KSL at the Games: Competition kicks off, with Utahns among center of Milan-Cortina Olympics

AT THE GAMES — The games of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, are officially underway following Friday's opening ceremonies.

Top musicians like acclaimed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and five-time Grammy Award-winner Mariah Carey, as well as figures in global politics, art, history and culture, helped usher in competition for thousands representing hundreds of countries over the next month at Milan's San Siro Stadium.

The night was capped by the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons — one in Milan and one in Cortina — for the first time in the Winter Games' history.

Welcome to KSL at the Games, where we highlight some of Utah's athletes, officials and residents' impact on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

2026 Winter Olympics

Here are the 83 athletes with ties to Utah at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Here's the complete list of athletes with Utah ties, courtesy of the Utah Sports Commission.

Utahns lead Team USA into the Games

One of the two athletes chosen to lead the United States' delegation into the Winter Olympics credits Utah for playing a key role in her history-making career in short track speedskating.

Erin Jackson, who lives in Utah and trains at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, joined bobsledder Frank Del Duca in carrying the Team USA flag Friday into the Opening Ceremonies.

Jackson is competing in her third Olympics, and the Ocala, Florida, native made history as the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic speedskating gold medal with her 500-meter finish in Beijing in 2022. But the Salt Lake Community College graduate who is currently pursing a degree in business and kinesiology from the college credits Utah for making her the athlete she is today.

"Utah has given me a place to train, to learn and to belong," she said Tuesday during a presentation with Utah's 2034 organizing committee in front of the International Olympic Committee. "It's a community that understands athletes."

In addition to the hundreds of athletes that marched in with her — 82 of whom have ties to Utah — Jackson marched next to fellow speedskater Kristen Santos-Griswold, who moved to Salt Lake City from Fairfield, Connecticut, as a teenager and earned a degree from the University of Utah.

Also among the first athletes to march into the San Siro — because Olympic organizers introduce athletes by country in alphabetical order — was former University of Utah student Fayik Abdi.

The Saudi-born, San Diego-raised former Utahn was the first athlete to represent Saudi Arabia (or "Arabia Saudita," in Italian) when the alpine skier debuted in giant slalom four years ago, and was one of two athletes from his home country to qualify for Milan-Cortina.

Vonn impresses while testing injured knee in training run

Park City resident Lindsey Vonn, who is attempting an Olympic comeback at 41, made waves as she tested out the recently ruptured ACL in her left knee during a training run before Friday's Opening Ceremonies.

The three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion alpine skier had a partial titanium replacement surgery in her right knee in April of 2024 before returning from short-lived retirement to make another run at an Olympic medal. But the part-owner and investor in Utah Royals FC tore the ACL in her left knee during a crash last week in Switzerland.

Vonn opted not to have surgery, and took her downhill training run Friday wearing a large brace, and zooming to the finish that unofficially finished 11th on the Olympia delle Tofane course two days before the race.

Her time was just 1.39 seconds behind American teammate Jacqueline Wiles, who is considered one of the top medal threats with two career podium finishes.

US hockey star hoping to grow game in Utah

Downhill skiing kicks off in two days, but early competition has already begun in sports like curling and figure skating — and the United States women's hockey team opened the tournament Friday with a 5-1 win over Czechia.

With more Utahns than ever likely turning to the sport due to the popularity of the NHL's Utah Mammoth, U.S. captain Hilary Knight is eager to help grow the game in the NHL's newest market.

The 36-year-old native of Sun Valley, Idaho plays for the Seattle Torrent in the PWHL, but she shares a home in Salt Lake City with her partner, Team USA speedskater Brittany Bowe. She even took part in last summer's "Girls Day" series of clinics at the Olympic Oval aimed at growing the game among young Utahns alongside the Mammoth.

"The bug is very strong," Knight told KSL-TV's Sam Farnsworth after becoming the first American hockey player to play in five Olympics. "It's awesome to see Mammoth fans show up and show out. The all-girls clinic is super special; I remember when I was that age, and to have the opportunity to play and experience the game, to feel a part of the hockey community, is really important."

The United States continues preliminary round play Saturday against Finland (8:40 a.m. MST, USA).

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