Team USA just won the gold medal for women’s hockey at the Winter Olympics 2026, and for Laila Edwards, that also meant making history. When she was named to the roster, the 22-year-old hockey player became the first Black woman on the US Olympic hockey team. Now, with today’s win, she is also the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal for US hockey, per The Athletic.
After they knocked the other teams out of the tournament, the game for gold came down to the US vs. Canada. It was a close contest, but Team USA won it with a goal by Megan Keller in overtime; before that, Edwards helped tie the game with an assist to captain Hilary Knight. Leading up to the gold medal game, Edwards also scored against Italy, in a tournament match that the US went on to win 6–0.
Laila Edwards, who hails from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, started playing hockey when she was five years old, and comes from a family of fellow players. Per NBC, Edwards served as defense for the Winter Olympics 2026 but typically has also played forward. She does both at the University of Wisconsin, where she’s currently a senior.
Edwards follows in the footsteps of Canada’s Sarah Nurse, who became the first Black woman to earn a gold medal in women’s hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Today Nurse won a silver medal.
That’s it for women’s hockey at the 2026 Olympics, but the Games continue until this weekend, when the closing ceremony commences.
