Macuga sisters insist dream of an Olympic Games is not over

The Macuga sisters did not marque it to the 2026 Winter Olympics, and that's OK with them, well, benignant of. 

After dominating the satellite signifier successful their respective disciplines — Alli, 22, competes successful mogul; Lauren, 23, successful skis alpine; and Sam, 24, who competes successful skis jumps — they became hopefuls for the Milano Cortina Games. But the imagination of each 3 sisters competing successful 2026 was swiftly crushed erstwhile Alli and Sam were not selected for Team USA.

There was inactive a accidental for Lauren, who took archetypal spot successful the Super-G astatine St. Anton americium Arlberg successful January 2025, making her the archetypal American pistillate to triumph the lawsuit astatine the venue and the youngest since Lindsey Vonn to triumph an Alpine World Cup event. Weeks later, Lauren, who competed successful the 2020 Youth Winter Olympics, won bronze successful the Super-G astatine the Alpine World Ski Championships. 

But successful precocious November, she fell during a grooming tally and tore her close ACL, ending her play and hopes of competing successful Italy.

"It was not adjacent a bully crash," Lauren said.

She instantly stood up aft the autumn and didn't consciousness overmuch symptom until she went to instrumentality a step. 

"It's heartbreaking," she said, "I had to telephone my ma riding down the gondola and that was 1 of the hardest things."

Lauren told her not to alert retired for the event, but her ma packed up the car and showed up anyway.

"I was truly bummed for her, conscionable knowing each the effort she enactment successful and wherever she stood," said their father, Dan Macuga. "But we've got to conscionable determination on. She is an astonishing skier. She's going to beryllium backmost stronger than ever," helium said.

Dan besides said the cardinal to Lauren's occurrence is that "she is ever smiling," which is thing helium played a portion in. 

"It was much astir them enjoying what they were doing, than america trying to get them to beryllium these elite athletes," helium said astir his daughters.

Holding onto that joyousness has been the astir important portion of Lauren's recovery. Her sisters kept things light, joking astir Lauren's struggles to get down the stairs connected her crutches. Now, she's making tiny gains backmost successful the gym, already preparing for 2030. 

"You person to support looking for the metallic linings," she said.

And erstwhile asked if we'd spot her and her sisters competing 4 years from now, she gave a precise Macuga-coded answer: "Definitely."

In:

• Olympics
• Skiing