for her to participate in the Olympics in 2026.
On her Instagram, Vonn hinted at returning to Beaver Creek, Colorado, where the downhill and super giant slalom events will take place. It will be a two-day event on the 14th and 15th of December. With news of Lindsey Vonn coming back and Mikaela Shiffrin continuing to extend her record, the future looks bright for the United States’ skiing team as the 2026 Winter Olympics approaches.
