Gaudreau Family Tribute Touches Olympic Crowd
Team USA’s men’s hockey gold medal win over an opponent earlier in the Games featured an emotional nod to Johnny Gaudreau, the late Columbus Blue Jackets forward whose No. 13 jersey was carried on the ice. Gaudreau’s children, Noa and Johnny Jr., joined the team for the official photo, a moment players said honored his spirit throughout the tournament. Though born in New Jersey, Gaudreau’s two seasons with the Ohio-based Blue Jackets forged deep local connections, including tributes from fans outside Nationwide Arena after his 2024 death.
Ohio Skier Fuels Freestyle Gold
Sharonville native Connor Curran delivered a standout jump scoring 113.72 points to help Team USA claim gold in the freestyle skiing mixed team aerials final on Saturday. Teamed with Kaila Kuhn (94.44) and Chris Lillis (117.19), the Americans tallied 325.35 points to top Switzerland and China. The 21-year-old Cincinnati-area product, a promising aerials talent trained partly in Ohio, marked Team USA’s record 11th gold of the Games.sports.
Broader Buckeye Impact on Team USA
Ohio athletes bolstered U.S. efforts across events, including women’s hockey golds for Laila Edwards (Cleveland) and Gwyneth Phillips (Athens). Ohio State alumni like Joy Dunne, Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka also earned gold with the women’s team, part of eight Buckeyes medaling. These performances underscored Ohio’s outsized role in the spread-out Games, from Milan ice to Cortina slopes.sports.