‘Most Decorated Jewish Speedskater’ Ends Successful Career With Silver at 2026 Winter Olympics

Emery Lehman: “I don’t think I would be a two-time Olympic medalist, a four-time Olympian, without my mom being a Jewish woman from New York.”

By Shula Rosen

American speedskater Emery Lehman ended his Olympic career this week with a silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, capping two decades in the sport and becoming one of the most decorated Jewish athletes in Winter Games history.

Lehman, 29, won silver in the men’s three-man team pursuit at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, adding to a team pursuit bronze medal he earned at the Beijing Games in 2022.

He also represented the United States at the 2014 and 2018 Olympics. His final race came days later at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, where he finished 25th in the 1,500 meters, bringing his competitive career to a close.

“Right on, let’s go,” Lehman said when told of the distinction, smiling moments after his last event. “Well, probably the most decorated Jewish speedskater, at least,” he told The Times of Israel.

Lehman said representing Jewish athletes on the world stage carried personal weight, noting that his elite training came with compromises to his religious life.

Raised attending Hebrew school and synagogue, he said his pursuit of top-level speedskating required him to attend Marquette University in Milwaukee, the home base for the national team.

“Of all places, I went to a Jesuit college. I think I knew two other Jews at the entire university,” he said, recalling theology courses that emphasized how different his background was. “It was definitely something that stood out, and ever since then, I’ve just been really happy to represent [Jewish people].”

That sense of identity deepened after a 2018 Birthright trip to Israel with his best friend, author Stevie Samuels. “I think the biggest thing [from that trip] was this big sense of pride and community that really sat with me,” Lehman said.

The Chicago native credited his mother, Marcia, for his career, saying, “I don’t think I would be a two-time Olympic medalist, a four-time Olympian, without my mom being a Jewish woman from New York.”

Lehman said he plans to return to Chicago, pursue engineering work and coach at the local skating club where he began, adding he would be open to leading clinics in Israel in the future.