Meet the Athletes, Part 2: Iconic Daredevils
We continue our series on Team Rainbow in anticipation of the 2026 Winter Olympics—this time, the two part of a two-part preview on the participants contributing to the medal count!
This is another story in our continued coverage of the upcoming Olympics. You can read the introduction to this series here and the first part of the preview here. The first part of the preview and the intro are provided without charge, but the rest of the pieces, including this one, will be behind the Wide Left paywall, with proceeds going to Minnesota Direct Relief.
In this two-part series, we’ll take a look at Team Rainbow contenders across the breadth of different Olympic events. Today, we will conclude with skiing, snowboarding, and speedskating.
Some of the most accomplished members of Team Rainbow are potential medal contenders in these more individualistic pursuits. There is nothing quite like rooting for an athlete who nails massive air in the halfpipe, wins a sprint in skicross, or zooms across the ice in speed skating, edging out their competitors. This cohort of athletes has some individual medal favorites we can cheer on enthusiastically.
Ski Cross
Ski cross, for those unaware, is a head-to-head sprint with 3 or 4 athletes on the course at once. It leads to huge air, tight races, and exciting finishes. Thankfully for us, Team Rainbow’s own Sandra Näslund is the best women’s ski cross athlete in the world.
Näslund has been a force ever since her first World Championship win in 2017, earning three other World Championship golds since then. In her debut Olympics in Beijing, the Swede took gold, winning all of her heats with aplomb. Näslund has worked her way back from injury over the past year and is ready to defend her title from the likes of Swiss nemesis Fanny Smith.
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