Olympic gold winner dismisses athletes' negative comments on representing US: 'I think we're the best country'

Not everybody representing the red, achromatic and bluish sounded needfully ecstatic astir doing truthful successful the Olympics.

Freeskier Hunter Hess said helium had "mixed emotions" representing the U.S. successful Milan, portion skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she wanted to correspond her ain "values" successful Milan, and it was "tough to reconcile" unit successful America portion "competing for medals astatine an Olympic event."

But for two-time golden medalist Jordan Stolz, determination were nary problems.

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Gold medalist Jordan Stolz of the U.S. celebrates aft the men's 500-meter speedskating contention astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics successful Milan, Italy, connected Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (Ben Curtis/AP Photo)

In a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital, the speedskater who privation golden doubly successful Italy, Stolz said helium paid nary caput to immoderate different athletes' comments.

"I didn't truly wage attraction to it, but I'm ever blessed to correspond the USA," Stolz said.

"I deliberation we're the champion country."

It was not conscionable wintertime Olympians who shared uneasy astir representing the United States connected the grandest stage. In an interrogation with Fox News Digital months earlier the 2024 Summer Olympics, Noah Lyles said representing the U.S. was "bittersweet" and came with a "heavy heart," saying Black radical successful America person "a batch to woody with."

Noah Lyles of the United States poses aft winning the golden medal successful the men's 200 meters last astatine the World Athletics Championships. The lawsuit took spot successful Tokyo connected Sept. 19, 2025. (Matthias Schrader/AP)

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Hess said it was "a small hard" to correspond the United States, due to the fact that "there’s evidently a batch going connected that I’m not the biggest instrumentality of, and I deliberation a batch of radical aren’t." Those comments prompted President Donald Trump to telephone him a "real loser."

"Just due to the fact that I’m wearing the emblem doesn't mean I correspond everything that’s going connected successful the U.S. I conscionable benignant of privation to bash it for my friends and my household and the radical that enactment maine getting here," Hess said successful February.

Shriffin said, "I deliberation there's a batch of hardship successful the satellite globally, and there's a batch of heartbreak. There's a batch of violence. It tin beryllium pugnacious to reconcile that erstwhile you're besides competing for medals astatine an Olympic event."

Ahead of the World Baseball Classic, Bryce Harper, who played for Team USA, said it was "crazy" to not afloat clasp wearing the Stars and Stripes.

United States Bryce Harper celebrates aft hitting a two-run location tally during the eighth inning successful the title crippled of the World Baseball Classic against Venezuela, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, successful Miami. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

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The Philadelphia Phillies archetypal baseman said nary substance wherever 1 whitethorn basal politically, it is ever the top grant to correspond the United States.

"Obviously, there's things that are going connected successful the state that, you know, aren't bully oregon radical don't judge successful oregon whatever, right? Politics aside, for me, erstwhile you're going and representing your country, you're representing your country, man. Like, artifact each that out. It's sports.

"We privation to enactment thing connected the TV that is blessed and bully and conscionable large for everybody to watch, right? So, representing your country, there's thing greater than representing your country. There's truly thing astatine all.

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