25 Olympic Gold Medalists From Upstate New York

Olympic ski jump towers in Lake Placid, New York, surrounded by the Adirondack landscape. Photo: Adam Borowski / Shutterstock

Upstate New York has produced Olympic champions across both the Summer and Winter Games. Some were born and raised in the region, while others were born there and moved away while still young. For this list, the standard is straightforward: every athlete had to win at least one official Olympic gold medal and have a genuine Upstate New York connection through birthplace or substantial upbringing and athletic development.

The result reaches from Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Ithaca, and the Capital Region to Lake Placid and the North Country. It includes swimmers, skaters, skiers, wrestlers, rowers, basketball and hockey players, a soccer legend, a pole vaulter, and members of one of the great American bobsled teams.

1. Breanna Stewart – Syracuse / North Syracuse (Onondaga County)

• Sport: Basketball
• Olympic Gold Medals: 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo, 2024 Paris
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Syracuse and raised in North Syracuse, Stewart starred at Cicero-North Syracuse High School before becoming one of the most accomplished players in women’s basketball. She won four NCAA championships at Connecticut and later helped the United States win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

2. Ryan Lochte – Rochester / Finger Lakes

• Sport: Swimming
• Olympic Gold Medals: 6
• The Upstate Roots: Lochte was born in the Rochester area and spent part of his childhood in the Finger Lakes before his family moved to Florida when he was 12. He went on to win 12 Olympic medals, including six golds, across four Olympic Games from 2004 through 2016.

3. Abby Wambach – Rochester / Pittsford (Monroe County)

• Sport: Soccer
• Olympic Gold Medals: 2004 Athens, 2012 London
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Rochester and raised in the area, Wambach attended Our Lady of Mercy High School before playing at the University of Florida. She became one of the most prolific scorers in international soccer history and won Olympic gold with the United States in both 2004 and 2012.

4. Cathy Turner – Rochester (Monroe County)

• Sport: Short Track Speed Skating
• Olympic Gold Medals: 1992 Albertville, 1994 Lillehammer
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Rochester, Turner became one of America’s greatest short-track speed skaters. After stepping away from the sport for years, she returned and won the Olympic 500-meter title in 1992 and again in 1994, along with relay silver and bronze medals.

5. Jack Shea – Lake Placid (Essex County)

• Sport: Speed Skating
• Olympic Gold Medals: 1932 Lake Placid, 500 meters and 1,500 meters
• The Upstate Roots: Shea was born in Lake Placid and became the hometown star of the 1932 Winter Olympics. He won both the 500-meter and 1,500-meter speed skating events and recited the athletes’ oath during the opening ceremony. He later played an important role in Lake Placid’s successful effort to bring the Winter Olympics back in 1980.

6. Christopher Lillis – Rochester / Pittsford (Monroe County)

• Sport: Freestyle Skiing, Aerials
• Olympic Gold Medals: 2022 Beijing, 2026 Milano Cortina, Mixed Team Aerials
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Rochester and raised in Pittsford, Lillis began skiing at Bristol Mountain as a young child. He became an Olympic champion in the mixed team aerials event at Beijing in 2022 and repeated as a gold medalist at Milano Cortina in 2026.

7. Christian Laettner – Angola / Buffalo (Erie County)

• Sport: Basketball
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1992 Barcelona
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Angola and educated at the Nichols School in Buffalo, Laettner became a two-time NCAA champion at Duke. He was the only college player selected for the original 1992 United States Olympic “Dream Team,” which won the gold medal in Barcelona.

8. Jenn Suhr – Fredonia (Chautauqua County)

• Sport: Track and Field, Pole Vault
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2012 London
• The Upstate Roots: Born and raised in Fredonia, Suhr was a multi-sport athlete at Fredonia High School and later attended Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. She won Olympic silver in 2008 before capturing the pole vault gold medal at the 2012 London Games.

9. Jeff Blatnick – Niskayuna (Schenectady County)

• Sport: Greco-Roman Wrestling
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1984 Los Angeles
• The Upstate Roots: Blatnick grew up in Niskayuna and became a New York State high school wrestling champion before competing at Springfield College. After treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he returned to competition and won the Olympic super-heavyweight Greco-Roman title in 1984.

10. Diann Roffe – Warsaw / Williamson (Wyoming and Wayne Counties)

• Sport: Alpine Skiing
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1994 Lillehammer, Super-G
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Warsaw and raised in Williamson, Roffe learned to ski at Brantling Ski Slopes near Rochester. She won Olympic silver in the giant slalom in 1992 and followed it with gold in the Super-G at Lillehammer in 1994.

11. Steve Mesler – Buffalo (Erie County)

• Sport: Bobsled
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2010 Vancouver, Four-Man
• The Upstate Roots: Mesler grew up in Buffalo and graduated from City Honors School. He became a three-time Olympian and was part of Steven Holcomb’s four-man “Night Train” crew that won gold in Vancouver in 2010, ending a 62-year American drought in the Olympic four-man bobsled event.

