Winter Olympics 2026, here we come!

The Canadian Olympic Committee has finalized its roster of competitors for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this month.

And, as usual, there is a true University of Calgary flavour to the list. 

One of 207 athletes named to Team Canada, which competes in Italy, Feb. 6 to 22, is long-track speedskater Isabelle Weidemann, BSc’23. At the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, she raced to three medals — bronze, silver and gold — and earned the honour of being Canada’s flag bearer at the closing ceremonies.

“I’ve changed a lot as an athlete and as a person these past four years,” Weidemann said in a statement released by Speed Skating Canada. "I’m approaching these Games with a veteran’s mindset. We’ve got a lot of new faces with a lot of energy, and I’m really proud to be part of this group.”

Another fascinating story is Gabriella Durante’s. A former star of the Dinos women’s hockey team and the holder of dual citizenship, Durante, BSc’23, MSc’25, gets to suit up for the hosts, serving as one of Team Italy’s goaltenders.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee will announce its competitors for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in the coming days. Traditionally scheduled to follow the Olympic Games, the Paralympics are slated for March 6 to 15.

Here is a list of UCalgary students and alumni competing in Italy:

Taylor Austin, BKin’16, bobsleigh

About: Recruited as a brakeman following his Calgary Colts junior football career, Austin is bound for his second Olympics. At the 2022 Games in Beijing, the Lethbridge native raced as a pilot, finishing 20th in the two-man sled and 23rd in the four-man.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton

Ted-Jan Bloemen, Canadian athlete based at the Olympic Oval, long-track speedskating

About: Heading into his third Olympics, Bloemen, 39, earned silver (men’s 5,000 metres) and gold (men’s 10,000 metres) in 2018 at the PyeongChang Games. He was awarded the 2018 Jeremy Wotherspoon Award as Speed Skating Canada’s long track male athlete of the year.

Learn more: Team Canada bio

Ivanie Blondin, Canadian athlete based at the Olympic Oval, long-track speedskating

About: The 35-year-old will appear in her fourth Winter Games. To Blondin’s credit are two Olympic medals from Beijing 2022 — silver (women’s mass start) and gold (women’s team pursuit). She is a 17-time medallist at the World Championships.

Learn more: Team Canada bio

Chen Ying-Chu, international athlete (Chinese Taipei) based at the Olympic Oval, long-track speedskating

About: For Ying-chu, who turns 31 next month, this marks her first appearance at the Olympics. At the November 2025 World Cup stop in Calgary, she picked up silver in the women’s 500 metres. She was an inline speedskater before switching in 2023.

Learn more: International Skating Union bio

Hallie Clarke, open studies student, skeleton

About: Only 21 and headed to her first Olympics, Clarke is highly regarded. The Brighton, Ont., native is the first slider to hold junior and senior world titles at the same time. Clarke, who grew up figure skating, is an ambassador for KidSport Calgary.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, Hallie Clarke’s website

Gabriella Durante, BSc’23, MSc’25, women’s hockey (for Team Italy)

About: Durante was a standout goalie — and three-time Academic All-Canadian — for the Dinos women’s hockey team. Holding dual citizenship, she relocated to Italy last winter, playing club hockey for Real Torino and the Eagles Bolzano. Now the 25-year-old will suit up for the host nation.

Learn more: Team Italy bio, Dinos website

Natalie Eilers, BComm student, ski jumping

About: Eilers, 27, makes her Olympic debut in Italy after recovering from a terrible injury. Crashing in January 2024, she ruptured the ACL in her right knee, suffered two meniscus tears, fractured her femur and dislocated her shoulder. But, after multiple surgeries and lengthy rehabilitation, she managed to return.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Ski Jumping Canada

Amy Fraser, BSc’16, freestyle skiing

About: Fraser finished eighth in the women’s halfpipe competition in 2022, her Olympic debut. At the 2025 World Championships, she placed fifth. In the superpipe at the 2024 and 2025 Winter X Games, the Calgary resident earned bronze medals.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Freestyle Canada, Classroom Champions, Calgary Booster Club

Laura Hall, engineering student, long-track speedskating

About: Hall, 22, is racing in her first Winter Games. At the 2025 World Single Distance Championships, she placed 11th in the women’s 5,000 metres. Hall’s younger brother, Daniel, is also making his Olympic debut. Olympic dreams run in Hall’s family; her father, Michael, speedskated for Canada at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. 

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Speed Skating Canada, International Skating Union

Carolina Hiller-Donnelly, BSc’23, long-track speedskating

About: Hiller-Donnelly nearly quit the sport after failing to make the 2021-22 national team, but she persevered and captured her first national title. Now the 28-year-old will race at the Olympics. Her husband, Ben Donnelly, speedskated for Canada at 2018 PyeongChang.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Speed Skating Canada, Prince George Citizen

Brianne Jenner, MPP’17, women’s hockey

About: Already a triple medallist — two golds, one silver — Jenner, 34, is making her fourth appearance at the Winter Games. With an Olympic-record-tying nine goals, she was named MVP in Beijing. Before completing her master’s degree at UCalgary, she majored in government at Cornell University.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Hockey DB, Brianne Jenner’s website

Anders Johnson, Canadian athlete based at the Olympic Oval, long-track speedskating

About: Johnson, 28, will make his Olympic debut. At the 2024 World Championship, he was part of Canada’s gold medal in the team sprint. Last year, he placed 21st in the men’s 500 metres.

