The Winter Olympics are almost here! This year, the Winter Olympics, officially called Milano Cortina 2026, are set to be co-hosted by the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. Milan will host ice sports and the opening ceremony, while Cortina d’Ampezzo will host snow sports and the closing ceremony. The Olympics will be held February 6, 2026, and will go until February 22, 2026, with athletes traveling from all across the world to compete. One athlete, American alpine ski racer Jacqueline Wiles, has battled back from injury to chase her Olympic dreams in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Jacqueline Wiles, who races under the nickname Jackie, was born and raised in Aurora, Oregon. She began skiing at age two and racing at age five. Wiles and her older brother, Steele, were a part of the Powderhound program at Timberline on Mt. Hood. “It was great because it was a way for our family to go to the mountain without breaking the bank,” Wiles told skiracing.com. Wiles grew up attending Canby High School, where she was a three-sport athlete, playing soccer, basketball, and softball, along with ski racing outside of school. Eventually, Wiles wanted to focus on one sport, and she ultimately chose ski racing.
In 2013, Wiles won her first big event, the US Alpine Championship downhill title at age 20. This was a breakout moment in her career, helping her secure her spot on the US Ski Team the following year. “It was the best feeling in the world,” said Wiles. “I was kind of a nobody, and I popped out of nowhere. I had always believed in myself, and not a lot of other people thought I had what it took. I had just kept working hard, and finally, for this race, things fell into place, and I had an amazing run, winning the national title for downhill.”
In 2014, Wiles defended her title at the Alpine Championships and qualified for the Olympics for the first time, in Sochi, Russia. Wiles placed 26th in Women’s Downhill in her first Olympic appearance. Wiles said it was a “dream come true” to compete in the Olympics.
In the next few years, Wiles found success competing in multiple World Championships and World Cups, her best result in 2017 with a third-place finish in downhill at the World Cup. However, in 2018, Wiles suffered a severe injury competing at the World Cup. Just days before she was set to compete in the 2018 Olympic Games in Korea, Wiles lost control on a turn and slid off course into the safety net. According to KATU News, “Wiles, who initially thought the injury was minor, suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and fractured fibula.” Wiles’ dad and brother told reporters just after the accident, “She was thinking 2018 was her year.”
Following her injury, Wiles underwent major surgery to repair extensive damage to her knee and faced a long, 18-month process of rehabilitation. Gillian Bower, US Ski and Snowboard’s Director of High Performance, sighted Wiles’ injury as “the worst injury” he’s seen. Wiles remained positive during the entire process and viewed the time as a way to grow.
In time, Wiles returned to competing in late 2019 at the Lake Louise World Cup. 2019 was a difficult season for Wiles, as she was unable to finish above the top 20. In the 2020-2021 season, Wiles began to find rhythm until she suffered another setback. Wiles underwent surgery for a broken collarbone and had another knee surgery, both of which limited her ability to compete that season. Despite these injuries, she remained a part of the Land Rover US Alpine Ski Team that year.
Finally, in 2022, Wiles returned to the Olympic Games to compete in Beijing. Before traveling to Beijing, Wiles had to undergo surgery on a torn patellar tendon. In Beijing, Wiles placed 21st in downhill, despite recurring knee pain, and in the end, she re-tore the patellar tendon in the race. This led to yet another surgery and a long road to recovery.
In the 2023-2024 season, Jackie Wiles made her second major comeback to competing. She was able to work her way up in the rankings in downhill and earned a second-place podium finish in Cortina in 2024. Regarding the Cortina track, Wiles told skiracing.com, “… there’s a lot of memories, big moments that mean a lot. It’s a special place.”
This year, Wiles is entering the 2026 Winter Olympics with a sense of calm. The 33-year-old has reflected on all she has overcome to get to this point, and feels that now she can handle anything. “Now that I’m older in my career, it adds an element of calm,” Wiles said in November, while training with the US Speed Team. “I don’t feel as if I’m trying to make a big statement. I know who I am.” This winter, Wiles hopes to be at the top of her game in Italy. Wiles told skiraicing.com, “I’ve been through injuries, and I’ve learned a lot from those to the point where now I know what I need to do to overcome mental struggles,” she said. “If I’m struggling with skiing as well, I feel like I’m in a place now where I have more tools to be able to handle whatever I need at that moment.”
Wiles has fought through numerous injuries and struggles to finally chase her Olympic dreams at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wiles is aiming to compete in downhill and Super-G at Milano Cortina. Wiles told KSN News, “Honestly, I never had a thought of wanting to give up. I knew that if I just kept working hard, I could get back to where I wanted.”
