Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsFriday, June 19, 2026

2026 Olympics: Team USA’s Alex Ferreira is ready to bring home halfpipe gold

Alex Ferreira spoke with SB Nation about his Olympic experience, his medal hopes in his final Winter games, and more

If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Day 14 - FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships 2025
Day 14 - FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships 2025
Getty Images

The Olympics are right around the corner.

Soon enough the world at large will be watching the finest athletes from all across it competing for gold. Here in the United States we have our clear rooting interests and among the notable Americans headed to Milan-Cortina to contend is skier Alex Ferreira.

Alex is the son of two athletes — his father was a professional soccer player, and his mother was a competitive runner — and Alex already has a resumé to contend with his parents as he has won not one, but two Olympic medals in the halfpipe to date, a silver in Pyeongchang in 2018, and a bronze in Beijing in 2022. However, he has yet to take home the gold and as he has declared that these are his last Games now would be the perfect time to pull it off.

In a conversation with him, shout out to Nulo, Alex told me that he views Lionel Messi as an inspiration in this sense. Alex’s father played soccer in Argentina so there is a natural tie there, but Messi walking off at the World Cup for his home country was the type of sendoff from the competition that Alex is looking for.

There was a very strong sense of peace and confidence that I got from Alex. Obviously this is to be expected from someone who flies through the air on skis at the highest possible level like he does, but it also speaks to how centered he is as a person.

Part of that disposition for Alex comes from his dog Brandy, something that Nulo has been instrumental in helping to amplify ahead of the upcoming Games.

  • Nulo’s “Fuel Incredible” campaign is designed to highlight the unique bond between athletes and their pets, illustrating that success is not just measured in medals and titles, but in the shared journey of wellness and mutual support.
  • Through its partnerships with world-class athletes, Nulo is shining a light on the importance of high-quality nutrition – not just for performance, but also for the pets who are with them every step of the way. By sharing these stories, Nulo hopes to inspire pet parents everywhere to fuel their pets’ health and happiness so they can live their most incredible lives together.

It is going to be a ton of fun to watch the entire Olympics unfold as there are a number of great stories that are always at play, but one of the best is certainly Alex’s.

Here’s to him finishing it off the way he envisions — by bringing home the gold.

See More:

More in Olympics

Olympics
Banning transgender women from the Olympics is pandering to bigotsBanning transgender women from the Olympics is pandering to bigots
Olympics

The IOC achieves one huge goal by passing this rule change: Not catching strays from President Trump

By James Dator
Olympics
Cooper Lutkenhaus makes indoor track history at World ChampionshipsCooper Lutkenhaus makes indoor track history at World Championships
Olympics

Texas high school junior Cooper Lutkenhaus just made track history at the Indoor World Championships

By Mark Schofield
Olympics
US Sled Hockey Paralympians Malik Jones, Josh Pauls on winning 5th-straight gold medalUS Sled Hockey Paralympians Malik Jones, Josh Pauls on winning 5th-straight gold medal
Olympics

US Sled Hockey won its fifth-straight Paralympic gold medal in Milan, and Malik Jones and Josh Pauls joined SB Nation to talk about it.

By RJ Ochoa
Olympics
Hilary Knight will never forget what just happened at the OlympicsHilary Knight will never forget what just happened at the Olympics
Olympics

Gold medalist and Team USA women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight spoke with SB Nation about her Olympic experience and what it takes to succeed.

By RJ Ochoa
Olympics
Paralympics star Brenna Huckaby on losing her leg, picking up snowboarding, and what Games mean to herParalympics star Brenna Huckaby on losing her leg, picking up snowboarding, and what Games mean to her
Olympics

An interview with Brenna Huckaby, a Team USA Paralympics star in snowboarding.

By Mark Schofield

Comments
Loading comments
Getting the conversation ready...