Abby Winterberger will compete for the United States in freeski halfpipe at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
WASHINGTON — The youngest athlete representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics is a California teenager who’s not old enough to get her driver’s license but she knows her way around a pair of skis.
Abby Winterberger, the 15-year-old, from Truckee, California, skis with the Olympic Valley Freestyle Freeride Team. She will represent the United States in the women’s freeski halfpipe at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Her first event is qualifications for women’s freeski halfpipe on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.
“This still doesn’t feel real,” Winterberger wrote on Instagram. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment ever since I learned how to ski, and to finally say it out loud is unreal. I know little me would be so proud. I truly couldn’t have done this without the love and support of everyone around me.”
According to Sugar Bowl, a Tahoe ski resort where Winterberger is listed as an ambassador, she started skiing when she was 2 years old and began competing when she was 6. She competes in halfpipe, slopestyle and big air, and travels year-round for training and competition.
She qualified at the final Olympic qualification event for freeski halfpipe this month in Aspen Snowmass. She was the highest-scoring American woman at the event, finishing sixth.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, the youngest U.S. athlete was figure skater Alysa Liu, who was 16 years old at the time. And four years before that, in the 2018 Games, the youngest was 17-year-old figure skater Vincent Zhou.
The oldest member of Team USA for the 2026 Games is Rich Ruohonen, 54, an alternate for the men’s curling team.