LIVIGNO, Italy – Ollie Martin has already made his “dream come true.”
Here at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Team USA snowboarder says he’s making his “younger self proud,” and “everything that I’ve wanted since I was a kid has been sort of coming to fruition.”
Yeah, about that:
Martin is only 17.
Still a kid – legally. Not so much, however, in world-class snowboarding.
In this breathtakingly acrobatic sport, an athlete like Red Gerard, Martin’s U.S. teammate, calls himself “one of the older ones” at a ripe 25. Team USA will also feature Alessandro Barbieri, 17, in the men’s halfpipe competition at the Milano Cortina Games.
Like Barbieri, Martin is viewed as a potential breakout American star at these Olympics. He will join former Olympic gold medalist Gerard and two other Americans – Jake Canter and Sean Fitzsimons – in the men’s slopestyle and in the big air competition, which begins with qualifying Feb. 5 at Livigno Snow Park, making it one of the first contests at these Games.
The top 12 (out of 30) entrants in big air qualify for the finals on Feb. 7.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to go to the Olympics and to perform well,” Martin told reporters Feb. 3 at Livigno Snow Park. “It only happens every four years. It’s kind of one opportunity. I’ve been preparing myself for that extra pressure.”
Team USA didn’t medal in men’s big air at the last Olympics, though Gerard and Martin – both Colorado residents – figure to be among the contenders this time around.
Now in his third Olympics, Gerard was 17 when he won gold in slopestyle in PyeongChang in 2018. He barely missed the podium in Beijing, finishing fifth in big air and fourth in slopestyle.
This time, however, he has roughly 45 friends and family – “it’s like a crazy group, man” – who’ve made the trip over with him for these Games.
“I know what it takes. I feel like I’m riding the best I ever have in a lot of ways,” Gerard told reporters in Livigno. “I think I’m just trying to get back to that 17-year-old self.”
Which leads back to Martin. He sounds older than his age, though there are still indicators.
Like when Martin was asked at Team USA’s press conference about this small snowboarding figure that he used to take on trips, flipping it and acting out tricks. Does he still have that figure with him at this Olympics? Yes, Martin replied.
“My mom made me bring it,” he said. “Honestly, that toy was really helpful for me. I could use it to visualize. I was able to come up with some tricks with that toy. Sounds silly, but it was actually really helpful.”
Seems like it was. Martin’s rise to prominence began at 16. He cracked the top three in big air and slopestyle at the 2025 world championships.
He also became the youngest rider to ever land a 2160, according to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team.
“Ollie’s his own beast. I look up to him, man,” Gerard said. ‘I look at what Ollie does, and I’m like, ‘Yo, how do I do that? That’s insane.’ I think it’s a friendly push off each other.”