The Winter Olympics in Beijing are fast approaching, and Wisconsin has produced some of the top athletes of the games. In total, there are 13 Olympians from Wisconsin which is the 6th most out of the 32 states represented on Team USA. Only California, Utah, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota have more Olympians from their state.
Here is a list and description of the Wisconsin athletes and those that have connections to the Badger State that are competing in Beijing this February.
Jordan Stolz
Jordan Stolz is a 17-year-old speed skater from Kewaskum in Washington County. He broke the 1,000-meter speed skating record during his U.S. Olympic trial at the Petit National Ice Center in January. He isn't just a prospect but one of the young Olympic standouts that many believe could win a medal in Beijing. In an interview with NBC Olympics he said one of his favorite restaurants is. the Fox and Hound's Restaurant and Tavern in Hubertus. This will be his first Olympics.
Follow him on Instagram here.
Brianna Decker
Brianna Decker from Dousman in Waukesha County is competing in her third Olympics. Unfortunately, she was injured during the first game of the tournament and will miss the rest of the Olympics. According to the Associated Press, Decker went down with an apparent leg injury after being tripped from behind by Finland’s Ronja Savolainen midway through the first period. She helped Team USA win a gold medal in hockey in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018. She also won a silver medal during the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia. She went to UW-Madison and in 2012 was named the top women's college hockey player in the county. She told NBC Olympics that her earliest memory of watching the Olympics was in 1998, and that's one of the moments she knew she wanted to be an Olympic hockey player.
Follow her on Instagram hereand on Twitter here.
Kevin Bolger
Kevin Bolger, from Minocqua in Oneida County, is a cross country skier and competing in his first Olympic games. He finished in 11th place at his first World Cup event in 2018. According to his USA Ski and Snowboard profile, he is a "killer" tap dancer when he was 3-years-old and is a member of the oldest amateur water ski team in the world.
Follow him on Facebook here and on Instagram here.
Amanda Kessel
Amanda Kessel, from Madison, is a forward on the USA women's hockey team. This will be her third Olympic games. She has won gold in silver. She also has three gold medals for winning the World Championships and two silvers. According to her bio, when she isn't playing hockey or training, she loves to design clothes for her clothing line.
You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Alex Cavillini
Alex Cavillini is from Delafied, Waukesha County and is a graduate of UW-Madison. She is a goalie for the women's hockey team. This will be her second Olympic games. She has won an Olympic gold in 2018 and has five gold medals from winning the world championships. According to her bio, one of her rituals is that she carries a tennis ball around with her at all times from pregame until puck drop and even between periods.
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Ben Loomis
Ben Loomis is from Eau Claire. The 23-year-old competes in Nordic Combined which is a combination of cross country skiing and ski jumping. This will be his second Olympic games. He competed at the 2018 games but did not medal. While he grew up in Western Wisconsin, his family moved to Park City, Utah when he was a teenager to pursue his Olympic dream. His brother, Adam, is also a member of Team USA but will not be competing at the 2022 Olympics.
Follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
Courtney Rummel
Courtney Rummel from West Bend, Washington County is competing in her first ever Olympic games. The 18-year-old qualified for slopestyle and big air competitions. She is a recent graduate of West Bend West high school.
Follower her on Instagram.
Becca Hamilton
Becca Hamilton is from McFarland, Dane County. The 31-year-old will compete in her second Olympics as a curler. In 2018, she placed 6th in mixed doubles and 8th for the women's team. Hamilton has been part of the U.S. women's team in 2015, 2017, 2021 and the mixed doubles team in 2017. Her brother, Matt Hamilton is also an Olympic curler.
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Matt Hamilton
Matt Hamilton is from McFarland, Dane County. This will be the second Olympics he has competed in as a curler. He won gold in 2018 in PyeongChang. That same year he got 6th in mixed doubles. Hamilton has been part of the U.S. men's team in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021. His sister, Becca, is also an Olympic curler.
Follow him on Instagram.
Nina Roth
Nina Roth, 33, is from McFarland, Dane County. This will be Roth's second Olympic games as a curler. She placed in 8th in PyeongChang. She was the women's national champion in 2010 and 2014. She was the runner-up in 2019, 2017, and 2016. She is one of three people from McFarland to be competing in the Olympics. They are all curlers.
Follow her on Instagram.
Anna Hoffman
Anna Hoffman is from Madison. The 21-year-old will be competing in her first Olympics. She is part of the U.S. ski jumping team. It was unclear at first if she was going to make the squad. While she did win her Olympic trial, it was unclear how many people Team USA would be allowed to send to the games. Fortunately for her, she was allowed on to the team.
Deedra Irwin
Deedra Irwin is from Pulaski, Oconto County. The 29-year-old first time Olympian will compete in the biathlon. Irwin isn't a life long skier. She picked up Nordic skiing while in high school to stay in shape for her running seasons. Slowly but surely, Irwin fell in love with it. Eventually she switched to biathlon which proved to be her strong suit. At the 2021 World Championships she came in 51st in sprint, 45th in pursuit, and 13th in relay.
Follow her on Twitter.
Paul Schommer
Paul Schommer is from Appleton, Outagamie County but lives in Fargo, North Dakota now for training purposes. He will compete in the biathlon for his first ever Olympic games. He picked up cross country skiiing while in high school in Appleton. Eventually, he transitioned to the biathlon and immediately fell in love with the sport. In the 2021 World Championship he came in 72nd in spring, 74th in individual, and 15th in relay.
Follow him on his YouTube channel.
Hilary Knight
Hilary Knight isn't from Wisconsin, but she did go to UW-Madison to play hockey. She has played in three Olympics and has won a gold medal and two silvers. Her hometown is Sun Valley, Idaho. She is a corner stone member of a star studded cast that looks to defend its title. Knight has an impressive eight world championship gold medals and three silvers. She told NBC Olympics that she has a Hershey's almond milk chocolate bar after every game.
Follow her on Instagram here and on Facebook here.
Caroline Harvey
Caroline Harvey isn't from Wisconsin, but she plays on the UW_Madison hockey team. The 19-year-old is playing in her first Olympic games.
Follow her on Instagram.
Abby Roque
Abby Roque is from Michigan but played on the UW-Madison hockey team. The 24-year-old is playing in her first Olympic games. She won silver in the IIHF Women's World Championship in 2021.
Follow her on Instagram.