Learn more: Team Canada bio

Rachael Karker, BA’24, freestyle skiing

About: At the 2022 Olympics, the Erin, Ont., native earned bronze in the women’s halfpipe event, sharing the podium with teammate and silver medallist Cassie Sharpe. Karker, who attended Canada’s National Ballet School, has also picked up multiple medals at the World Championships and the Winter X Games.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Freestyle Canada, Elliot Lake Today, X Games

Andrew Longino, BComm student, freestyle skiing

About: Longino, 23, is making his Olympic debut. At the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Switzerland, the Calgary native not only won gold in the boys’ halfpipe competition, he served as Canada’s flag bearer for the closing ceremonies. He has twice medalled at World Cup events.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Freestyle Canada

Nil Llop Izquierdo, international athlete (Spain) based at the Olympic Oval, long-track speedskating

About: The 23-year-old native of Barcelona is a former roller speedskater. He won gold at the 2019 World Roller Games and was named the Male Sports Hope of the Year by the Catalonian Sports Federation Union. This is his first Olympics.

Learn more: International Skating Union

Brendan Mackay, BSc’24, freestyle skiing

About: Mackay finished ninth in the men’s halfpipe event at the 2022 Olympics. At the 2023 World Championships, the Calgarian won gold in the halfpipe. Currently working on his master’s degree, he studies experimental physics in the field of quantum technology.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Freestyle Canada, CBC

Brooklyn McDougall, BSc’21, long-track speedskating

About: In her Olympic debut, McDougall placed 22nd in the women’s 500 metres in Beijing. For the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, she was commissioned by the Olympic Museum to paint three original artworks, which now are now displayed at the museum in Switzerland.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Speed Skating Canada, Brooklyn McDougall’s website, UToday

Nicole Maurer, BSc student, ski jumping

About: This marks Maurer’s first Olympic experience. The 25-year-old has represented Canada at four Junior World Championships and three World Championships. After completing her degree in astrophysics and computer science, the Calgarian is keen to work in the space industry.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Ski Jumping Canada

Benita Peiffer, BA student, biathlon

About: Peiffer, 25, is poised to make her Olympic debut. She represented Canada at the 2021 and 2022 Junior World Championships and the 2023 and 2024 World Championships — all after tearing her meniscus and ACL in the spring of 2020. Her cousin, Arnd Peiffer, won two Olympic gold medals in biathlon for Germany.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Real Biathlon, Biathlon Canada

Jocelyn Peterman, BKin’16, curling

About: Peterman returns to the Olympics to compete in mixed doubles. A UCalgary alum, she is also director of the Dinos curling program. Her partner in Italy is Brett Gallant, who serves as the Dinos’ skill development coach, while Laine Peters, the men’s coach at UCalgary, will guide the Peterman/Gallant duo at the Winter Games.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Dinos website, Calgary Herald

Yin Qi, international athlete (China) based at the Olympic Oval, long-track speedskating

About: Qi, 33, raced at the Beijing Games, finishing 15th in both the women’s 1,000 and 1,500 metres. She’s won multiple titles at the Chinese national championships. Qi got her start in short-track speedskating before switching to long track in 2018.

Learn more: International Skating Union

Dawn Richardson Wilson, BA student, bobsleigh

About: A sprint star for the Dinos track team — three straight Canada West titles in the women’s 60 metres — Richardson Wilson is making her second bobsleigh appearance at the Olympics. In Beijing, with pilot Cynthia Appiah, she finished eighth.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Dinos website, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton

Adam Runnalls, BA student, biathlon

About: Runnalls, 27, is making his second Olympic appearance. Racing four events in Beijing, the Calgarian’s best finish was sixth in the men’s 4 x 7.5 km relay — which happened to be Canada’s best-ever result in that event. He has represented Canada at every World Championships since 2020.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Biathlon Canada, TSN

Tom Stephen, engineering student, cross-country skiing

About: After winning the men’s 10 km classic at the Olympic trials, despite being hampered by back issues, the 23-year-old is ready for his Winter Games debut. Stephen raced in four straight Junior World Championships, earning silver in 2020 in the men’s 4 x 5 km relay.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Nordiq Canada, CTV

Embyr-Lee Susko, BComm student, luge

About: Only 20, Susko is one of five luge teammates racing at their first Olympics. In 2025, she finished fourth in the women’s event at the World Championships, topping that performance with bronze in the mixed relay. She’s claimed the national title for three straight years.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Luge Canada

Isabelle Weidemann, BSc’23, long-track speedskating

About: Star of the 2022 Olympics, Weidemann earned bronze in the women’s 3,000 metres (Canada’s first medal in Beijing), silver in the women’s 5,000 metres, gold in the team pursuit. She was named Canada’s flag bearer for the closing ceremonies. This is the Ottawa native’s third appearance at the Winter Games.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, Speed Skating Canada, CBC

Amelia Wells, BHSc’25, cross-country skiing

About: At the Olympic trials, Wells reached the podium in the 10 km classic and the 10 km freestyle. Now she will make her Winter Games debut. The 23-year-old has won three straight national titles in the women’s 10 km freestyle and captured the women’s 30 km mass start classic last year.

Learn more: Team Canada bio, CBC, Victoria Times Colonist