Harvard athletes have begun their participation in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, competing in various sports and roles.
Rémi Drolet, a three-time All-American and 2023 NCAA national champion in the men’s 20k classic, started his Olympic campaign for Team Canada in cross-country skiing. He finished 56th in the men’s sprint classic qualification round with a time of 3:27.72. Drolet also competed in the men’s 10km + 10km skiathlon, placing 42nd with a time of 50:22.0. His next event is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13, in the men’s 10km interval start free at Tesero Cross-Country Stadium.
Tess Johnson, an undergraduate at Harvard Extension School, advanced to the finals of Freestyle Skiing Women’s Moguls after taking ninth place in qualifying with a score of 73.79. She finished tenth overall with a final score of 75.31. Johnson will compete next in the women’s dual moguls on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Two former Harvard women’s hockey players are representing their countries at these Games. Kristin Della Rovere played for Italy, which secured third place in group B after victories over France and Japan. Della Rovere participated in every match for Italy, scoring two goals and recording two assists as her team prepares to face the United States in the quarterfinals.
Emarance Maschmeyer represented Canada’s women’s hockey team, which concluded preliminary play with three wins and one loss against Switzerland, Czechia, and Finland. In a match against Switzerland, Maschmeyer played all sixty minutes and helped secure a shutout victory for Canada by a score of 4-0. The Canadian team will meet Germany next in the quarterfinals.
Don Sweeney is serving as assistant general manager for Team Canada’s men’s hockey squad and began his role overseeing a win against Czechia by a score of 5-0 during preliminary play.
Dan Cnossen will represent the United States at the Winter Paralympics from Feb. 6 to Mar. 15 in both Men’s Paralympic Biathlon and Paralympic Cross-Country Skiing events.
More information about Harvard athletes at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics can be found online.
