Colorado Athletes Compete at 2026 Winter Olympics: Gray & Moch Lead
- TESERO & CORTINA, Italy — The 2026 Winter Olympic Games officially kicked off on Sunday with four current and former University of Colorado athletes seeing action, delivering strong...
- Former Colorado Buffaloes skier Cass Gray led the Canadian team in the women’s downhill event, finishing 26th with a time of 1:41.99.
- The men’s 10K+10K skiathlon, the opening cross country event of the Games, featured three athletes with ties to the University of Colorado representing three different countries.
Colorado Athletes Compete on Day One of the 2026 Winter Olympics
TESERO & CORTINA, Italy — The 2026 Winter Olympic Games officially kicked off on Sunday with four current and former University of Colorado athletes seeing action, delivering strong performances in alpine skiing and cross country competitions.
Former Colorado Buffaloes skier Cass Gray led the Canadian team in the women’s downhill event, finishing 26th with a time of 1:41.99. She was 5.89 seconds behind the gold medalist, Breezy Johnson of the United States. For Gray, the downhill race served as preparation for her primary event, the giant slalom, scheduled for February 15th.
Three Buffs Represent Their Nations in Skiathlon
The men’s 10K+10K skiathlon, the opening cross country event of the Games, featured three athletes with ties to the University of Colorado representing three different countries. Freshman Jakob Moch led the Colorado contingent, securing a 33rd-place finish in a time of 49:08.9. He trailed gold medalist Johannes Klæbo of Norway by 2:57.9.
Moch also placed third among German skiers, finishing behind teammates Friedrich Moch (26th) and Florian Notz (28th). Former Buff Alvar Alev achieved a 38th-place finish with a time of 49:27.7, becoming Estonia’s top finisher in the event, 3:16.7 behind Klæbo. Current Buff Hugo Hinckfuss finished 56th in 53:21.6, trailing Klæbo by 7:10.0. Hinckfuss spearheaded the Australian team, finishing just under three seconds ahead of teammate Steve De Campo.
This marks a historic moment for Jakob Moch, who is the first University of Colorado student-athlete to compete for Germany at the Winter Olympics, highlighting both his elite performance and rapid development as a skier.
Looking Ahead
Cross country competition will continue on Wednesday, February 11th, with the classic sprint event. Hugo Hinckfuss is confirmed to participate, while the selection of Jakob Moch and Alvar Alev is still pending.
February 11th will also see the Olympic debut of former Buff Joanne Reid, who will compete in the women’s 15K individual biathlon.
Approximately 30 Colorado athletes are participating in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, representing a significant contribution to Team USA. The Games, co-hosted by two cities for the first time, began with the Opening Ceremony on February 6th and will continue through February 22nd.