A Look Into Four Olympic Athletes from Good Ole’ Wyoming
In a state where the population is sparse but the mountain landscape is massive, Wyoming has always punched above and went beyond its weight class. For the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Wyoming is sending its athletic favorites. Between the moguls of Alta to the bobsled tracks of Italy, there are four women carrying the Wyoming spirit of the Cowboy State to the world stage.
Jaelin Kauf, who is competing in Freestyle Skiing, is a veteran and a fan favorite. Having won the Silver Medal at the 2022 Beijing Games and has come back for her third Olympics.
Kauf was born and raised in a small town of roughly 656 people called Alta, Wyoming. Known as the fastest woman on the mogul World Cup circuit, she utilizes a “full throttle” style developed in the Teton powder. For this Olympic season, she secured her spot in Milan-Cortina, Italy, following a very successful 2024-2025 season. On top of this, she has secured multiple World Cup podiums and won the 2025 Dual Moguls World Championship.
Breezy Johnson, who competed in Women’s Downhill Alpine Skiing, hails from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. What defines Johnson as much as her speed is her ironclad resolve. Her career has been a masterclass in perseverance, navigating the grueling physical and mental demands of injury rehabilitation. She had previously missed the 2022 Winter Olympics due to a knee injury right before the games. Every time she clicks back into her bindings at the starting gate, she isn’t just representing Wyoming; she’s proving that setbacks are simply the prelude to a faster descent.
Ultimately, her persistence paved the way to the podium. Johnson silenced any doubters by claiming Gold in the Women’s Downhill, bringing the highest honor in alpine skiing back home to the mountains of Wyoming.
Also hailing from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Anna Gibson is competing in Ski Mountaineering. She was recruited to the U.S. ski mountaineering team by 13-time national champion Cam Smith because of her background in Nordic Skiing and track and field.
In 2024, she made the 1500m semifinal at the U.S. Olympic Trials. The following year, Gibson would win a bronze medal in the women’s uphill 6km event while representing Team USA at the World Mountain and Trail Running World Championships.
Lastly, Sadie McMullen, a graduate and former Cowgirls Track & Field standout from the University of Wyoming, will be attending the Olympics as a Bobsled alternative. She was named an AP-accredited alternate for Team USA. This essentially means that she is currently in Italy training on the track and ready to step in if any of the primary athletes are unable to compete. She has become a prime example of the “Track-to-Bobsled” pipeline that UW has become part of.
The presence of these four women in Milan-Cortina serves as a definitive statement on the caliber of talent emerging from the high altitudes of the rough and untamed Wyoming terrain. While Wyoming remains the least populous state in the union, its contribution to the 2026 U.S. Olympic delegation is a testament to a culture that prizes resilience and raw athleticism.
As the 2026 Winter Games progress, these athletes represent more than just individual statistics or podium finishes. They embody a distinct Wyoming brand of grit, proving that in the world of international sport, the size of the town matters far less than the strength of the spirit forged within it. From snow-capped peaks near Alta down to campus grounds at the University of Wyoming, viewers get it without words: the Cowboy State doesn’t just participate on the world stage—it leads.
