These Ontario athletes are making their Olympic dreams a reality
5 Minute Read
As the world sets its sights on Italy and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games, local athletes have their eyes set on gold. From powerful speed skaters like Ottawa’s Isabelle Weidemann, to athletes new to the Olympic stage like Thunder Bay’s Max Hollmann, CAA North & East Ontario is proud to celebrate local Olympians.
Whether this is their first Olympic Games or they are no stranger to representing Canada on the Olympic stage, here are some of the local athletes heading to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
Curling
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Rachel Homan, skip, and Emma Miskew, second, both call Ottawa home, with Rachel starting her curling career at the Cityview Curling Club off Merivale Road. The pair has curled together for over 20 years and have racked up 20 Grand Slam of Curling titles. Together, they make up one half of Team Homan. The Milano Cortina games will be Rachel's third Olympic appearance after participating in the Beijing 2022 and PyeongChang 2018. For Emma, the 2026 Winter Games will be her second Olympics, following her appearance at the PyeongChang Games in 2018.
Joining Emma and Rachel is Team Homan's third Tracy Fleury from Sudbury, Ontario. Tracey joined Team Homan for the 2022-2023 season but has been curling for 34 years. Sarah Wilkes from London is Team Homan’s lead. Milano Cortina 2026 will be Tracy and Sarah's first Olympic Games.
Currently, Team Homan is ranked first in the world for women's team curling. The team received back-to-back gold at the World Curling Championships in 2025 and 2024. At the Pan Continental Curling Championships, Team Homan received silver in 2025 and gold in 2024.
The round robin for the women's curling begins on February 12, with a matchup between Team Homan and Denmark taking place at 3:05 a.m. EST.
Cross-country skiing
From Thunder Bay, Ontario, Max Hollmann is making his Olympic debut this winter in cross-country skiing. He cemented his place on Canada's roster after winning the men's 10-kilometre race at the Nordiq Canada 2026 Olympic Winter Games Trials. Leading up to the trials, Max was unsure if he would race after having surgery only five weeks earlier on a broken scaphoid bone in his wrist.
Max first found success while cross-country skiing at Lakehead University. In 2024, he was part of the gold-medal-winning Canadian mixed 4x5-kilometre relay at the FIS U23 World Championships.
The cross-country ski competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games begins on February 7 and wraps up on February 22, 2026.
Long track speed skating
Ottawa's Isabelle Weidemann is returning to the speed skating track for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games for her third Olympic appearance. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Isabelle took home a bronze medal in the 3000-metre race, silver in the 5000-metre race, and a gold in the team pursuit. Following her incredible performances, Team Canada selected Isabelle as flag bearer for the closing ceremony.
Isabelle’s teammate, Ivanie Blondin is also from Ottawa. Ivanie skated to gold with Isabelle in the team pursuit at Beijing. She also took home a silver medal in the women’s mass start race. Milano Cortina will be Ivanie’s fourth Olympic Games.
The speed skating competition starts February 7 with the women's 3000-metre race at 10:00 a.m. EST and wraps up on February 21.
Hockey
New York Sirens goalie Kayle Osborne landed a spot on Team Canada's Olympic roster. The Ottawa-born goalie is making her Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games after being drafted to the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) in 2024.
On the coaching side, Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy will be on the bench for our Team Canada men's hockey team as an assistant coach. Bruce hails from Ottawa and played for the Ottawa 67's from 1982 to 1985. Following his hockey career, Bruce coached at different levels, including the Ontario Hockey League and the NHL. In 2022, he joined the bench as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, leading the team to a Stanley Cup in his first season.
Three Ottawa Charge players will also be playing for Canada's women's Olympic hockey team. Captain and forward Brianne Jenner will be wearing the maple leaf at her fourth Olympics this winter. Brianne was named the Most Valuable Player during the 2022 Women's Olympic Hockey Tournament and was a leading scorer. She tied the record for most goals scored in a women's tournament with nine goals.
Joining Brianne is defender Jocelyne Larocque, who is also competing at her fourth Winter Games. The pair has won gold at the 2022 games, silver in 2018 and gold in 2014. Ottawa Charge forward Emily Clark is joining her teammates for her third Olympic Games, representing Canada. She currently holds a gold medal from the 2022 Olympics and a silver medal from the 2018 Olympics.
Beyond those representing Team Canada, some of Ottawa's NHL and PWHL players will be representing their home countries at the Milano Cortina Winter Games. From the Ottawa Senators, Captain Brady Tkachuk and defender Jake Sanderson will be representing Team USA at the games. Jake's fellow defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo will play for Finland. Forward Lars Eller will play for Denmark, and Tim Stützle will represent Germany's Olympic hockey team.
Jake Sanderson is the only Senators player selected for the 2026 Olympic Games who has been to the Olympics before. He represented the USA at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games before being drafted to the NHL.
From the Ottawa Charge, goaltender Gwyneth Phillips and defender Rory Guilday are making their Olympic debut as part of Team USA's women's hockey roster. For Finland, defender Ronja Savolainen will be lacing up for her third Olympics. She has won bronze twice with Finland at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games. Joining Ronja is goaltender Sanni Ahola, who will be competing at her first Olympic Games. Czechia will have Ottawa Charge forward Kateřina Mrázová on their roster for her second Olympic Games.
Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod will be joining Kateřina as the Czech head coach. Carla has been coaching Czechia since 2022, and this will be her first time representing the Czech team at the Olympics. In 2014, Carla was an assistant coach for Japan at the Winter Olympic Games. Before her tenure as a coach, Carla played for Team Canada at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Games, helping bring home gold at each Olympic Winter Games.
The Canadian women's hockey team plays their first Olympic game against Finland on February 5, 2026, at 3:10 p.m. EST. The Canadian men's team plays their first game on February 12 at 10:40 a.m. EST against Czechia.
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