VIDEO SHOWS: INTERVIEWS WITH WINTER OLYMPICS ATHLETES ON SUPERSTITIONS AHEAD OF FRIDAY THE 13TH RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, ITALY (FEBRUARY 11, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. U.S. MIXED DOUBLE CURLING SILVER MEDAL WINNERS, CORY THIESSE AND KOREY DROPKIN, TALKING TO JOURNALISTS 2. THIESSE'S HAND 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. MIXED DOUBLE CURLING SILVER MEDAL WINNERS, CORY THIESSE AND KOREY DROPKIN, SAYING: THIESSE: “It's funny, because our coaches are actually quite superstitious. So, they've kind of got us to become a little bit more superstitious. So, yes, we do (have pre-event routines). You know, when we were at the World Championships in 2023 in (South) Korea, we all had our certain spots on the bus that we would sit, and, you know, if we were to lose a game, then we'd switch the spots, and then you keep your spot on the bus until you lose again, and then silly things like not changing your socks, or I have a lucky pair of earrings that I like to wear. So, yeah, some little things like that. It's kind of fun.” DROPKIN: “Yeah, we're very heavy on routines, and, so, whether you want to call it superstitions or routines, you know, it's definitely become a common trend on our team, and this week we definitely got back to that rhythm of certain spots on the bus, shuttle ride to the arena. You know, there are certain songs that we listen to before the game. We like to eat three hours before our games and, you know, little routines like that, but yeah, our coaches, Phill (Drobnick) and Cathy (Overton-Clapham), are definitely superstitious, and, so, whether they'll admit to that or not, they've definitely rubbed off on us a little bit.” 4. UNITED STATES OLYMPIC TEAM BADGE ON JERSEY 5. THIESSE AND DROPKIN SPEAKING TO MEDIA 6. U.S. ALPINE SKIERS AND WOMEN’S ALPINE TEAM COMBINED BRONZE MEDAL WINNERS, JACKIE WILES AND PAULA MOLTZAN, TALKING TO MEDIA 7. UNITED STATES OLYMPIC TEAM BADGE ON JERSEY 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ALPINE SKIERS AND WOMEN’S ALPINE TEAM COMBINED BRONZE MEDAL WINNERS, PAULA MOLTZAN AND JACKIE WILES, SAYING: MOLTZAN: “I’m less superstitious. It seems like maybe Jackie's got some more rituals. No, I just like to try to keep things as similar to training, I don't want to change too many things. There's already a lot of pressure, so, if you can, kind of, neutralise the similarities between training days and race days, it makes it feel more comfortable.” WILES: “Yeah, I feel like, for me, I do a lot of the same, just the same warm-up and routine. I don't like change, so, I stick to, kind of, what I know, but we definitely have a lot of superstitious people on our team. So, I think like for the speed team, I'm probably on the lesser (end).” 9. WILES AND MOLTZAN SEEN THROUGH CAMERA LENS MILAN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 11, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all) 10. ENTRANCE TO OLYMPIC VILLAGE 11. DUTCH SPEED SKATER, JORRIT BERGSMA, POSING FOR PHOTOS 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH SPEED SKATER, JORRIT BERGSMA, SAYING: “Actually, I kind of like it. I’m also… in my country, we have, I’m also a marathon skater and we skate with numbers on our legs, and I’m skating already for years with the number 13 on my leg. So, for me, it’s maybe even a lucky number.” 13. PERSON TAKING PHOTOS ON PHONE / BERGSMA POSING FOR PHOTOS BEFORE LEAVING 14. PLAYERS FROM THE SWISS WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY TEAM POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH MEMBER OF THE MEDIA 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SWISS WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY PLAYER, LAURE MERIGUET, SAYING: "I don't have (any superstitions) for the Friday the 13th, yeah.” (REPORTER OFF-CAMERA: “But, generally?”) “Yeah, maybe more like before a game. Like, some routine, that I always do the same, and yeah.” (REPORTER OFF-CAMERA: “So, what you do you always do the same?”) “Like, put my socks the same, and my skates the same, and yeah, something like that.” 16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SPEED SKATER, ANDREW HEO, SAYING: “I do, actually. I always have to tie my left skate first before my right. So, yeah." (REPORTER OFF-CAMERA: “I mean, if you don't do that, or do you always make sure that you do do that, what kind of happens in your mind if you don’t?”) “I mean, there are times where sometimes I’ve got to rush and maybe it doesn't get to that moment, but, yeah, I mean, for the most part, if I have time to, I always try to put my left one on first, and it might be a little bit of being picky, but yeah, I think it's just something that I've developed over the years. I skated really well one time and just kept going with that, so, yeah.” 17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SPEED SKATER, JULIE LETAI, SAYING: “Not really. I think I believe in fate, so, if something bad did happen, I'd probably think for some reason it was meant to. So, maybe it's not as much of a superstition.” (REPORTER OFF-CAMERA: “So, you don’t put your gear on in a certain order, or?”) “No, I definitely do do that, yeah. I think I’ll just feel wrong if I don’t have it on, it’ll maybe mess with my head more than a superstition, but, yeah, you definitely have to do the same routine every time.” 18. MILANO CORTINA 2026 BRANDING ON FENCE OUTSIDE OLYMPIC VILLAGE 19. EXTERIOR OF OLYMPIC VILLAGE STORY: While athletes at the Winter Olympics aren't necessarily losing sleep over Friday the 13th, be it superstitions or old habits, they certainly will be sticking to their pre-event routines. From not changing socks, to lucky earrings or putting on a left skate first, athletes admitted that routines were vital in putting their minds at ease ahead of competition. U.S. mixed double curling silver medal winner Cory Thiesse described how her team had specific bus seating arrangements that would only change after losses, along with keeping the same socks and wearing lucky earrings throughout successful streaks. Dutch speed skater Jorrit Bergsma embraced what many deemed unlucky, saying he actually liked Friday the 13th and had been racing with the number 13 on his leg for years as a marathon skater. Swiss ice hockey player Laure Meriguet admitted that she put her socks on the same way, while U.S. speed skater Andrew Heo revealed that he ties his left skate first, a habit that started years ago after finding success in a race having done so. (Production: Marta Fiorin, Noemie Olive, Iain Axon, Stefan Haskins)
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