Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Team Germany Hopefuls

65 Days until the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Germany ranks third in Winter Olympic medals, just behind Norway (405 medals) and the USA (330 medals), with 287 medals overall. And in gold medals, specifically Germany and the USA are neck and neck with 113 and 114 medals respectively. This is despite the USA having a huge advantage in population over Germany (340 million versus 83 million respectively), with similar climate, resources, etc..

German Winter Olympic Participation Since 1924

Germany was not invited to the 1924 and 1948 Winter Olympics due to its role in World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945). Also, following the end of World War II, Germany was occupied and divided between the USSR and its Western allies (the USA, Great Britain, and France). Germany was a devastated country after the war and had lost over 5.4 million soldiers and upwards of 3 million civilians. In spite of this 20th-century catastrophe, German athletes would compete as a unified team (United Team of Germany) from 1956 to 1964. After that, East and West Germany sent separate teams until reunification in 1990.

Notwithstanding the aforementioned 20th century political, economic and social upheavals, Germany, as a country, has achieved remarkable Winter Olympic success. And especially since reunification in 1990, Germany has been a major force topping the medals tables in 1992, 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Famous German Winter Olympians

Katja Seizinger became the first woman in history to win gold in the downhill in successive Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994 and Nagano in 1998.

Also in Nagano in 1998, German luge great Georg Hackl became just the sixth Winter Olympian to win the same event (men’s singles luge) in three consecutive Games.

German speed-skater Claudia Pechstein is the first female Winter Olympian to win medals in five consecutive Olympics (1992–2006); she won the gold medal in the women’s 5000 meter race in three consecutive Olympics (1994, 1998, 2002), with bronze in the first (1992) and the silver medal in the fifth (2006).

Ski Jumper Jens Weisflog won two gold medals in the individual large hill and team large hill events at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Prior to reunification, and while competing for East Germany in Sarajevo in 1984 Weisflog also won a gold and a bronze medal.

Alpine skier Ulrich Wehling won the nordic combined event in three consecutive Winter Olympics in Sapporo in 1972, in Innsbruck in 1976, and in Lake Placid in 1980.

Alpine skier Rosi Mittermaier would win three medals in Innsbruck in 1976, including two gold medals in the downhill and slalom races and a silver medal in the giant slalom.

Alpine skier Maria Höfl-Riesch won gold medals in slalom and super combined in Vancouver in 2010. She defended her super combined title in Sochi in 2014 to win her third Olympic gold medal, and also won a silver medal in the super-G.

On to the 2026 Winter Olympic German hopefuls:

The German Men’s Hockey Team

The men’s hockey team shocked many in PyeongChang in 2018, winning a silver medal. This was followed by only a tenth-place finish in Beijing in 2022. They return in 2026 with at least six NHL players on their roster: Leon Draisaitl, Moritz Seider, Tim Stutzle, Lukas Reichel, Philipp Grubauer, and Nico Sturm. Many experts, therefore, think they will have enough top-level talent and Olympic experience to get to the quarterfinals and could even sneak into the semifinals.

Bobsledder Francesco Freidrich

Francesco Friedrich has consistently piloted Germany to Olympic and world titles in two-man and four-man bobsled. He swept both events at each of the last two Winter Olympics, and his four gold medals are tied for the most in the sport. A fifth gold medal would break the tie and put Friedrich atop his sport’s all-time leaderboard. It’s hard to bet against the 35-year-old.

Biathlon Franziska Preuß

Despite amassing an envious number of World Championships medals, Preuß has yet to win an individual Olympic medal. She’s been close, finishing fourth in the 15km individual event in PyeongChang in 2018, but she’s never stood on the podium outside of her relay bronze in Beijing in 2022. Maybe 2026 will finally be her Olympic year.

Alpine Skier Linus Strasser

Strasser, who specializes in the slalom event, won a silver medal in the mixed team event in Beijing in 2022. He has continued to improve since then and finished third in the slalom at the 2025 World Championships.

Bobsledder Laura Nolte

Laura Nolte won the 2023 and 2024 World Championships in monobob. In the 2022 Beijing Games, she won the gold medal in the two-woman bobsleigh, becoming the youngest woman in bobsleigh history to win the title.

Snowboarder Ramona Hofmeister

Hofmeister competed in the PyeongChang Games in 2018, winning a bronze medal in the parallel giant slalom.

Curling Mark Muskatewitz

Muskatewitz, 29, started playing curling in 2003, where he had a successful junior career. He would go on to compete in seven World Championships from 2016 to 2025. At the 2025 World’s, team Muskatewitz would finish with a 5–7 record, finishing outside of the playoffs in 8th place. However, Muskatewitz’s performance over the last two world championships earned Germany enough points to qualify directly for the 2026 Winter Olympics. This would be his first Olympics, notwithstanding his ten years of experience on the world stage.

Pairs Skating Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin

Fabienne and Volodin have achieved significant success since teaming up in 2022. They are the reigning European champions and 2025 World silver medalists, and they have won the Grand Prix Final twice. Their rapid rise to the top of their sport includes winning multiple Grand Prix events and a bronze medal at the 2024 World Championships.