The pageantry of the Winter Games will take center stage Friday afternoon as the Milan Cortina Olympics officially begin, and Team USA will enter the Opening Ceremony led by two athletes whose journeys reflect both excellence and perseverance.
Speed skating gold medalist Erin Jackson and bobsledder Frank Del Duca have been named the United States’ flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Feb. 3. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6, airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms.
Jackson and Del Duca were selected through a vote by their fellow U.S. athletes, a distinction that underscores the respect they’ve earned across sports and disciplines.
Jackson’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable. Just six years after first lacing up speed skates, the 33-year-old from Ocala, Florida, captured gold in the 500 meters at the 2022 Beijing Games, becoming the first Black American woman to win an Olympic speed skating medal and the first Black woman to claim an individual Winter Olympic gold medal.
She has only strengthened her place at the top of the sport since then. Despite battling a series of health issues, Jackson has remained among the world’s elite, winning back-to-back World Cup titles in the 500 meters during the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, along with gold medals at the 2024 and 2025 Four Continents Championships. Entering her third Olympic Games, Jackson is ranked No. 3 in the world in her signature event and becomes just the eighth speed skater to serve as a Team USA flagbearer.
Del Duca brings both Olympic experience and a personal connection to the host nation. The 34-year-old bobsledder, whose family is of Italian descent, made his Olympic debut in Beijing, piloting U.S. sleds to 13th-place finishes in both the two-man and four-man events. He is also a member of the World Class Athlete Program, a U.S. military initiative that supports soldiers competing at the highest levels of international sport.
As the U.S. men continue their pursuit of a return to the Olympic podium — something they last achieved in 2014 — Del Duca’s selection symbolizes leadership and continuity for a program seeking to reclaim its place among the world’s best.
Together, Jackson and Del Duca will lead Team USA into the Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony, carrying not only the American flag, but also stories of resilience, representation and dedication that embody the Olympic spirit.
