Melissa Donovan
On Jan. 26, Team USA finalized its lineup of athletes heading to Milan for the Winter Olympics, and amongst the 232-member team, 10 are from Florida and five have roots to Central Florida.
With the Olympics beginning in February here is an introduction to the athletes who are from the Sunshine State and may have begun their sports journey just around the corner.
Brittany Bowe, Speed Skating
Seasoned Olympian, Brittany Bowe, will join Team USA for the fourth time in hopes of bringing home her third medal in long track speed skating. Bowe is from Ocala and began her inline skating journey when she was 8 years old and transitioned to speed skating in 2010.
The skater represented the U.S. in three Winter Olympics, earning a bronze medal in the 2018 PyeongChang Games and another bronze in Beijing in 2022. Over nearly 20 years of participation in World Championships, she has won numerous medals, making her a force in the world of speed skating.
Gaining a platform over the years, Bowe has made an effort to use her fame for good. She is an ambassador of the organization “Right to Play,” which empowers children in disadvantaged communities through sports. Also, as an openly gay athlete, the skater has advocated for inclusivity and representation in sports.
Erin Jackson, Speed Skating
Also from Ocala and a strong component of the women’s speed skating team, Erin Jackson made history in Beijing in 2022 as the first Black woman to win gold in an individual event at the Winter Olympics. If it were not for Bowe, Jackson would not have had the chance to compete for her gold medal in the 500m, as she did not qualify for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials. Bowe ceded her place to Jackson, feeling she had a better shot at gold in Beijing, and the rest is history.
Jackson began inline skating after her mom, Rita, met well-known inline skating coach Renee Hildebrand. She would later join Hildebrand’s team, consisting of fellow Team USA athletes Bowe and Joey Mantia.
Off the ice, Jackson works with Edge Outdoors, an organization that helps women of color get involved with winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding, and one day hopes to integrate speed skating as well.
Jackson was announced as one of the flagbearers for Friday’s Opening Ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympicas, selected by her fellow athletes. Jackson is the eighth speedskater to be selected as a Team USA flagbearer, according to NBC.
Mia Manganello, Speed Skating
Mia Manganello will join Bowe and Jackson on the speed skating team with hopes of bringing home her second medal as part of Team USA. Originally from Crestview, Mangello began inline skating when she was 8 and moved over to speedskating after the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002. She attended a speedskating camp in Utah, and in support of her love for the sport, her family picked up an RV and moved to Utah for training.
This will be Manganello’s third Olympics, and her journey on the ice has been full of dedication. She competed in two U.S. Olympic trials in speedskating, unable to qualify for the 2010 Vancouver Games. Manganello became a professional cyclist over the following five years and made her return to speedskating in 2016, later making the Olympic team for the PyeongChang Games in 2018, where she won her bronze medal in the women’s team pursuit. Her speciality is the Mass Start, an event that made its debut in the 2018 Games, where 24 skaters start together for a 16-lap race.
Outside of speedskating, Manganello enjoys playing with her dog, having game nights with friends and sipping on margaritas.
Andrew Torgashev, Figure Skating
Born into a skating family, some could say figure skater and Coral Springs native Andrew Torgashev was destined to be on the ice. His parents, Ilona Melnichenko and Artem Torgashev, were both skaters for the Soviet Union and served as his first coaches when Torgashev began skating at 3 years old, showing early promise in the figure skating world.
Injuries throughout his skating journey set him back, but in 2023, Torgashev made a successful return to the ice as he earned his first World Championships assignment. His performance at the 2025 and 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships won him silver medals, making him known as a “podium threat” to competitors. He will be competing in his first Olympics in the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.
Torgashev brings awareness to his Ukrainian heritage by fundraising for humanitarian aid through participating in ice shows. Along with using his platform for good, he has also gained notoriety as the “Pizza King” for eating pizza for 53 days in a row.
Josh Williamson, Bobsledding
Former D1 lacrosse player Josh Williamson is from Sanford and unconventionally got into bobsledding through “The Next Olympic Hopeful,” a reality competition show produced by Team USA. The show was created to discover athletes for sports like bobsled, skeleton, cycling, and rugby. Williamson won the competition in 2017 and made his World Cup debut later that year.
As he continued to excel as a push athlete, Williamson competed in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games and will make his second Olympic appearance in Milan next month.
Quinn Hughes, Hockey
Born in Orlando, hockey player Quinn Hughes went on to play college hockey at the University of Michigan from 2017 to 2019, where he studied Sport Management and earned All-American honors. Hughes made his professional hockey debut in 2019 after he was drafted seventh overall by Vancouver in the 2018 NHL Draft. After seven and a half seasons with the Canucks, Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild in Dec. 2025.
Hughes has hockey in his blood as his father, Jim Hughes, was the team captain at Providence College, the assistant coach for the Boston Bruins and was Director of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Alongside him, Hughes’ mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, was a college athlete at the University of New Hampshire, where she played hockey, lacrosse and soccer. She later went onto play for the U.S. Women’s National Ice Hockey Team. His two bothers Jack and Luke also play in the NHL.
Jack Hughes, Hockey
Younger brother to Quinn Hughes, Jack was also born in Orlando and fostered a love for hockey through his family’s passion for the sport. He grew up in Toronto, where he played youth hockey for the Toronto Marlboros. Jack spent two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program before he was selected as the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, where he was selected by the New Jersey Devils. He and his younger brother Luke currently play for the Devils together.
Through his time playing at the junior level for USA Hockey, Jack was able to win four medals in two years, including a gold medal at the U17 World Championship in 2018.
Frank Del Deuca, Bobsledding
Born in Fort Lauderdale, bobsledder Frank Del Duca made his Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games, where he brought the men’s bobsled team to 13th place in the two-man and four-man events.
He has been competing for over a decade since his first bobsled race in 2015. Del Duca is also a member of the World Class Athlete Program, a U.S. military initiative that supports soldiers who compete as top athletes.
Coming from Italian descent, Del Duca said in a press release he is honored to represent the country he serves in a place of his family’s heritage.
Del Duca was also selected by his fellow athletes to be a flagbearer alongside Jackson.
Nick Page, Freestyle Skiing (Mogul)
Born in Hollywood, Nick Page has had a passion for skiing from a young age. He strapped on his first pair of skis at 2 years old and joined Wasatch Freestyle at 7. After seeing Bryon Wilson win the bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, he said he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Years down the line, Wilson became Page’s coach and mentor at Wasatch Freestyle.
In 2020, Page would be awarded the FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year and make his Olympic debut two years later at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. He has represented the U.S. at multiple World Championships and posted a career best at the 2025 championship in Engadin, Switzerland.
Ben Richardson, Curling
Miami-born to two musician parents, Ben Richardson was encouraged by his family to get into the sport of curling. He had a successful junior career, including four junior championship titles from 2017-2020 as well as a silver medal at the 2017 World Junior Men’s Curling Championships. He earned his first silver medal at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer.
His parents’ love for music was passed down to Richardson as he studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and became an accomplished cellist. He shares his passion for the cello, curling and fitness on his social media channels @curlingcelloguy.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games will begin on February 6, followed by the Paralympics on March 6.
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