More than 230 athletes are slated to represent Team USA at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games this month, and a handful are from Northeast Ohio.
The games, which begin this week, feature the largest ever Team USA in Olympic history, according to the Team USA website. Of those, 98 athletes are returning to Olympic competition and 18 of those are Olympic champions.
The following athletes have ties to Northeast Ohio.
Kyra Dossa, Freestyle skiing
Kyra Dossa, 22, has an affinity for acrobatics. The gymnast turned skier is a Brecksville gymnastics product who took up aerial skiing at the age of 17 after a family trip to Park City, Utah, according to her Team USA bio. She first learned to ski at Boston Mills at age 3.
She earned a spot on the 2024-25 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Development roster and was named an Olympian during her third year of competitive aerial skiing. She's one of two Northeast Ohioans on the U.S. Olympic freestyle skiing team.
Laila Edwards, Hockey
Laila Edwards will be the first Black woman to compete for Team USA's women's hockey team. The 22-year-old Cleveland Heights native spent much of her life away from home. She left Northeast Ohio to play hockey in Pittsburgh, attended high school at the Bishop Kearney Selects Academy in Rochester, New York, and then committed to play for the University of Wisconsin, where's she's won two national titles, according to the Associated Press.
Edwards has received recent hype from fellow Northeast Ohioans, including Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance, Jr., who was seen wearing her jersey, and the Kelce brothers, who helped rally fans to raise the money to send the Edwards family to Milan to watch Laila compete.
Red Gerard, Snowboarding
Red Gerard, 25, is no stranger to Olympic competition. The Rocky River native competed at the Beijing and Pyeongchang games, earning one gold medal in men's slopestyle at the age of 17.
Gerard's family moved to Colorado in 2007, where they built a snowboard park in their backyard to support his goals, according to Team USA. Regardless, Gerard has represented Cleveland throughout the years, including on his new Arbor brand signature snowboard, which includes imagery of Cleveland's Guardians of Traffic and a map of Downtown Cleveland, according to Cleveland Magazine.
Derek Krueger, Freestyle skiing
Derek Krueger is the other freestyle skier representing Northeast Ohio for Team USA. Krueger, 22, is from Chagrin Falls, but began aerial skiing through the Park City Ski & Snowboard Elite Aerial Development Program in Utah. He was named to the U.S. Ski Team for the 2023-24 season and has represented the U.S. at the 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships, according to Team USA. He's also owns a fly fishing guide company in Utah.
J.T. Miller, Hockey
J.T. Miller, 32, was born in East Palestine, though his family moved to Pittsburgh when he was a child, according to Team USA. Miller became a first-round NHL draft pick by the New York Rangers in 2011, before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks. He was traded back to the Rangers in 2025 and named team captain.
He made his first appearance for the U.S. men's national senior team in 2025.
Ben Richardson, Curling
Ben Richardson claims Washington as his home state, but his Northeast Ohio ties are worth noting. His family resides in North Royalton, according to People, which reported that his father found a creative way to raise funds to travel to Milan.
Richardson's dad is a professional pianist, so he offered personal piano recordings in exchange for anyone who donated to the fund. After the GoFundMe went viral, it reportedly raised enough to send the family to Italy to see Richardson compete.
Richardson, 27, is also a musician. The cellist attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, according to Team USA. His Canadian grandmother reportedly encouraged him to try curling. He was a four-time national junior curling champion.
When and where to watch the winter games
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics run officially from Feb. 6-22 (though some competitions actually begin Feb. 4). Opening ceremonies, taking place at the Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, are Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. CET, or 2 p.m. EST.
Events will be broadcast on NBC, USA Network, CNBC and NBCSN, and streaming in the Peacock app.
