Florida to Milan Cortina: Athletes from the Sunshine State heading to Olympics

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are getting ready to kick off and some Florida athletes are getting ready to compete.

The Sunshine State may not come to mind when you think of the Winter Olympics but Florida will be represented this year.

Here’s a look at some local Olympic athletes ready to represent Team USA in Italy.

Figure Skating

Andrew Torgashev is a champion figure skater from Coral Springs and a self-proclaimed “Pizza Ambassador.”

Torgashev joined the Olympic team after a second-place finish in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last month.

Andrew Torgashev is the son of competitive skaters Ilona Melnichenko and Artem Torgashev of the Soviet Union. They coached him until the age of 16 at the rink in Coral Springs, the city he’s from.

The 24-year-old is part of the Panthers Figure Skating Club and was also a silver medalist at the U.S. Championships in 2025.

Torgashev is the son of competitive skaters Ilona Melnichenko and Artem Torgashev of the Soviet Union, who coached him until the age of 16 at the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs.

Bobsled

Frank Del Duca is a boblsed driver who was born in Fort Lauderdale and was part of the U.S. Olympic team in 2022 in Beijing.

Del Duca, 34, is in the U.S. Army and part of its World Class Athletes Program. He is also a fanatic for speed, being part of a motor club local to him. Watch him speak with NBC Boston here.

Getty Images

LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK – MARCH 09: Frank Del Luca and Charles Volker of Team United States celebrate after finishing in fourth place following the 2-Man Bobsleigh Race Heat 4 on day four of the 2025 IBSF World Championships at Mt Van Hoevenberg on March 09, 2025 in Lake Placid, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Del Duca and speed skater Erin Jackson have been tapped to lead Team USA during the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Josh Williamson is a former Mercer College lacrosse player and graduate of Florida State University. The Lake Mary, Florida, native, competed in his first Olympics in 2022.

Josh Williamson, a former Mercer College lacrosse player and Florida State University graduate, hopes to take gold in Milan as a Team USA bobsledder. NBC6’s Sophia Hernandez spoke with his parents.

Hockey

Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers will be playing for Team USA Hockey at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 10: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers skates during warmups against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 10, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images) — BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 10: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers skates during warmups against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 10, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images)

Another Florida hockey connection on Team USA are Orlando-born siblings Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes. Also joining them will be Jake Guentzel from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Skiing

Lindsey Vonn is known as one of the world’s most successful female ski racers and she recently came out of retirement to rejoin the U.S. Ski Team.

What you might not know about the alpine skier is that she hates the cold. That’s why she decided to move to Miami during retirement.

The Olympic gold medalist and Minnesota native reveals why she ditched winter weather for life in Miami.

Vonn, 41, originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, recently tore her ACL but vowed to still compete at the 2026 Olympics.

Nick Page was born in Hollywood, Florida, and is a young freestyle skiier looking to bring glory to Team USA. He now calls Park City, Utah home.

WATERVILLE VALLEY, NEW HAMPSHIRE - JANUARY 16: Nick Page of the United States reacts after a run during the moguls final during the Intermountain Health Freestyle Cup Presented By Stifel at Waterville Valley Resort on January 16, 2026 in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/U.S. Ski and Snowboard/Getty Images) — WATERVILLE VALLEY, NEW HAMPSHIRE – JANUARY 16: Nick Page of the United States reacts after a run during the moguls final during the Intermountain Health Freestyle Cup Presented By Stifel at Waterville Valley Resort on January 16, 2026 in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/U.S. Ski and Snowboard/Getty Images)

Speedskating

Straight out of Ocala, Olympic speed skaters Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson look to put Florida on the map in Milan Cortina.

Jackson, a 33-year-old from Ocala, Florida, will make her third Olympic appearance in Milan Cortina. She made history at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Games, placing first in the women’s 500m.

Olympic champion speed skater Erin Jackson’s trivia skills are put to the test.

Now, Jackson will look to defend her 500m crown while also competing in the 1,000m.

Bowe, a three-time Olympian with two bronze medals, now heads to the 2026 Milan Cortina Games for her fourth and final appearance at 37 years old.

Before she was an Olympic speed skater, Brittany Bowe was a little girl learning to inline skate in Ocala, Florida. Now Bowe’s childhood coach is watching her compete in her fourth Olympic Games in Milan Cortina, but not before giving her the surprise of a lifetime.

Meanwhile, with two Olympics of experience, Mia Manganello Kilburg, born in Crestview, Florida, is also taking her skills to Milan as a speed skater for Team USA.

The 36-year-old said she plans on retiring after this season.