6 Illinois athletes — including 1 from metro-east — return with 2026 Olympic medals
Six Illinoisans are heading home from Milan this week with Olympic medals to their name.
Four — one men’s and three women’s hockey players — nabbed gold medals in historic runs for Team USA. Two speedskaters received silver medals.
Illinois’ medal-winning Olympic delegation was a mix of seasoned athletes and relatively green talent. Three athletes who did not medal also hail from the state.
Clayton Keller, men’s ice hockey
Metro-east native Clayton Keller earned a gold medal as a part of Team USA’s men’s hockey. The 29-year-old Utah Mammoth forward from Swansea had 38 seconds on the ice in the gold medal game against Canada, and spent much of his Olympic debut as a depth player.
Kendall Coyne Schofield, women’s ice hockey
Kendall Coyne Schofield earned her second Olympic gold — and fourth medal overall — as a part of Team USA’s women’s hockey. The veteran Chicago-area forward and Team USA captain scored two goals in her team’s 6–0 shutout of Italy in the quarterfinals. Coyne Schofield, 33, plays for the Minnesota Frost and celebrated the U.S.’s gold medal game victory over Canada with her toddler son, Drew.
Tessa Janecke, women’s ice hockey
Tessa Janecke, the 21-year-old captain of Pennsylvania State University’s women’s hockey team, ended her Olympic debut as a gold medalist as part of Team USA’s women’s hockey. The Orangeville native nabbed five assists during her run in Milan, including one against eventual gold medal game opponent Canada. Janecke has scored 82 career goals as a forward for the Nittany Lions, the most of any Penn State player.
Abbey Murphy, women’s ice hockey
Chicago-area native Abbey Murphy proved herself a key offensive player for Team USA women’s hockey in her second Olympics. The 23-year-old University of Minnesota captain notched the U.S.’s fifth and final goal in its shutout of Finland, then tacked on three more assists in the 5-0 rout of Canada in the preliminary round. She then helped lead Team USA to a 5–0 win over Sweden in the semifinals, nabbing a goal and an assist.
Ethan Cepuran and Emery Lehman, men’s speed skate team pursuit
Two-thirds of the silver medal-winning men’s speed skate team pursuit hail from Illinois. Ethan Cepuran of DuPage County and Emery Lehman of Cook County were part of a team that earned bronze in Beijing in 2022, and they were 4.51 seconds short of gold in Milan. It was Cepuran’s second Olympic appearance and Lehman’s fourth, but their last together.
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