Black Olympians On Team USA At Milano Cortina 2026

When Team USA heads to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the delegation will include more than 230 athletes competing across dozens of events. At least ten of them are Black.

That number reflects a long-standing reality in winter sports, where participation has historically been shaped by access to ice time, training facilities, geographic proximity, and cost — barriers that have limited who gets to compete at the highest levels.

Still, those athletes earned their places on Team USA through world-class performance and persistence. They will represent the United States across speed skating, bobsled, skeleton, ice hockey, and Paralympic sled hockey — disciplines that demand speed, strength, and precision.

As the Games unfold in Italy, these athletes will take the ice not just as competitors, but as part of a small group continuing to expand visibility in sports where Black representation remains the exception, not the norm.

Get to know the Black athletes on Team USA, and see when they're competing.

Erin Jackson — Long-Track Speed Skating

Events: 500m, 1000m

When: 1000m: Feb. 9; 500m: Feb. 15

Already etched into Olympic history, Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win gold in an individual Winter Olympic event at the Beijing Games. In Milan, she returns as both a medal favorite and a veteran presence on the U.S. speed skating team. Known for her explosive starts and calm under pressure, Jackson continues to redefine who belongs on the fastest ice in the world.

Elana Meyers Taylor — Bobsled & Monobob

Events: Two-Woman Bobsled, Monobob

When: Women’s Monobob: Feb. 15 - Feb.16; Two-Woman Bobsled: Feb. 20 - Feb. 21

A four-time Olympic medalist and one of the most decorated Black winter athletes in U.S. history, Elana Meyers Taylor competes in her fifth Winter Olympics with gold still eluding her. Expect her to be a medal threat in both the traditional two-woman bob and the newer monobob discipline — where speed, precision, and nerve converge down the icy track

Kaysha Love — Bobsled & Monobob

Events: Two-Woman Bobsled, Monobob

When: Women’s Monobob: Feb. 15 – Feb. 16; Two-Woman Bobsled: Friday, Feb. 20 – Saturday, Feb. 21

A former collegiate sprinter turned elite bobsled pilot, Kaysha Love has emerged as a serious contender on the world stage. Her rapid rise through the bobsled ranks highlights both her talent and how often athletes of color find their way into winter sports through unconventional paths.

Mystique Ro — Skeleton

Events: Women’s Skeleton

When: Women's Skeleton: Feb. 13 - Feb. 14; Mixed Team: Feb. 15

Skeleton is one of the most extreme sports at the Winter Games — athletes hurtle head-first down icy tracks at highway speeds. Mystique Ro’s presence in Milan adds representation in a discipline where Black athletes are nearly absent, reinforcing just how wide the access gap remains across winter sport disciplines.

Laila Edwards — Women’s Ice Hockey

Events: Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament

When: Prelim Rounds: Feb. 7, Feb. 9, Feb. 10, Feb. 13

Laila Edwards enters the Olympic spotlight as the first Black woman to represent Team USA in Olympic ice hockey. Her selection marks a historic moment — one that speaks both to progress and to how long it has taken for that barrier to finally break.

Azaria Hill —Bobsled

Events: Two-Woman Bobsled

When: Two-Woman Bobsled: Friday, Feb. 20 – Saturday, Feb. 21

Azaria Hill’s road to the Winter Games is athletic destiny and pure grind. She’s the daughter of two Olympic medalists — and she built her own lane from sprinting to bobsled, earning a spot as a two-woman brakeman.

Jasmine Jones — Bobsled

Events: Two-Woman Bobsled

When: Two-Woman Bobsled: Friday, Feb. 20 – Saturday, Feb. 21

Jasmine Jones is another track-to-ice success story — built for explosive starts, and now one of the athletes helping power Team USA’s sleds down the track in Cortina.

Bryan Sosoo — Bobsled

Events: Four-Man Bobsled

When: Four-Man Bobsled: Feb. 21–22

Bryan Sosoo will make his Olympic debut with Team USA in bobsled at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina. He was born in Ghana and grew up largely in Maryland before switching from track & field to bobsled.

Kelly Curtis — Skeleton

Events: Skeleton

When: Women's Heat: Feb. 23-24

Kelly Olympic made her Olympic debut four years ago, becoming the first Black athlete to represent the U.S. in skeleton at the Olympics.

Starr Andrews — Figure Skating

Starr Andrews is an alternate for the U.S. figure skating team in Milano Cortina. While not in the primary, top-three lineup for the women's singles event, she serves as a third alternate. 

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