Several athletes and support staff from Middlebury College made an impact in the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. 

Ali Nullmeyer ‘23 represented Team Canada in strong form, finishing 16th in the slalom in her second appearance on the Olympic stage. She sliced 5.79 seconds off her debut time from the 2022 Beijing Games with a two-run clocking of 1:42.17.

Matt Whitcomb ‘01 completed his sixth year as the head coach of the United States Cross Country Ski Team and led the group for the fourth straight Winter Games. The former Panther helped Vermont native Ben Ogden snap a 50-year medal drought on the men’s side, claiming silver for Team USA in the men’s sprint classic. Ogden became just the second men’s skier in U.S. history to claim a cross-country medal at the Olympics.

Whitcomb’s squad secured another medal when Ogden and Gus Schumacher finished second in the men’s team sprint freestyle, clocking in at 18:30.3 to trail Norway’s gold-medal time by 1.4 seconds. Schumacher and Ogden became the first pair of U.S. cross-country skiers to medal at the same Winter Games.

On the women’s side, Jessie Diggings carved out a bronze medal in the individual freestyle, bringing the team’s medal total to three in the disciplines.

Nikhil Alleyne ‘28.5 made history as the first men’s alpine skier to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the Winter Olympics. The country’s flagbearer placed 52nd in the men’s giant slalom (GS), completing his two trips down the mountain at 2:47.72. 

In the Paralympic Games, Peter Wolter ‘22 served as a guide for Jake Adicoff (Bowdoin ‘19), assisting with two of his four gold medals. For more information on Wolter and Adicoff’s efforts, click here.