Winter has arrived in the sporting world, as our attentions turn back to the world of skis and snowboards, skates and stones.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games created new stars as Team GB enjoyed its most successful Winter Olympics, and the return of the winter calendar means there are new storylines ready to be written.
With that in mind, here are eight athletes to watch out for this winter.
Grant Hardie
As a two-time Olympic silver medallist, Grant Hardie is hardly a new name on the curling scene but he returns to the ice in a new guise this winter.
Previously the long-serving third on Team Mouat, Hardie has stepped up to skip his own side alongside Ross Whyte, Craig Waddell and Euan Kyle.
It was no easy decision for Hardie but the 34-year-old determined a fresh page was needed after agonisingly missing out on gold in Cortina.
It has been a strong start for Team Hardie, who opened the season with victory in the Shorty Jenkins Classic in Cornwall, Canada.
They are set to represent Scotland at the European Championships in October before the ultimate aim of the World Championships in March.
Eve Muirhead
The return of the Ice Queen was one of the stories of the summer before a stone was even curled, so all eyes will be on Eve Muirhead to see how she fares back in action.
Muirhead, who acted as Team GB's Chef de Mission at Milano Cortina 2026, is teaming up with Bobby Lammie to compete in the mixed doubles.
They did not make it to the play-offs at the Scottish Mixed Doubles Championships, with fellow returnee Vicky Drummond taking victory alongside Euan Kyle.
It marked the pair’s first competition since 2022 and both will have eyes on achieving big things throughout the season.
Niall Treacy
Niall Treacy may have walked away without a medal from Milano Cortina 2026 but he more than showed his mettle to duke it out with the very best short track speed skaters.
Treacy came agonisingly close to challenging for a medal in the 1500m but dusted himself down to clinch bronze over 1000m at the World Championships in March.
It was an historic medal, as Treacy became the first British man on the podium at a World Championships in 30 years.
Combined with fifth in the 1500m, it proved the perfect way to head into a summer where he got married, before going again this season, where he will hope to build on that success across all distances.
Zoe Atkin
On the snow, Zoe Atkin will be hoping to build on her Olympic bronze in the freestyle skiing halfpipe.
Atkin was part of a stacked final that saw her joined on the podium by Chinese duo Eileen Gu and Li Fanghui, as freestyle skiing won the hearts of many fans across the world.
The 23-year-old went on to win the World Cup Crystal Globe and has firmly established herself as one of the sport’s biggest names.
Atkin continues to balance her skiing alongside studies at Stanford University but appears to have got the balance just right as she prepares for a season that includes the new X Games League.
Fay Henderson
The curling stories continue to roll in as the new season gets underway, with Fay Henderson leading a new women’s rink.
Henderson was the alternate for Team Morrison at Milano Cortina 2026 but is now taking charge of proceedings as part of a new look squad that will represent Scotland.
She is joined by Lisa Davie, Laura Watt and Katie McMillan on Team Henderson with 2026 Olympian Sophie Sinclair acting as the alternate.
Henderson and Watt were part of the rink that won world junior gold in 2023.
The new rink opened up with a run to the semi-finals at the Euro Super Series and will be eyeing a successful season ahead of the Scottish Championships in February, where they will look to defend their title.
Matt Weston
Matt Weston was the undisputed star of Milano Cortina 2026, as he made history by winning two gold medals at the same Games.
The 29-year-old has had a busy summer since then, getting married and undergoing two surgeries including one to fix a long-standing shoulder problem.
It means the double Olympic champion has been busy putting in the hours in rehab to get back to his best before he makes a return to the ice.
Whenever that happens, we know all eyes will be on him after his stunning performances in Cortina.
Huw Nightingale
Huw Nightingale grabbed an iconic gold alongside Charlotte Bankes at Milano Cortina but now the snowboarder will hope to use that as a launchpad for individual success.
His mixed team snowboard cross gold showed that the 24-year-old can mix it with the best and the raucous scenes that followed victory in Italy will serve as ideal inspiration throughout the season.
Nightingale reached the 1/8 finals in the individual event at the Olympics and finished 22nd in the World Cup standings.
He will be determined to build on that this season in a bid to spark more scenes like those that greeted his glorious gold in Livigno.
Cody Bramwell
A new and exciting sport on the Olympic sporting programme brings with it new and exciting names.
Cody Bramwell is a freeride snowboarder and has been a fixture near the front of the sport for much of the past decade.
An impressive 2025 saw him become vice world champion, with two gold medals and a silver on the Freeride World Tour.
His 2026 was sadly cut short after just two World Tour competitions due to injury.
But after a summer of backflipping off cliffs into the blue waters of Greece, the British adrenaline junkie will be looking to stamp his name during the sport's first season as an Olympic sport.
Sportsbeat 2026