Meet many of Quebec’s athlete hopefuls for Milano Cortina 2026
Athletes from Quebec are sure to be ones to watch as we head towards Milano Cortina 2026. Many of Canada’s top medal hopefuls and rising stars hail from la belle province.
Here are some athletes from Quebec to keep an eye on as the next Olympic Winter Games draws closer.
Mikaël Kingsbury – Freestyle Skiing (Moguls)
It is hard to know where to start when attempting to capture the accomplishments of Mikaël Kingsbury. With three Olympic medals (silver at Beijing 2022, gold at PyeongChang 2018, silver at Sochi 2014), nine world championship titles, and 29 Crystal Globes, there’s a reason he’s called the “King of Moguls.”
At 32-years-old Kingsbury is widely acknowledged as the most accomplished moguls skier in history. And with dual moguls being added to the Olympic programme at Milano Cortina 2026, there will be two shots at the podium for moguls skiers for the first time ever.
Kingsbury is also a teammate and mentor to three up-and-coming moguls skiers from Quebec: Julien Viel, Elliot Vaillancourt, and Louis-David Chalifoux, all of whom are aiming to make their Olympic debuts at Milano Cortina 2026.
Laurie Blouin – Snowboard (Slopestyle)
Milano Cortina 2026 would mark a third Olympic appearance for snowboarder Laurie Blouin. At her first Olympic Games in PyeongChang, Blouin overcame a hard crash in training and challenging wind conditions to win silver for Canada’s first Olympic medal in women’s slopestyle snowboard.
Blouin came close to earning another Olympic medal at Beijing 2022 as she finished fourth in slopestyle. The 29-year-old is also a two-time world champion and has six X Games medals to her name.
Maxime Deschamps and Deanna Stellato-Dudek – Figure Skating (Pairs)
Maxime Deschamps and Deanna Stellato-Dudek have only been competing together for five years, but that has been plenty of time to capture the hearts of Team Canada fans.
Born and raised in the USA, Stellato-Dudek was a talented junior skater who made the decision to retire early due to injuries. Then, 16 years later, she launched a comeback that soon saw her move north of the border to train with Deschamps in Montreal.
It was a risk for both skaters—but one that paid off. In 2024, the duo claimed the world pairs title on home ice in Montreal. At 40, Stellato-Dudek became the oldest woman to win a world championship figure skating title in any discipline.
In December 2024, Stellato-Dudek officially swore her oath of Canadian citizenship with Deschamps at her side, clearing the path for the pair to represent the maple leaf at Milano Cortina 2026. This would be both Deschamps and Stellato-Dudek’s Olympic debuts.
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha – Figure Skating (Ice Dance)
Ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha are seeking their second Olympic appearance, having finished 13th at Beijing 2022. They have been a team steadily on the rise since being world junior champions in 2019. On home ice in Montreal at the 2024 World Championships, they showed they were ready to join the upper echelon of ice dance with their fifth-place finish.
Valérie Maltais and Laurent Dubreuil – Long Track Speed Skating
For Valérie Maltais, the upcoming Olympic Games would represent an incredible fifth Olympic appearance. At Beijing 2022, as a member of Canada’s golden team pursuit, Maltais became the first Canadian to have Olympic medals in both short track and long track speed skating to her name.
Sprint star Dubreuil is seeking to make his third Olympic team. At Beijing 2022, Dubreuil missed the podium in the men’s 500m by just 0.03 of a second. He surged back days later to take silver in the 1000m—his first Olympic medal. It sits alongside his multiple world championship medals, four of which were won in the 500m and two in the 1000m.
Eliot Grondin – Snowboard (Snowboard Cross)
Eliot Grondin will be a force to be reckoned with at Milano Cortina 2026. The 24-year-old had an all-star season this year, taking the men’s snowboard cross Crystal Globe for the second year in a row, while also claiming the world championship title.
Grondin already has two Olympic medals to his name—a silver medal in men’s snowboard cross and a bronze medal in the mixed team event with teammate Meryeta O’Dine, both won at Beijing 2022.
Short Track Speed Skating
Team Canada’s short track speed skating team, known as the “Ice Maples” on the ISU Short Track World Tour, is long on Quebec representation, with Kim Boutin, Florence Brunelle, Danaé Blais, William Dandjinou, Félix Roussel, Jordan-Pierre Gilles, and Steven Dubois all names to look out for on the road to Milano Cortina 2026.
Boutin is a four-time Olympic medallist and was Canada’s only triple medallist at PyeongChang 2018.
As the 2024-25 overall Crystal Globe winner with five world championship medals to his name (four of them gold!), there is much excitement for Dandjinou’s Olympic debut and the potential to see his signature flying eagle celebration on Olympic ice.
Pierre-Gilles and Dubois are one half of the Beijing 2022 gold medal winning men’s 5000m relay team. That was Dubois’ third medal won at those Games. He stood atop four podiums at the 2025 World Championships, highlighted by his individual victories in the 500m and 1000m.
Freestyle Skiing (Aerials)
Team Canada aerialists Marion Thénault, Lewis Irving and Miha Fontaine made history for Team Canada at Beijing 2022 when they won bronze in the inaugural Olympic mixed team event. The achievement marked Canada’s first Olympic medal in any aerials event in 20 years.
Thénault placed fifth at the 2025 FIS Freestyle World Championship. She is one of only a few women who perform a triple back flip on snow.
Their teammate, Alexandre Duchaine, is seeking his first Olympic qualification. Duchaine placed fourth at the 2025 World Championships. Thénault, Irving and Duchaine finished fifth in the team event.
Elizabeth Hosking – Snowboard (Halfpipe)
At only 23-years-old, Elizabeth Hosking is already seeking a third Olympic berth. When she made her Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018, Hosking was the youngest athlete on all of Team Canada at only 16 years old. At Beijing 2022, Hosking finished sixth in women’s snowboard halfpipe.
In 2023, Hosking took silver at the FIS World Championship, Canada’s first-ever world championship medal in women’s snowboard halfpipe.
READ: “That fire hasn’t left”: Snowboarder Elizabeth Hosking wants to reach new heights in the halfpipe
Alpine Skiing
Valérie Grenier and Laurence St-Germain are both seeking berths on their third Olympic teams. Both skiers have dealt with significant injuries throughout their Olympic journeys, but have shown dedication to returning to form.
In 2023, St-Germain was crowned world champion in the women’s slalom. This achievement marked the first time a Canadian had won an alpine skiing slalom world championship in 63 years.
Antoine Cyr – Cross-Country Skiing
At Beijing 2022, Cyr finished fifth in the men’s team sprint alongside teammate Graham Ritchie–Canada’s best ever Olympic result in the event in classic technique.
And with another big fifth place finish in the men’s 4×7.5km relay at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships alongside teammates Xavier McKeever, Max Hollmann and Olivier Léveillé, Cyr is looking for big results at Milano Cortina 2026,
Marie-Philip Poulin – Ice Hockey
Affectionately known as “Captain Clutch” due to her penchant for rising to the occasion in major moments, Marie-Philip Poulin is a stalwart of Canadian women’s ice hockey. In her four Olympic appearances Poulin has notched three gold and one silver medal.
Poulin served as one of Team Canada’s flag bearers at the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony. During those Games she became the first hockey player—male or female—to score in four Olympic gold medal games.
The 34-year-old is also the captain of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire.