The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, and later the Paralympics, are about to begin! In preparation, let’s look back at some of the most successful Jewish Winter Olympians of past years.
Sasha Cohen
Sasha Cohen is the most recent American individual figure skating Olympic medalist, having earned a silver medal at the 2006 Turin Games. The daughter of a Ukrainian immigrant mother and American father, Sasha started as a gymnast and switched to skating at age 7. She burst onto the scene in 2000, finishing second at the U.S. Championships when she was only 15. Regarded as “likely the best skater in the world” between 2002-2004 by Olympics.com, Sasha came in fourth place at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics along with her aforementioned 2006 silver medal, and finished her career with a total three World medals and six U.S. Championship medals. Known for her elegance, artistry and outstanding spins and spirals, Sasha “broke scoring records not for her jumps but for her artistic elements and attention to detail.” She became the first figure skater to exceed 130 points in the free skate event and her signature “I-spin” is now often called the “Sasha spin.”
In ode to her Jewish heritage, Sasha was occasionally spotted wearing a red Kabbalah bracelet during competitions to ward off evil. For her extraordinary athletic achievements, Sasha has been inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Sara DeCosta-Hayes
Sara DeCosta-Hayes got her start in hockey playing on boys’ teams, but being the star goalie for Providence College landed her a spot as the very first U.S. women’s Olympic hockey goalie. She played in the inaugural 1998 Nagano Olympics, as well as the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where she won a gold and silver medal, respectively. Despite a second-place finish, she had the best goals-against average and save percentage of any goalie at the 2002 Olympics – and recorded a staggering 26 saves in the championship game. Sara again owned these two statistics at the 2000 and 2001 IIHF World Championships, where she earned two silver medals. For leading her team to continuous success, Sara is the recipient of the 2000 and 2002 USA Hockey Women’s Player of the Year Award. Post-retirement, she channeled her passion into founding the Rhode Island Sting, an elite girls hockey club. Sara is also an inductee to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame, US Hockey Hall of Fame Museum and was named a contemporary Jewish sports heroine by Brandeis University.
Jason Brown
Figure skater Jason Brown has been a staple in the skating world since 2007, when he first won the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships. Since then, he’s won the 2015 U.S. Championship (as well as earned four second and three third place finishes), three World Championships and gone to the Olympics twice. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, he won the team bronze medal and placed fourth individually, and placed sixth individually at the 2022 Beijing games. In a men’s skating world now dominated by who can complete the most complex jumps, Jason is known for “combining athleticism with musical expression” and accentuating choreography. He is most often remembered for his 2014 “Riverdance” program – which he brought back this year for U.S. Championships – making him an internet sensation and securing his ticket to Sochi.
In addition to his success on the ice, Jason is proudly Jewish and a true mensch, most recently seen expressing such character delivering the stuffed animals thrown onto the ice to the local Ronald McDonald House following the 2026 U.S. Championships. While most young skating sensations train year-round, Jason instead spent his summers at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Olin-Sang-Ruby in Wisconsin. At his bar mitzvah, Jason bused his guests following services to a local school to help renovate it in lieu of a party. And at the 2022 Olympics, he skated to music from the movie “Schindler’s List.” Though this music has been a controversial choice for past skaters, Jason wanted to honor his heritage and “do the piece justice, knowing the weight of the piece and weight of the story,” engaging and educating his audience on the Holocaust through his performance.
Arielle Gold
Arielle Gold began snowboarding at age 7, inspired to follow in the footsteps of her older brother, fellow Olympian Taylor Gold. She quickly became a star. At 16, she won the halfpipe competition at the 2013 Snowboarding World Championships, becoming the second-youngest winner ever. At 17, she went to the 2014 Sochi Olympics with Taylor and was expected to medal, but unfortunately injured herself right before competition and had to pull out. She redeemed herself in the 2018 PyeongChang Games, winning bronze. She was one of few to compete the 1080 jump, an extremely difficult skill consisting of three full rotations in the air. Arielle retired from snowboarding in 2021 after nine years on the U.S. Snowboard Pro Halfpipe Team and is now studying to be a veterinarian.
Sarah Hughes
The most recent American woman to win a singles’ gold medal in Olympic figure skating, Sarah Hughes’ 2002 Salt Lake City win over Michelle Kwan and Irina Slutskaya is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in skating history. She was only sixteen-years-old – and the youngest skater in the competition. Sarah also became the “first woman in Olympic history to land two triple jump-triple jump combinations.” Part of a crew of skating siblings, her younger sister Emily competed in the 2006 Turin Olympics.
Though Sarah was unable to have a Bat Mitzvah due to her rigorous training schedule, she proudly wore a Star of David necklace when she skated. She is an inductee to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Today, Sarah works as a lawyer and is a prominent supporter of Figure Skating in Harlem, an organization which provides girls of color with skating and leadership opportunities.
Josh Ho-Sang
Josh Ho-Sang comes from a multicultural background: a Jamaican-Chinese father and Russian-Swedish Jewish mother who grew up in Chile. Both immigrated to Canada and later instilled their love of sports in their children. Initially following in his father’s professional tennis footsteps, Josh found tennis to be more fun using the racket to roll the ball on the ground like a hockey stick and puck. He enrolled in hockey instead and quickly became a teenage sensation. Josh was drafted to the NHL in the first round in 2014, and later represented Team Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, playing in five games and recording three assists. Josh has played in hockey leagues around the world from Canada to the U.S. to Sweden to Russia, and currently plays for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.
Josh loves his many cultures, describing himself as a “jack of all trades.” He is proud to be Jewish, stating “I have always celebrated the Jewish holidays like Chanukah and the High Holidays with family and friends,” and hopes his success inspires those from underrepresented backgrounds in hockey to play.
Steve Mesler
Steve Mesler was a standout decathlon star at the University of Florida. Not ready to give up his track career following graduation, Steve followed in the footsteps of many fellow runners: he switched to bobsled. He began training the sport in 2001 and quickly found himself as the alternate for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics four-man bobsled team. He finished in seventh in 2006 Turin, and helped bring the U.S. to victory in 2010 Vancouver, winning the first U.S. gold in the four-man bobsled in 62 years. This feat was repeated with the same team that won the 2009 World Championship (also ending a 50-year drought). For their accomplishments across 2009-2010, Steve’s team became only the second bobsled team to appear on the cover of “Sports Illustrated,” and became the first team to win back-to-back U.S. Olympic Committee’s Team of the Year awards.
Though not religious, Steve’s mom stated he would “be proud to be identified as a Jewish athlete.” For his athletic excellence, Steve has been inducted to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
Anna Segal
Australian slopestyle skier Anna Segal competed in the inaugural rendition of the women’s ski slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Despite illness and a torn ACL, Anna finished in fourth place, which remains Australia’s highest ever finish in the event. An accomplished skier across all tournaments, Anna also has won a medal of every color at the Winter X Games, including gold at the very first slopestyle competition in 2009, as well as gold at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships and the 2007 US Freeski Open. Her successful career was unfortunately fraught with consistent injury, and she retired following the 2014 Olympics. For her outstanding contributions to slopestyle skiing, Anna was named 2011 Australian Snowsports Person of the Year and was inducted to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Maccabi Victoria Hall of Fame.
And an honorable mention…
Torah Bright
Though not Jewish, Australian skier and two-time Olympic medalist Torah Bright was indeed named after the Torah. Her sister’s Jewish piano teacher recommended the name, and her parents loved it!
Click here to read up on the Jewish Winter Olympians headed to Milano Cortina this year.
