Twenty-three athletes from the Ottawa area will be competing for Canada at the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina. The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off on Friday and run until Feb. 22. CTVNewsOttawa.ca introduces you to the Canadian Olympians from Ottawa, eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Alpine Valérie Grenier The 29-year-old from St-Isidore is competing in her third Winter Games. Grenier competed in PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022. Grenier finished third at the Mont-Tremblant stop on the World Cup in December. In 2024, she finished third in the women’s downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Olympic venue for alpine skiing. Biathlon Zachary Connelly The 24-year-old from Ottawa is making his Olympic debut in Milano Cortina. Connelly competed in his first senior IBU World Championships in 2025 as a member of the men’s relay and mixed relay teams. Shilo Rousseau The 25-year-old from Thessalon, Ontario graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2024 and is now pursuing a Master’s Degree in cellular and molecular medicine at uOttawa. Rousseau is making her Olympic debut in Milano Cortina. Bobsled Mike Evelyn O’Higgins The 32-year-old from Ottawa is competing in his second Olympic Games, competing in both the two-man and four-man events. He finished seventh in the two-man and 9th in the four-man Bobsled events in Beijing. Evelyn O’Higgins is the lone Canadian brakeman making his second Olympic appearance. He finished eighth in the four-man at the World Championships last year in Lake Placid. Jay Dearborn The 31-year-old from Yarker, in Lennox and Addington County, is competing in his second Winter Games. Dearborn is a former football player in the CFL and with the Carleton Ravens. This is Dearborn’s first Olympics as a pilot, and he’s reached the podium in 12 of 14 North American Cup races this year. Keaton Bruggeling The Carleton University graduate is making his Olympic debut in Milano Cortina. The former CFL wide receiver, including three seasons with the Redblacks, is from St. Catharines. Curling Rachel Homan The 36-year-old from Ottawa is appearing in her third Olympic Games at Milano Cortina 2026. Homan is the skip of Team Canada. Homan finished fifth in mixed doubles in Beijing 2022 and sixth in women’s curling in PyeongChang 2018. Homan has won five Tournament of Hearts and three World Curling Championships. Emma Miskew The 36-year-old from Ottawa is making her second appearance at the Olympics during Milano Cortina 2026. Miskew plays on Rachel Homan’s rink. Miskew and Homan placed sixth in women’s curling in PyeongChang 2018. Miskew has won five Tournament of Hearts and three World Curling Championships. Cross-Country Skiing Antoine Cyr The 27-year-old from Gatineau, Que. is competing in his second Winter Games, after competing in Beijing 2022. Cyr finished 37th in the 15 KM in Beijing and fifth in men’s team sprint. Katherine Stewart-Jones The 30-year-old from Chelsea, Que. was born in Ottawa. Stewart-Jones is competing in her second Olympics. She finished 36th in the 10 KM in Beijing 2022 and 23rd in the Skiathlon. Stewart-Jones earned a career-best fourth place finish in the women’s 20 KM freestyle on the World Cup circuit last December. Figure Skating Trennt Michaud The Trenton, Ont. native joins partner Lia Pereira on the pairs figure skating team for the Olympics. The 29-year-old is making his figure skating debut at the Olympics in Milano Cortina. Michaud and Pereira captured their first-ever Canadian figure skating championship at the nationals in Gatineau in January. Paul Poirier The 34-year-old skater born in Ottawa is appearing in his fourth Olympic Games. Poirier and Piper Gilles are four-time world championship medalists in ice dance and finished seventh in Beijing 2022. Freestyle Skiing Naomi Urness The 21-year-old from Mont Tremblant will be making her Olympic debut in Milano Cortina. Urness reached the podium in the first three big air World Cup events she competed in last November and December. In her debut at the Winter X Games, Urness won slopestyle silver and finished fourth in Big Air. Women’s Hockey Team Kayle Osborne The 23-year-old goaltender from Ottawa makes her Olympic debut in Italy. Osborne is a goaltender with the New York Sirens of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Osborne has seven wins in 15 appearances so far this season for the Sirens. Emily Clark The Ottawa Charge forward will be competing in her third Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. Clark, from Saskatoon, won gold at Beijing 2022 and silver in PyeongChang 2018. Clark has two goals and two assists for the Charge this season. Brianne Jenner The Ottawa Charge captain is appearing in her fourth Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. Jenner, from Oakville, won gold in Beijing 2022 and Sochi 2014 and won silver in PyeongChang 2018. Jenner has eight goals and seven assists for the Charge this season. Ski Cross Brittany Phelan The 34-year-old from Mont Tremblant is competing in her fourth Winter Games. Phelan won a silver medal in ski cross at PyeongChang in 2018. She initially competed in alpine skiing at the Sochi Games in 2024 before deciding to move to ski cross. Jared Schmidt The 28-year-old from Ottawa is competing in his second Olympics after competing in Beijing in 2022. Schmidt has reached the World Cup podium six times during his career. Schmidt is the brother of skier and Olympian Hannah Schmidt. Hannah Schmidt The 31-year-old from Ottawa is competing in her second Winter Games. Schmidt finished seventh in ski cross in Beijing 2022. Schmidt is a nine-time medalist on the World Cup circuit, and earned her first victory last year in Austria. Snowboard Cameron Spalding The 20-year-old from Havelock, Ont. is making his Olympic debut in Milano Cortina. Spalding won the Crystal Globe as the overall FIS World Cup Champion for men’s snowboard slopestyle in the 2024-25 season and was the world junior slopestyle champion in 2022. Long-track Speed Skating Ivanie Blondin The 35-year-old from Ottawa is appearing in her fourth Winter Games in Milano Cortina. Blondin won two medals during the Beijing 2022 Olympics, winning gold in team pursuit and a silver in the mass start. She is a 17-time medalist at the ISU World Single Distance Championships. Cédrick Brunet The 25-year-old from Gatineau, Que. is making his Olympic debut in Milano Cortina. Brunet’s farther, Michel Brunet, competed for Canada in ice dance in Nagano 1998, his uncle, Dominick Gauthier, competed in moguls at Nagano 1988 and his aunt, Jenn Heil, is a two-time Olympic medalist. Isabelle Weidemann Milano-Cortina will be the third Winter Games for the 30-year-old from Ottawa. Weidemann won three medals at the Beijing Games in 2022 – a gold medal in team pursuit, a silver medal in the 5000m and a bronze medal in the 3000m. She was also the flag-bearer for the closing ceremonies. Weidemann is a six-time medalist at the ISU World Single Distances Championships. Athletes from Ottawa competing for other countries at the Winter Games Jason Seed The former Gatineau Olympiques and Carleton Ravens alumnus hockey player will compete for Italy in men’s hockey at the Winter Games. Seed moved to Italy in 2022, where he now plays for Bolzano HC. Ottawa Charge players Five members of the Ottawa Charge will be competing at the Winter Games. Team USA Team Finland Team Czechia Ottawa Senators Team USA Team Denmark Team Finland
