With all of the buzz around the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Meadowlands, another major international sporting event has gone overlooked. The 2026 Winter Olympics, which are being held in Milan, Italy, will be featuring some of New Jersey’s best athletes. Read below to find out more about some of the athletes who will be representing their country in just a couple of weeks.
Jess Perlmutter
The Millburn native has been coined as one of the youngest talents in women’s snowboarding, at just 16 years old. During her 2024-25 season, Perlmutter shined, earning podium finishes in big air and slopestyle at Mammoth Mountain and will soon head to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Brianna Schnorrbusch
From Monroe Township, New Jersey, Schnorrbusch is one of the brightest talents in snowboard cross. At only 19 years old, she is already a two-time World Championships team member, competing in 2023 and 2025.
Josh Pauls
A resident of Green Brook, New Jersey, Pauls is regarded as one of the best sled hockey players. Born without tibia bones in both legs, he had them amputated when he was just 10 months old, but never let that stop him. As a member of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, Pauls has won the gold medal four times in a row at the Paralympics, as he searches for his fifth medal at this year’s event.
Jack Wallace
Jack Wallace grew up in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and graduated from Indian Hills High School. Wallace had an amputation of his right leg above the knee following a water skiing accident at a young age. Through perseverance, he became a member of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, alongside Pauls, where he is a two-time champion.
Kelsey O’Driscoll
From Caldwell, New Jersey, O’Driscoll suffered spinal fractures while sledding with her family in 2021. In 2025, O’Driscoll made her FIS Para Alpine World Ski Championships debut, where she finished sixth in slalom and eighth in giant slalom amongst a talented field in both competitions.
Some of the other talented names from the Garden State set to make an appearance at the 2026 Winter Olympics include Jacquie Pierri, a Montclair native competing for Italy’s hockey team. Another name to look out for is Kelly Curtis, a Princeton native, who became the first Black woman to compete for Team USA in the skeleton four years ago. While born in Pennsylvania, Isabeu Levito currently resides in Mount Holly, New Jersey, where she has emerged as one of the best young figure skaters, winning the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
The 2026 Winter Olympics is set to kick off on Feb. 6 and will feature some of the world’s greatest athletes. Amongst these talented athletes are people from right here in the Garden State, cementing their legacy.