My favorite part of the Winter Olympics? The stories behind the athletes!

Every four years, the Winter Olympics introduces us to competitors we may not have known before, yet we quickly become invested. Not just in their performance, but in their journey. Their sacrifice and resilience. Their humanity and personal stories. The media knows this is what connects with their audiences, and they excel at sharing these narratives to keep us engaged.

Italian alpine skier Federica Brignone comes back from injury to win double Gold medals at age 35.

There are countless athlete examples from the 2026 Winter Olympics:

Breezy Johnson: competing as an openly LGBTQ+ gold medalist and celebrating a proposal from her boyfriend at the Games.

Chloe Kim: daughter of immigrants, now a three-time Winter Olympian with two gold medals and now a silver added to her collection.

Maxim Naumov: skating through unimaginable grief after losing his parents, both former elite skaters, in the tragic midair crash in D.C. last year.

Federica Brignone: an extraordinary comeback for the Italian from a devastating knee injury last year to win the Super-G and Giant Slalom gold medals at 35. She’s now the oldest women’s alpine ski gold medalist.

Elana Meyers Taylor: the most decorated Black Winter Olympian, balancing training and competition with being a mom of two sons with disabilities, has finally earned a gold medal at age 40.

Johannes Klaebo: the Norwegian cross-country ski super star who continually leaves his competition in the dust has scored a record 10 gold medals. His celebrity status in his home country is so intense that he escapes the attention to train here in Park City, Utah during the off season.

We cheer on their athleticism and determination. But it’s their stories that hook us.

Johannes Klaebo, the Norwegian cross-country skier breaks the record for the most gold medals in the Winter Olympics.

And that’s a lesson for brands.

Audiences don’t connect with revenue growth.

They don’t rally around internal promotions or product specs.

They remember authenticity and people.

People won’t forget the unique stories, the kind that move them to take notice and action.

The brands that win media and customer attention are the ones willing to share what’s real. These include the setbacks and comebacks, and the why behind the work. People love to get a glimpse of the humans behind the headlines and those who make them.

As a PR pro, I’m a diehard storyteller. Maybe that’s why Winter Olympics coverage resonates deeply with me. Strip away these narratives, and the Olympic viewing experience would feel incomplete.

The same goes for your brand. I love helping clients discover their stories they didn’t even think were newsworthy.

If you want to be memorable, lead with your unique story. The rest will follow.

Looking to work with a PR team that uncovers your stories to share them with media — an even generative AI platforms? Learn more about our PR services and connect with us at hilary@redheadmarketingpr.com.