This year, Team USA will send 23 athletes with New York ties to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. It’s not surprising that one in ten Olympians have passed through New York, home of the country’s most populous city.
But most winter athletes get their training in upstate – and one town in particular stands out among the rest. Nearly two-thirds of those who will represent the U.S. in luge, as well as a few bobsledders, currently reside in and around Lake Placid.
Host city to the 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid still houses myriad winter sports facilities – including USA Luge training facilities. It was even considered as a backup option for sliding events at this year’s Olympics.
Outside of this upstate hamlet, a couple athletes reside in nearby Ray Brook and Massena. Several Team USA members were born in other New York towns, including the Big Apple, but have since transplanted to the mountains.
Team USA athletes with ties to New York
Athletes in the grid below have lived in New York at one point or another. Click on an athlete to learn more about them.
Nationwide, Utah unsurprisingly leads the pack, at a whopping 61 athlete ties. But New York comes in sixth, following the aforementioned Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts and California.
Search for athlete ties to towns and universities across the country using the interactive map below.