MILAN, Italy (KMVT/KSVT) — Nine athletes with ties to the Gem State will be heading to Milan, Italy, to represent the United States in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Five of the nine Olympians call the Wood River Valley home while the other four are evenly spread across the Treasure Valley and Eastern Idaho.
HILARY KNIGHT, Sun Valley, Ice Hockey
The captain of Team USA women’s hockey, Sun Valley native Hilary Knight, is set to compete in her fifth and final Olympic Games. Knight’s Olympic career is highlighted by a gold medal in 2018, as well as three silvers in 2010, 2014 and 2022.
Knight is widely regarded as one of the greatest U.S. women’s hockey players ever and she is one goal away from tying the Olympic record of 14 goals in the history of the women’s tournament.
CHASE JOSEY, Hailey, Snowboard Half-Pipe
Chase Josey is making his third appearance at the Winter Games after taking sixth in Pyeongchang in 2018 and seventh in Beijing in 2022.
The 30-year-old graduated from Sun Valley Community School in 2013 and is an alumnus of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF).
JAKE ADICOFF, Sun Valley, Para Nordic Skiing
Jake Adicoff is set to compete in his fourth Paralympic Games this year and joins Knight as the only other Idahoan to head to Italy with a gold medal already to their name as he won it in 2022 in the 4 x 2.5 kilometer relay.
Adicoff has three other silver medals to his name and is one of the Gem State’s most decorated athletes. A SVSEF alumnus, he will be joined in Milan by his guides, Peter Wolter (of Hailey) and Reid Goble, as he competes in the visually impaired category.
RYDER SARCHETT, Ketchum, Alpine Skiing- Giant Slalom
Ryder Sarchett is a 22-year-old making his first Olympic appearance after qualifying in December 2025 in France, just weeks after securing his first World Cup points.
Sarchett, like many others on this list, is a SVSEF alumnus and has accomplished much already, including the junior world championship giant slalom title in 2024 as well as an NCAA team national championship with the University of Colorado Boulder.
JOHN STEEL HAGENBUCH, Sun Valley, Cross-Country Skiing- distance
Another first-time Olympian and SVSEF alumnus, John Steel Hagenbuch is a two-time NCAA champion in the 7.5-kilometer classic cross country race at Dartmouth College. He also earned All-American status by taking second place in both the 10-km freestyle and 20-km classic race at the NCAA Championships
DANI ARAVICH, Boise, Para Nordic Skiing & Biathlon
Boise native Dani Aravich will be heading to her third Paralympic Games, but her story is unique in that she also competed in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo before shifting over to the winter side of things in 2022. Aravich, nicknamed “Biathlon Bandit” according to her official Team USA bio, has never won a medal at the Paralympics, but she’s had two top 10 finishes, both in skiing.
SAMANTHA SMITH, Boise, Cross-Country Skiing- sprint
Samantha Smith, 20, is a Division I soccer player for Stanford University, one of the nation’s top programs, alongside her Olympic-level cross-country career. Smith will be competing in the sprint events of cross-country skiing looking to pick up her first Olympic medal.
BREEZY JOHNSON, Victor, Alpine Skiing- Downhill & Super-G & Team Combined
Breezy Johnson is making her second Olympics after being forced to withdraw in 2022 due to an injury. However, she bounced back in a big way, winning the women’s downhill world title at the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships.
Johnson is considered one of the top contenders for gold in the downhill event and is coming off her first career Super-G podium last weekend in Switzerland.
JAELIN KAUF, Teton Valley, Freestyle Skiing- Moguls & Dual Moguls
Jaelin Kauf won the silver medal in moguls at the 2022 games in Beijing. She is the reigning dual moguls FIS world champion. Dual moguls is an event making its debut at this year’s Games, so Kauf will have an advantage entering as the champion.
This will be her third Olympic Games after debuting in 2018, and she is considered one of the best mogul skiers in the world.
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