How Minnesota is Now Quietly Taking Over the Winter Olympics

We're known for our 10,000 Lakes here in Minnesota, but we're also becoming known as the state that's powering Team USA at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy!

Why Minnesota is the Secret Weapon for Team USA in 2026

It's not news to any of us who call the North Star State home, but when it comes to winter sports, athletes from Minnesota are pretty darn good, don'tcha know! And that's not just bragging, that's a fact. At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, Team USA has its footing rooted squarely here in the Bold North.

That's the word from a new story from The Action Network. The Action Network is a sports media site that publishes original, data-backed storytelling on major sporting events, including the Winter Olympics.

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And their crew just found that this year's Winter Olympics has Minnesota written all over it. They just published a new story that ranked each state based on its Winter Olympians per capita and medal output. And they found that Minnesota ranked #2 for overall Winter Olympic contributions.

Specifically, The Action Network found that Minnesota has a rate of 35.71 Winter Olympians per million, second only behind Vermont, which ranked first on the list. The Action Network also found these other Minnesota Olympic highlights:

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• Minnesota has been home to 207 Winter Olympians over the years, the most of any state in their ranking. 
• Minnesota athletes have taken home 75 total Winter Olympic medals... so far.

And, Minnesota is the number-one state when it comes to producing Olympic ice hockey team members, with 105 Olympians so far. Those Minnesotans have won a total of 62 hockey medals at the Winter Olympics, including 19 gold, the most in the U.S., the Action Network story said.

Meet the Minnesota Record-Breakers: Cory Thiesse and Rich Ruohonen

Plus, Minnesota is currently home to two different Olympic athletes who have set new records at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games:

U.S. Olympic Curling Team Member Cory Thiesse of Duluth, who just set the record for being the first U.S. female to win an Olympic curling medal. She and partner Kory Dropkin won the silver medal in mixed doubles curling earlier this month in Italy.

And then there's Minnesotan and Team USA member Rich Ruohonen. A fellow curler, this 54-year-old Brooklyn Park native, who's a personal injury attorney in the Twin Cities when he's not on the rink, set the record as the oldest person to ever represent the U.S. at the Olympics.