VIRGINIA — Several athletes from Virginia will attend the Opening Ceremonies of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games Feb. 6. WYDaily compiled a list of those representing the commonwealth and how to watch their respective competitions.
Figure Skating
Ilia Malinin, a heavily-favored potential gold medalist from Vienna, will compete as a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Team. Malinin is one of the only skaters in the world to compete a quadruple axel and backflips during his programs.
A star on the ice, Malinin has three world championship medals, two gold from 2024 and 2025, and a bronze in 2023. He was the World Junior Champion in 2020 and 2022. He is also the reigning U.S. National Champion, having won the title four consecutive times from 2023-26.
Malinin said in an interview with U.S. Figure Skating that he is looking forward to competing in the events, sharing, “It’s such an amazing feeling. I worked so hard, especially after those 2022 nationals. It has such a huge meaning for me, being able to go there and follow in my parents’ footsteps, being two-time Olympians. It’s such an honor and I’m so excited for that experience.”
He is scheduled to compete in both the Figure Skating team event and the men’s skating events from Feb. 6-19 at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Speedskating
Brandon Kim, a native of Fairfax, has qualified for his first Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Short Track Speedskating Team. Originally exposed to the sport as a child during the 2010 Vancouver Games, he began speed skating at the age of nine.
Since then, Kim has earned medals at both the World Junior Short Track Speedskating Championships and the World Senior Short Track Speedskating Championships. He has claimed national titles in the 500m, 1,000m, and 1500m and recently broke a 13-year-old 500m record set by three-time Olympian J.R. Celski.
Kim took a year off from Stanford University to train for the 2026 Olympic Games. Upon graduation, he plans to attend medical school for either neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery.
Kim is scheduled to compete in the men’s short track events from Feb. 10-20 at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Sled Hockey
Evan Nichols, a Haymarket resident, will compete as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey team. A member of the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Sled Hockey team, Nichols was the youngest member on the roster at age 17. He helped secure the gold medal for the U.S. during the mixed event at the Beijing Games.
Born with Arthrogryposis and diagnosed at the age of five with Bilateral Perthes, Nichols had to learn how to walk seven different times as a child due to the multiple surgeries on his legs. He made the national team at the age of 17 before being named to the U.S. team for the Beijing Paralympics.
On the World Championship stage, Nichols was a member of the 2023 and 2024 national team. He won a gold medal in 2023 and a silver medal in 2024 as a member of the squad.
Nichols will compete for the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey team from March 7-15 at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Hockey
Jon Cooper, who coached the Norfolk Admirals during their stint in the AHL, was named head coach of Team Canada’s Olympic Hockey team in 2025.
Cooper, who coached the then Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate from 2010-12, led the Admirals to success during his tenure. During the 2011-12 season, Cooper and the Admirals earned a 55-18-8 regular season record. His dominant 28 consecutive wins are the longest-standing North American Professional Hockey League win streak record to date.
During that same season, he led the team to a Calder Cup win and was named the 2012 Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Coach of the Year. In 2022, he was inducted into the Norfolk Admirals Hall of Fame.
After coaching the Admirals, he went on to become the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, where he won two Stanley Cups and still coaches today.
The men’s hockey tournament in Milan runs from Feb. 11-22 at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The men’s gold medal match is currently scheduled for Feb. 22.
Skeleton
Mystique Ro, a native of Nokesville, will compete as a member of the U.S. Bobsled/Skeleton Team in her first Olympic Games. Exposed to the sport during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, she immediately dismissed competing in it as she thought it was insane.
Shortly after, she was invited to a rookie camp hosted by U.S. Bobsled/Skeleton where the coaches encouraged her to compete for the Skeleton side of the program. She made her international debut at the World Cup in 2023 and in 2024 became the first American athlete to win a Skeleton race on the World Cup circuit in eight years.
At the 2025 FIL World Championships, she became the first American to win a world medal in sport in 12 years with silver in women’s skeleton, followed by a gold medal in the mixed team skeleton event.
Ro will compete in the skeleton competition, set to begin on Feb. 12-15 at the Cortina Sliding Center.
The Milano-Cortina Olympic Games will be broadcast on NBC from Feb. 6-22. Comprehensive coverage will also be available on Peacock. The Paralympic Games will be held March 6-15.