The 2026 Winter Olympics became one of the most notable accomplishments for the black community. A variety of Black Athletes not only won medals but left a significant mark on the sports they participated in.
Laila Edwards
The women’s hockey team recently won the Olympic gold medal on February 19, 2026.
With this triumph win, defense player Laila Edwards made history by becoming the first black woman to compete in hockey during the Winter Olympics, and also won. Earlier that week, she had also made history by becoming the first black woman to score for the USA.
Erin Jackson
Johnson was chosen to be one of two flag bearers for the United States. In the previous Winter Olympics, 2022, she had become the first black woman to win an individual gold in the Winter Olympics.
During this year’s Olympics, Jackson placed fifth in the 500m speed skating.
Elana Meyers
During the women’s monobob competition on February 19, 2026, Meyer secured victory, winning gold, making her the most decorated black winter Olympian.
Her previous accomplishments in the Olympics include bronze in two-woman bobsled in 2010, silver in two-woman bobsled in both 2014 and 2018, bronze in two-woman bobsled and silver in monobob in 2022, and her first gold in monobob in this year’s Winter Olympics.
Significant wins or not, this year’s Winter Olympics has allowed black Americans to witness barriers being broken in the athletic world on an international level.