Winter Olympics stars who’re additionally lovers from ice hockey rivals to Team USA energy couple
Several power couples will be involved at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with some athletes even forced to compete against their own partners at the games
USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Olympic Games have been described by insiders as far raunchier than fans back home could ever imagine.
When taking into account the pent-up adrenaline and being tucked away for two weeks in a vibrant Olympic Village, official measures such as the anti-sex beds at Paris 2024 and half a million free condoms dished out at Rio 2016 start to make a lot more sense. Such romantic activities are not exclusive to the summer games; the Winter Olympic Games also host some serious smooching behind the scenes.
Unsurprisingly, some of these athletes also find love at the Games, surrounded by people much like themselves. In fact, there are more than a dozen real-life couples at Milan Cortina 2026 this month, some of whom began dating before their first Games and before taking up their respective sports. Here, Daily Star Sport takes a look at seven such couples, with several being team-mates and others set to compete against each other in Italy.
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Nicole Silveira and Kim Meylemans
Brazilian athlete Nicole and Belgian athlete Kim will be competing against each other for a gold medal in skeleton this year. The twist is that they are also married, having tied the knot in January 2025. The couple first met on the World Cup circuit in 2019 and have previously faced each other at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates
While Madison and Evan have been an ice dancing pair since 2011, their relationship only took a romantic turn in 2017.
The veteran duo married in June 2024 and are now preparing for their fourth Olympic Games together.
Red Gerard and Hailey Langland
Team USA’s snowboarding power couple, Red and Hailey, made their Winter Olympic debuts at PyeongChang 2018 as mere 17-year-olds, competing in slopestyle and big air.
Their friendship turned into romance just weeks before they were involved in the biggest event of their lives. Eight years later, they’re seemingly still going strong.
Ronja Savolainen and Anna Kjellbin
Despite getting engaged in 2024, ice hockey stars Ronja and Anna are representing rival Scandinavian nations Finland and Sweden, respectively, at the Games.
Ronja is a two-time bronze medal winner, while Anna will be making her Olympic debut in Italy.
Ashley Caldwell and Justin Schoenefeld
American freeskiers Ashley and Justin met after the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and instantly felt chemistry.
Along with Christopher Lillis, they claimed gold in their Olympic debut for mixed team aerials.
They went on to tie the knot on top of a summit in Park City, Utah, in snowy conditions roughly a year ago.
Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien
Team Norway curlers Magnus and Kristin have been together since 2011 and began competing as a mixed doubles duo a year later.
In that time, they’ve managed to win two Olympic medals together, making them a dream team on and off the ice after seven years of marriage.
Hunter Powell and Kaysha Love
Team USA bobsledders Kaysha and Hunter began their respective careers as track and field athletes at the University of Nevada.
However, after Kaysha transitioned to bobsleighing in 2022, she persuaded Hunter to take up the sport two years later.
Hunter popped the question in July 2025, and they’re now competing in their first Olympics together as fiances.
