Olympics Up Next for Speedskating Star

In 2021, Conor McDermott-Mostowy ʼ24 was gearing up for the ISU Speed Skating World Championships in the Netherlands—and, hopefully, the 2022 Olympics beyond that—when norovirus derailed everything. 

Then came 2024. After a record-breaking 1000-meter race at the World Cup in January—climbing to the top five, a personal best by a wide margin—he headed to the World Championships in Canada, riding high. That year, he says, “probably had my last really great races” for a while, as health issues the following year kept him from competing at his usual level. 

But this year has brought a huge turnaround—after qualifying in early January, Conor is headed to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. 

“I’m doing much better than I was two years ago,” he says. “I like where we’re headed, going into the games.” 

Conor says he actually gets more nervous at domestic qualification competitions than international competitions. Even as a pro with four World Cups under his belt this season and two previous Olympic trials, the Milwaukee qualifiers still had him on edge. 

“I was so anxious before the thousand [meter race],” Conor admits. “I knew that if I was going to go to the Olympics, that would be my surefire way to do it.” Missing the 2022 Olympics four years ago—finishing just one spot off—only added to the stress. “But I don’t know—sometimes stress is good,” he says. “It ended up being one of my best races ever, so it was quite a relief.” 

Between now and Milan, there’s not much time to relax. Conor is headed to Germany first for another World Cup—more for refining technique than any new medals. “At this point in the season, you’re not really chasing gains anymore,” he explains. “The race in Germany is more about cleaning up our technical performance, maintaining physiological gains, and being perfectly prepped for the games.”

When we last spoke to Conor in 2024, the 2026 Games came up then too—in a surprising way. The then-senior had floated the idea of potentially retiring from skating afterward, if he made it. Now? “I’m playing it by ear at the moment,” he says. “I would love to keep skating, but I’ve got a lot of plans for my life.” 

The neuroscience major graduated after a nontraditional college journey, fitting classes in around his skating career. He still plans to attend medical school eventually, once he finishes up the few classes he missed during undergrad travels. 

Whatever his post-Olympic plans, Conor intends to enjoy his time in Italy. “I’m very excited to explore Milan, and all the fun perks that come with being in the Olympic Village,” he says. “I’m also going to go on the hunt for some really good coffee!” 

But, of course, he’s most excited about the games themselves. “Competing on the Olympic stage will be incredible,” he says. “It’ll be the most eyes, the most people I’ll ever compete in front of.” Regardless of the outcome, he plans to celebrate with some fantastic Italian wine. 

Learn more about the US Olympic speedskating team at usspeedskating.org, and catch Conor at the Games starting February 6.