10 Most Popular Athletes of the 2026 Winter Olympics (4 of 6)

Connor McDavid—Ice hockey (1.4M followers)

Connor McDavid is a Canadian hockey star of the Edmonton Oilers and Canada’s national team. Despite years of success in the National Hockey League, 2026 will be his first Olympic appearance. The majority of his social media content consists of motivational or brand-partnership videos, featuring him prominently. He also shares upbeat moments with his team, family, and wife—projecting a clear “hockey success = life success” narrative.

Mikaela Shiffrin—Alpine skiing (1.5M followers)

Mikaela Shiffrin is an American Olympic champion and multi-time World Cup winner. She holds records for slalom and overall World Cup victories among women, but left the 2022 Winter Olympics without a medal. Hopefully, the 2026 Olympics will bring her gold. On her Instagram, Mikaela shares career updates, snippets of her spectacular wins, and some rather candid moments. Since October 2025, she has hosted a biweekly podcast, What’s the Point, focusing on motivation and purpose, clips from which she also posts on Insta.