12. Meghan Musnicki – Naples / Canandaigua (Ontario County)

• Sport: Rowing
• Olympic Gold Medals: 2012 London, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Women’s Eight
• The Upstate Roots: Musnicki is from Naples and attended Canandaigua Academy before rowing in college. She became one of the mainstays of the powerful United States women’s eight and won consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.

13. Caryn Davies – Ithaca (Tompkins County)

• Sport: Rowing
• Olympic Gold Medals: 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, Women’s Eight
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Ithaca, Davies became a three-time Olympic medalist in the women’s eight. After winning silver in Athens in 2004, she helped the United States win gold in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

14. Emily Regan – Buffalo (Erie County)

• Sport: Rowing
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Women’s Eight
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Buffalo and a graduate of Nichols School, Regan did not begin rowing until college at Michigan State. She developed into a multiple-time world champion and won Olympic gold with the United States women’s eight in Rio in 2016.

15. Dana Vollmer – Syracuse (Onondaga County)

• Sport: Swimming
• Olympic Gold Medals: 5
• The Upstate Roots: Vollmer was born in Syracuse before her family later settled in Texas. She competed in three Olympic Games and won five gold medals, including the 100-meter butterfly title in 2012 and four relay golds between 2004 and 2016.

16. Hayley Scamurra – Buffalo / Getzville (Erie County)

• Sport: Women’s Ice Hockey
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2026 Milano Cortina
• The Upstate Roots: Scamurra grew up in the Buffalo area and developed her game in Western New York before playing at Northeastern University. After winning Olympic silver in 2022, she helped the United States defeat Canada for the women’s hockey gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

17. Haley Winn – Rochester (Monroe County)

• Sport: Women’s Ice Hockey
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2026 Milano Cortina
• The Upstate Roots: Winn grew up in the Rochester area and attended Bishop Kearney High School before playing at Clarkson University. She became a key defender for the United States and won Olympic gold in 2026 when the Americans defeated Canada in the championship game.

18. Emily Pfalzer – Getzville / Buffalo (Erie County)

• Sport: Women’s Ice Hockey
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2018 PyeongChang
• The Upstate Roots: A Getzville native and Nichols School graduate, Pfalzer grew up playing hockey in the Buffalo area. She was part of the United States team that defeated Canada in a shootout to win the women’s hockey gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

19. Charles Jewtraw – Harkness (Clinton County)

• Sport: Speed Skating
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1924 Chamonix, 500 meters
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Harkness in Clinton County and associated with the Lake Placid Speed Skating Club, Jewtraw won the 500-meter speed skating race at Chamonix in 1924. His victory made him the first athlete to receive a gold medal at the inaugural Olympic Winter Games.

20. Francis “Frank” Tyler – Lake Placid (Essex County)

• Sport: Bobsled
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1948 St. Moritz, Four-Man
• The Upstate Roots: Tyler was born in Lake Placid and competed for the Lake Placid Sno-Birds. He drove the United States four-man sled that won Olympic gold at St. Moritz in 1948.

21. Patrick Martin – Louisville / Massena (St. Lawrence County)

• Sport: Bobsled
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1948 St. Moritz, Four-Man
• The Upstate Roots: Martin was born in Louisville and lived in Massena, making him one of the North Country athletes at the heart of American bobsledding after World War II. He won four-man gold in 1948 and added two Olympic silver medals in 1952.

22. Ed Rimkus – Schenectady (Schenectady County)

• Sport: Bobsled
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1948 St. Moritz, Four-Man
• The Upstate Roots: Born and raised in Schenectady, Rimkus was a multi-sport athlete who later attended St. Lawrence University. His bobsled career lasted only a short time, but it culminated with an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 1948 United States four-man team.

23. William D’Amico – Utica (Oneida County)

• Sport: Bobsled
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1948 St. Moritz, Four-Man
• The Upstate Roots: D’Amico was born in Utica and became part of the Lake Placid bobsled community. Along with Frank Tyler, Patrick Martin, and Ed Rimkus, he won the four-man Olympic title for the United States in 1948.

24. Rich Saeger – Rochester / Penfield (Monroe County)

• Sport: Swimming
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1984 Los Angeles, 4×200-Meter Freestyle Relay
• The Upstate Roots: Born in Rochester, Saeger starred at Penfield High School before continuing his swimming career outside New York. He swam in the preliminary round of the United States 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 1984 Olympics and earned a gold medal when the American team won the event.

25. Bobby Weaver – Rochester (Monroe County)

• Sport: Freestyle Wrestling
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1984 Los Angeles, 48 kg
• The Upstate Roots: Weaver was born in Rochester before growing up in Pennsylvania. He became an elite lightweight wrestler, made the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that did not compete because of the American boycott, and returned four years later to win the 48-kilogram freestyle gold medal in Los Angeles.

Quick Reference: 25 Olympic Gold Medalists From Upstate New York

For more on the region itself, read Where Does Upstate New York Begin? Defining New York State’s Regions and Boundaries. You can also explore our broader list of 25 Famous People You Didn’t Know Were From Upstate New York.