With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina just days away, the Canadian women are ready to make standout performances once again across several disciplines.
The Canadian delegation of 207 athletes including 109 rookies, will be participating in 16 events through two weeks of competition. This is the first Winter Games where athletes competing in women’s events (108) outnumber those competing in the men’s events (99). The delegation will also see 90 athletes returning from the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
From experienced Olympic champions to those looking to make their Olympic debut, here are some athletes to watch this time around.
Abigail Strate - ski jump
Abigail “Abi” Strate is set to compete in her second Olympic Games after topping the podium for six World Cups this season. Strate, originally from Calgary, Alta., has now been living and training in Slovenia for the past four years.
The 24-year-old had her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022 in the inaugural Olympic mixed ski jumping event. Strate, alongside teammates Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes, Alexandria Loutitt and Matthew Soukup, secured Canada’s first ever Olympic medal in the sport.
Fortunately, she will find the venue familiar after reaching the podium during the Summer Grand Prix series at last September's Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium at the same venue that athletes will be competing at for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Marie Philip-Poulin - ice hockey team
Marie Philip-Poulin is set to compete in her fifth Olympic Games as Team Canada’s captain after reaching the pinnacle in 2010, 2014 and 2022. Currently, Poulin has won three gold medals and one silver in that time and hopes to add another this year.
Also the captain of the Montreal Victoire, one of the eight teams in the PWHL, Poulin is among the 61 players from the league attending the Games. Including her, 23 of those players have been named to the Canadian roster.
In the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the Beauceville, Que., native had the honour of being named one of Canada’s two flag bearers alongside short track speed skater Charles Hamelin. There, the now 34-year-old also became the first hockey player overall to score in four Olympic gold medal matches.
She hopes to help Team Canada to another gold to add to their history of taking five gold in the past six Olympic Games.
Marielle Thompson - ski cross
Marielle Thompson, a two-time Olympic medallist in ski-cross, will be participating in her fourth Olympic Games since her debut in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.
After suffering a season-ending knee injury last season, Thompson worked her way back to earn two bronze medals in recent World Cup events. The 33-year-old from Whistler, B.C. has accumulated 36 World Cup victories out of 73 podiums.
Also named one of Canada’s two flag-bearers, Thompson hopes to add a third Olympic medal to her resume after settling for gold in 2014 in Sochi and silver in 2022 in Beijing.
Honourable mention: Kelsey Mitchell - women’s bobsleigh
Kelsey Mitchell is set to join a list of few Canadian Olympians who call themselves dual-sport athletes.
The two-time Olympian first became a gold medallist in track cycling at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, before giving bobsleighing another try in 2025.
The Sherwood Park, Alta., native and brakeman for Team Canada is set to compete in her fourth Olympic Games and will begin her Winter Olympic campaign on Feb. 20.
Team: Women's long- and short-track speed skating
Signa Butler, a play-by-play commentator covering speed skating and short track speed skating for the Winter Olympics with CBC, said veterans Valérie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann are the ones to watch.
“These three women combined to win the gold medal in the team pursuit, so coming in as defending champions they might reclaim their gold medal,” Butler said.
She also said international teams like the Dutch and the Japanese are also extremely strong in the team pursuit. However Butler still believes the Canadians will “definitely be on the podium there.”
As for the individual events she said she thinks Blondin would perform the best in the mass start event.
“She won a medal in Beijing in that event, she’s been a multiple world championship medallist at this event, it’s her signature event,” Butler said.
However, she said with eight rookies on the team, Béatrice Lamarche, could also be a contender.
“She broke through this season on World Cup, won her first ever medal on World Cup in the 1000 metres,” Butler said.
“It was the first time a Canadian has won a medal on World Cup since Christine Nesbitt in 2012, so it’s been a long time in that distance that a Canadian has been on the podium.” she said.
Butler said finishing top six or even top eight in her first Olympics would still be an accomplishment.
As for short track, she said it’s nice to see Courtney Sarault back on the ice after a “tough” two years of over-training and fatigue.
“She won the Crystal Globe this year, she’s a threat at multiple distances, she’s fierce,” Butler said. “She’s a really, really big competitor.”
Sarault will also be joined by the leader of the team, Kim Boutin, who is a five-time Olympic medallist.
Even though she will only be competing in the 500m race, this will be her signature event in addition to the relays. Butler said she believes Boutin will have a chance at "multiple medals."
The most medals a short track team has won at a single Olympic Games was in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah with six medals. She said this team believes they can beat that record.
The long track speed skating and short track speed skating events will begin in Milano Cortina on Feb. 7 and Feb. 10 respectively.
