Six Korean American athletes chase Olympic glory at Milan Winter Games

With the Winter Olympics opening in two days, attention is building around the athletes set to compete on the world’s biggest stage. Among them are six Korean American Olympians, including snowboarder Chloe Kim, who is chasing an unprecedented third straight Olympic gold.

The 2026 Milan–Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics will open on February 6 at San Siro Stadium in Milan and run through February 22. According to organizers, about 2,900 athletes from 92 countries will compete across 116 events. The United States has sent 232 athletes, its largest Winter Olympic delegation on record and four more than at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.

The women’s snowboard halfpipe will once again feature Chloe Kim, 25, alongside rising talent Bea Kim, 19. Both athletes hail from Southern California—Chloe Kim from Torrance and Bea Kim from Palos Verdes—and both trained at Mammoth Mountain under coach Ben Wisner.

The first women’s halfpipe competition is scheduled for February 11 at Livigno Snow Park near Cortina d’Ampezzo. While Bea Kim will be making her Olympic debut, Chloe Kim is competing in her third Olympics, following gold medal wins in PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022.

A victory in Milan would make her the first female snowboarder to win three Olympic gold medals. However, the competition remains intense, especially after Chloe Kim recently recovered from a shoulder labrum injury sustained during training in Switzerland.

Three Korean American Olympians will compete in short track speed skating: Andrew Heo, Brandon Kim, and Eunice Lee.

Andrew Heo, 24, grew up in Pennsylvania and began skating at age seven after encouragement from former Olympic champion Kim Dong-sung. This marks his second Olympic appearance following Beijing 2022. He enters Milan in strong form after winning gold in the men’s 500 meters at an ISU World Tour event last November.

Brandon Kim, also 24, is making his Olympic debut. Nevertheless, he is considered a dark horse after setting a new U.S. men’s 500-meter record of 39.83 seconds last September, the fastest in 13 years.

He also helped the U.S. place fourth in the men’s 5,000-meter relay at the world championships. In addition, Kim attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and is currently enrolled at Stanford University, with plans to pursue medical school.

Eunice Lee, 21, was born in San Diego and raised in Bellevue, Washington. She began figure skating in South Korea at age four before switching to short track at six. Although she did not compete in Beijing, she was named to the U.S. team at 17 as its youngest speed skater. In 2024, she helped the U.S. win silver in the women’s relay at the world championships, its first medal in the event in 12 years. Short track events begin February 10 at the Milan Ice Skating Arena.

The Milan Games will also feature Mystique Ro, 31, a Korean and Black American athlete competing in skeleton. Ro initially entered college as a hurdler at Queens University of Charlotte but later transitioned to sliding sports. She has since posted consistent podium finishes on the World Cup circuit and is considered a core member of the U.S. skeleton team.

Ro, whose father is a Korean American former U.S. Marine and whose mother is Black, will compete in the women’s skeleton on February 13 at the Cortina Sliding Center. She will also take part in the mixed team relay on February 15. Notably, the mixed skeleton relay will debut at these Olympics, with combined men’s and women’s times determining the final standings.

All Milan–Cortina events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.

BY KYEONGJUN KIM   [kim.kyeongjun@koreadaily.com]