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(NEXSTAR) — With the 2026 Winter Olympics concluded, the U.S. athletes have returned home from Milan, still buzzing from their impressive performances.
“I’m over the moon,” shares Hilary Knight, a seasoned Olympian who captained Team USA’s women’s hockey team. “Waking up back in the U.S., I keep thinking, ‘Did we actually win?’ It feels surreal.”
Having secured two gold medals and now holding the record for the most goals in U.S. Olympic women’s hockey, Knight had previously hinted that the 2026 games might be her swan song. But has her time in Milan made her reconsider?
The next Winter Olympics are set to take place in the French Alps in 2030, just four years away.
“Right now, I’m thinking this is the end,” Knight admits. “But am I still capable? Absolutely, 1000%. There’s no doubt I could compete for another four years. Plus, my teammates have been nudging me, saying, ‘Just do two more years, then two more…’ So, we’ll see how things unfold.”
She says while she knows she’s capable of continuing to compete, she sees the appeal of choosing how she gets to go out as a professional athlete.
Meanwhile, Team USA speed skater Erin Jackson, who became the first Black woman to earn a gold medal in speed skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, is still recovering from a special honor she received from her team in Milan. Her own team nominated her to be an official Olympic flag-bearer for the U.S. at the opening ceremony.
And Jackson, a three-time Olympian, actually got to do it!
“Being able to actually carry the flag in that moment and to lead Team USA into the games, it was a real honor. It’s hard to put that into words. I was just smiling the entire time. It was just a whirlwind.”
While Jackson didn’t medal this year, she says she’s ready to take care of some physical issues she’s having and will be “ready” for the 2030 games.