The ice has not even settled in Milan-Cortina, yet the conversation around the Winter Games is already drifting away from stopwatch times and split-second finishes. It is drifting toward red carpets, famous partners, and brand deals that would make a Hollywood agent lean in.
According to the Daily Mail, the latest roster of Winter Olympians arriving in northern Italy includes a speed skater who dates a headline-grabbing YouTuber, a bobsledder who is also a Royal Marine, and a hockey star brushing shoulders with NFL royalty. The athletes themselves are walking into an Olympics that looks a lot like a global premiere.
For many Gen X and Baby Boomer viewers who grew up with figure-skating queens and iconic torchbearers, Milan offers something familiar with a twist. The names are new, yet the dynamic is classic. The Winter Games are once again creating crossover stars, only now they are doing it in the age of social media, luxury sponsorships, and celebrity couples.
What to expect at Milan-Cortina 2026: new sports, venues and 116 gold medals.
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Mikaela Shiffrin Turns Pressure Into Global Brand Power
Few athletes arrive in Milan-Cortina with more name recognition than Mikaela Shiffrin. The American alpine skier has been carrying the weight of expectation for years, through record-breaking wins and very public heartbreak on the slopes.
The Washington Post has chronicled how Shiffrin, who once dominated the slalom circuit with seemingly effortless precision, faced intense scrutiny after high-profile stumbles at a previous Winter Games. She spoke about the emotional toll of those races, telling reporters, “I know what it feels like when the world expects something from you, and you do not deliver.” That honesty, paired with her relentless return to form, has reshaped her image from untouchable prodigy to resilient veteran.
Off the mountain, Shiffrin has quietly built a brand that feels both elite and approachable. She appears in major advertising campaigns, partners with global sponsors, and speaks openly about perfectionism, grief, and burnout. That mix has made her relatable to fans who have watched her grow up on their television screens.
Her personal life has become part of the story as well. The Daily Mail highlights her relationship, and now engagement, to Norwegian alpine star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, turning the pair into one of the most recognizable couples in winter sports. In Milan, their shared spotlight carries a particular glamour. They are no longer just rivals on the results sheet. They are a power couple navigating careers, injuries, and endorsements together, with cameras waiting at every finish area.
Chloe Kim Balances Halfpipe History and Hollywood Attention
Chloe Kim, who first exploded into public consciousness as a teenage snowboarding sensation, arrives in Italy with a different kind of pressure. She has already secured her place in Olympic history. The question now is what kind of icon she wants to be.
The New York Times has described how Kim wrestled with fame after her early gold-medal breakthroughs, from overwhelming social media attention to the expectations placed on a young woman of color in a historically niche sport. She admitted that the constant scrutiny wore her down, saying, “I just wanted to enjoy the ride again.” That desire to reclaim joy has become part of her narrative.
At the same time, Kim has stepped fully into the world of fashion and entertainment. The Daily Mail points to her red-carpet turns, including a standout appearance at the GQ Men of the Year Party, where she swapped snow gear for high-glamour styling. Campaigns with major brands, magazine covers, and talk-show couches have followed, cementing her status far beyond the halfpipe.
Her love life has also drawn attention. The Daily Mail reports that Kim is in a relationship with Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett, an NFL powerhouse whose own profile soared in recent seasons. Their pairing links two very different sports worlds and turns Kim into a fixture not only on the slopes but in the luxury boxes of football stadiums, where cameras search for familiar faces.
Eileen Gu Becomes China’s Golden Girl of Luxury
Eileen Gu might be the most vivid example of how a Winter Olympian can become a full-fledged global celebrity. Born in the United States and competing for China, she has been at the center of intense conversations about identity, loyalty, and opportunity.
In previous coverage from major outlets, Gu has been described as a model student, fashion fixture, and marketing dream. She has walked runways, posed for luxury houses, and reportedly secured a portfolio of endorsement deals that stretches from sportswear to high-end jewelry. Her image as “China’s golden girl” has been carefully built on billboards, in glossy spreads, and across social feeds.
What sets Gu apart is not just the number of brands lined up behind her, but the way she blends athletic risk with red-carpet poise. One day she is twisting through the air in a freestyle skiing final. Next, she is in couture at a film festival or fashion week. For viewers who remember the era when figure skaters were the de facto stars of the Winter Games, Gu feels like a modern update of that archetype, shaped in an age of viral moments and instant global reach.
Famous Partners and Viral Romances in the Stands
It is not only the athletes who carry star power into Milan-Cortina. The stands, benches, and VIP sections are crowded with names that would be at home on a pop-culture front page.
The Daily Mail spotlights Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam, whose relationship with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has drawn a wave of online interest. Leerdam was already a world-class athlete. Pairing that with Paul’s massive digital following turned her races into must-watch clips for an audience that might never have tuned into speed skating before.
On the ice hockey side, the Daily Mail points to American forward Laila Edwards, framed alongside Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce in pre-Games coverage. Kelce, who is already embedded in pop culture through his own high-profile relationship and Super Bowl heroics, brings another layer of celebrity glitter to a sport that often competes for attention in the United States.
Even within the athlete ranks, some stories read like cinematic loglines. British bobsledder Taylor Lawrence is introduced in the Daily Mail as a towering brakeman who also serves as a Royal Marine Commando. That biography alone feels tailor-made for documentaries and brand campaigns, where discipline, danger, and national pride intersect.
Why Milan Feels More Like a Red Carpet Than a Rink
The Winter Games have always created stars, from figure skaters whose routines lived forever on VHS tapes to ski legends whose names still echo in commercials. What is different in Milan-Cortina is the speed and scale of the transformation.
Social media ensures that a single run, a candid kiss in the stands, or a behind-the-scenes locker-room video can travel across the world in minutes. Sponsorship deals no longer wait for retirement. They arrive for athletes who are still teenagers. Famous partners, crossover careers, and luxury wardrobes become part of the package, not an afterthought.
According to both the Washington Post and the New York Times, fans now follow athletes for their full story arcs, not just their medal counts. That means heartbreak, comebacks, romances, and reinventions all unfold in public. It also means a skier like Shiffrin, a snowboarder like Kim, or a multi-hyphenate star like Gu can move smoothly between competition venues, glossy magazines, and high-end campaigns without missing a beat.
As Milan-Cortina opens its doors, the Olympic flame is sharing the spotlight with camera flashes and brand spotlights. The competition will decide who takes home medals. The months and years that follow will decide whose names linger in the wider culture, alongside the actors, musicians, and royals who have long defined global fame.
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