Breakout performers for Team Canada at Milano Cortina 2026
More than half of the 206 athletes representing Team Canada in Milano Cortina 2026 were first-time Olympians. So though it was mostly athletes with previous Olympic experience who won Canada’s medals at these Games, the future of Team Canada looks bright thanks to the likes of these breakout performers.
Stephen Gogolev – Figure Skating
Stephen Gogolev’s debut was nothing short of incredible. The 21-year-old showed why he’s one of the brightest stars in figure skating thanks to his performances, first in the team event and then in men’s singles.
In the team event, Gogolev helped Team Canada to get through the qualification round thanks to a third place finish in the men’s short program. Although a medal was out of reach by the time Gogolev got to do his free skate, he still delivered a wonderful performance.
READ: Canada falls short of podium but delivers exceptional performance in team skate
It only served as a preview for his exceptional performance in men’s singles. Gogolev had a career-best score in the free skate, second only to that posted by gold medal winner Mikhail Shaidorov. Gogolev went on to finish fifth – the best Olympic result for Canada in the men’s event since Patrick Chan’s silver at Sochi 2014.
“It’s definitely a special moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” he said.
Maia Schwinghammer – Freestyle Skiing
0.39 points were all that separated Team Canada’s Maïa Schwinghammer and a spot on the podium in the women’s moguls competition at Milano Cortina 2026.
READ: Schwinghammer nearly reaches moguls podium in Olympic debut
The 24-year-old from Saskatoon came into the Olympics as the reigning world bronze medallist in the event and she looked every bit the medal contender. Although she was bumped to fifth in the end, Schwinghammer knows the result is meaningful and the best is yet to come.
“I mean, fifth at the Olympic Games, super finals at the Olympic Games, I’m so proud of the way I was able to handle the nerves. I mean, wow, the Olympics are for real.”
William Dandjinou – Short Track Speed Skating
William Dandjinou came into Milano Cortina 2026 already having a careers’ worth of accolades. The 24-year-old won two Crystal Globes and four world titles before making his Olympic debut.
To the surprise of many, Dandjinou was unable to collect an individual medal. However, he still reached the final in each of the three individual distances he competed in, finishing fourth in the 1000m, and fifth in both the 500m and 1500m.
He also earned his first Olympic medal as part of the mixed relay team made up of himself, Courtney Sarault, Kim Boutin and Félix Roussel that took silver.
Naomi Urness – Freestyle Skiing
21-year-old Naomi Urness went from a virtual unknown to a podium threat in a matter of a few months. The skier, born in Mont-Tremblant Que., had only entered her first FIS World Cup event in February 2025.
She rose to the attention of the freeski world after finding the World Cup podium three times during the fall of 2025, including a big air gold in the final World Cup before the Games.
In her first Olympic Games, she breezed through qualifications and found the top 10 twice, finishing seventh in slopestyle, and sixth in big air. In both events, countrymate Megan Oldham won a medal.
The 21-year-old surely has the potential for many podiums in the near future, and has joined Oldham as one of the many faces of freestyle skiing for Canada.
Young cross-country skiers exceed expectations
The future could not be brighter for Canada’s cross-country skiing team, and the youth movement was on full display, as a cast of first-time Olympians blew away expectations.
On the men’s side, Olympic rookies Xavier McKeever and Tom Stephen joined with Antoine Cyr and Rémi Drolet to finish fifth in the men’s 4×7.5km relay, Canada’s best-ever result in an Olympic cross-country relay.
McKeever raced alongside Cyr to earn a sixth-place finish in the men’s team sprint. It was a career-best result for the pair in international competition.
Stephen had another top 10 finish as he claimed ninth in the men’s 10km free. The 23-year-old had never cracked the top 20 in an individual event on the FIS World Cup circuit.
On the women’s side, at just 20 years old, Alison Mackie achieved Canada’s best ever Olympic result in a women’s 10km freestyle event. She finished the interval start race in 24:07.1, good for eighth place.
Mackie and Liliane Gagnon – both first-time Olympians – teamed up to finish sixth in the women’s team sprint free. It’s all sure to make fans eager for what’s to come in the next Olympic Games.
Daryl Watts – Ice Hockey
While Canada’s women’s hockey team was full of veterans, one younger player stood out in particular during Canada’s run to the gold medal game.
26-year-old Daryl Watts briefly retired from hockey after her college career, but luckily for fans of Team Canada, she returned to the game to play professionally four years ago.
She was added to the national team for Canada’s world championship silver in 2025 and then made the Olympic roster. She did not disappoint, notching two goals and six assists in seven games, the most points of any Canadian.
She was also a part of history, assisting on Marie-Philip Poulin’s 19th Olympic goal in a semifinal win over Switzerland, moving Poulin into top spot for goals by at the Olympics.
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud – Figure Skating
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, Canada’s national pairs champions, made their Olympic debut a few days earlier than expected at Milano Cortina 2026.
They stepped in to skate the short program in the team event when 2024 World champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps were delayed in arriving because of an injury. The duo delivered the fourth best score in the qualification round to help Canada advance to the final.
In the pairs competition, they improved on their short program, scoring a 74.60 which had them in third place heading into the free skate. While they made a few mistakes in the free skate, it was a huge step up to be part of the final flight in a global competition.
READ: Pairs end with disappointing, but encouraging result for two Canadian finalists
“We’ve had four performances, four very good performances, obviously, and lots to take out of that and we’re super proud of both of us,” said Michaud.
Julien Viel – Freestyle Skiing
There is only one King of Moguls, and while Mikaël Kingsbury showed us exactly why he holds that title, Julien Viel made a strong case to being the heir of the throne.
The 24-year-old had a big breakthrough right before the Games, earning his first career World Cup title at the dual moguls in Val St-Côme, Quebec.
Exactly one month later in his Olympic debut, Viel finished in second place in the qualification round of moguls – one spot ahead of Kingsbury.
Viel would go on to finish sixth in the moguls final. The Quebec City native is tracking to be a surefire medal contender in international moguls competition, with the hopes of an Olympic medal on the horizon.
Béatrice Lamarche – Long Track Speed Skating
For years, Canada’s women’s speed skating team has been led by (now) multi-time Olympic medallists Ivanie Blondin, Valérie Maltais, and Isabelle Weidemann. But there’s a bright new light in the sprint events.
Béatrice Lamarche may have been following in her father’s footsteps in becoming an Olympian, but she outperformed him when it came to results. Lamarche finished fifth in the 1000m—Canada’s best Olympic result in that event in 16 years—and seventh in the 500m.
