Anyone who knows me well knows I love the Olympics. I first got hooked as far back as 1972 when Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in the Munich Olympics. Fast forward 54 years, and I have been lucky to attend several Olympics, work a few, and relish in the stories and feats of the athletes. The XXV Winter Olympic Games held in Milan and Corina d’Ampezzo in Italy did not disappoint. For today’s Monday Morning Mojo, I am sharing a few of my favorite, inspiring stories of the Games. I would love to hear yours as well.

Skating Inspiration

First off, my family found such joy in the story of Alysa Liu. Her skating was wonderful to watch, but how she handled herself was a real joy. My daughter commented about how authentic she was in all her interviews. And she is such a great inspiration for anyone who wants to chase their dreams on your own terms. Here’s an interview with her that demonstrates some of that character.

Hockey Inspiration

The many stories behind the US Women’s and Men’s Hockey Teams were plentiful. Both teams beat Canada in overtime in dramatic contests to win gold. Here is a clip interview with Hilary Knight, the US Women’s Captain and star, talking about the game.

And, sharing another clip of Haley Winn’s three brothers who became famous on their own, connected to their devout support of their sister.

One of the greatest stories was how the US Men’s Hockey Team celebrated their win. Throughout the Games, they remembered their teammates Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who died in a tragic bike accident, by hanging a Gaudreau jersey in the locker room. For the final, the Gaudreau family was flown to Milan. After the game, they carried Johnny Gaudreau’s children onto the ice to celebrate with them. Very touching, and a clip depicting this is below.

Husband-Wife Golds For China in Aerials

I loved the story of Chinese freestyle skiers Wang Xindi and Xu Mengtao, who achieved the rare feat of both winning gold medals in the aerials events. Here is a video of their celebration.

Emerging Olympic Stars

I absolutely loved the stories of Arif Kahn from India and Stevenson Savart from Haiti. Arif Kahn, in his second consecutive appearance competing in Slalom and Giant Slalom, achieved a historic milestone by placing 39^thplace in Men’s Slalom, marking the best-ever finish by an Indian male alpine skier at the Winter Olympics.

Stevenson Savart was the breakout Haitian star of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, making history as the nation’s first-ever Olympic cross-country skier. Born in Port-au-Prince and adopted by a French family, the 25-year-old competed in the men’s skiathlon and served as a flag bearer.

A Model Olympian

Perhaps one of the greatest representatives of Olympic feats was demonstrated by Johannes Hosflot Klaebo. I normally don’t watch cross-country skiing so much, but this guy is amazing. He, single-handedly, won more than a quarter of Norway’s gold medals in 2026 and has won the most-ever gold medals of any athlete in the Winter Olympics, with 11 gold medals to his name. Here is a journalist depicting the brilliance of Klaebo.

Overall Olympic Inspiration

There were so many great stories. Athlete proposals, families celebrating the feats of their kin, comebacks like US Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, the determination and defeat of US Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, and many more. If you have the time, this video below captures a lot of the inspiration coming out of Milan Cortina.

A Note on Personal Inspiration

While the Olympics were taking place, my son, Samuel, recorded his first-ever podcast, which made me very proud. This is a long listen, but for this father, well worth the time.

Lisa, pictured below, was also a source of inspiration this past Friday, as she volunteered her time at a local foodbank, while Jackie spent the weekend working the NAACP Awards with her talent at Warner Bros. Discovery.

All told, this has been a good start to the Year of the Horse in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Wishing you all a great week, month and year ahead.