2026 Winter Olympics medal-winning athletes who have experienced disability

Posted by Noah Senecal-Junkeer – February 22, 2026

Here are some athletes who won medals at the 2026 Olympics who have discussed disability experiences in some form. All sources are linked in the article.

Alysa Liu (USA) - Figure Skating, Women's Singles Gold & Team Event Gold

Alysa Liu lives with ADHD and has been open about stepping away from the sport due to burnout before returning with a healthier perspective.

Source

Medium - Olympic champion Alysa Liu has ADHD

Amber Glenn (USA) - Figure Skating, Team Event Gold

Amber Glenn has discussed her experiences with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and recovering from an eating disorder.

Source

Meet The Queer Figure Skating Icon Who Is Revolutionizing The Traditional Sport

Jake Canter (USA) - Snowboarding, Men's Slopestyle Bronze

Jake Canter had a near-fatal trampoline accident at 13 that fractured his skull and caused a traumatic brain injury. He lost hearing permanently in his right ear.

Source

Ten Years After a Near-Death Accident, Team USA Snowboarder Jake Canter Makes the Podium

Florence Brunelle (CAN) - Short Track Speed Skating, Mixed Relay Silver & Women's 3000m Relay Bronze

Florence Brunelle was born with two fingers on her left hand and wears a modified glove for relay exchanges. She also previously stepped away from the sport to protect her mental health before returning for these Games.

Source

Team Canada - Florence Brunelle athlete profile

My thoughts

One thing that jumped out: every athlete on this list is North American. That is almost certainly a limitation of my search, which was primarily in English. Perhaps also, different cultures have different norms around discussing disability and mental health publicly, and I'm sure there are many more athletes with similar stories that I didn't come across.

If you know of others I missed, add them in the comments!

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