Colorado University Athletics
CU Freshman Jakob Moch Named to German Olympic Team for 2026 Winter Games
January 20, 2026 | Skiing
BOULDER — Freshman Jakob Moch has been named to the German Olympic Team and will represent his home country at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He is the first Winter Olympian from CU to represent Germany.
Moch becomes the latest Buff to earn an Olympic berth, doing so in his first season competing collegiately in the United States. The German native arrived in Boulder with international experience but wasted little time proving he belonged on the sport's biggest stages.
That breakthrough came in December at the Cross Country World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, where Moch made his first career World Cup start and delivered one of the strongest debuts by a CU skier. Competing in a deep international field, he finished 21st in the 10K freestyle race. Moch was the second-youngest athlete in the field and the youngest finisher inside the top 100 by two full years.
Moch's momentum carried seamlessly into collegiate competition. Just days after returning from Europe, he made his CU debut at the RMISA Invitational in Lake Placid, New York. Racing in the 20K freestyle, Moch finished second among RMISA skiers and fourth in the entire field. The performance underscored his ability to compete at a high level across both international and collegiate formats.
Throughout the season, Moch has balanced World Cup starts with his freshman campaign for the Buffs, gaining valuable experience against the world's elite while contributing immediately at the college level.
With Moch now confirmed for Milan Cortina, the Buffs add another Olympian to their storied Nordic tradition. This will be the third straight Olympics CU has had an active member of the Nordic team competing in the Olympics, joining Petra Hyncicova (2018) and Weronika Kaleta (2022).
By the Numbers
Moch becomes the latest Buff to earn an Olympic berth, doing so in his first season competing collegiately in the United States. The German native arrived in Boulder with international experience but wasted little time proving he belonged on the sport's biggest stages.
That breakthrough came in December at the Cross Country World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, where Moch made his first career World Cup start and delivered one of the strongest debuts by a CU skier. Competing in a deep international field, he finished 21st in the 10K freestyle race. Moch was the second-youngest athlete in the field and the youngest finisher inside the top 100 by two full years.
Moch's momentum carried seamlessly into collegiate competition. Just days after returning from Europe, he made his CU debut at the RMISA Invitational in Lake Placid, New York. Racing in the 20K freestyle, Moch finished second among RMISA skiers and fourth in the entire field. The performance underscored his ability to compete at a high level across both international and collegiate formats.
Throughout the season, Moch has balanced World Cup starts with his freshman campaign for the Buffs, gaining valuable experience against the world's elite while contributing immediately at the college level.
With Moch now confirmed for Milan Cortina, the Buffs add another Olympian to their storied Nordic tradition. This will be the third straight Olympics CU has had an active member of the Nordic team competing in the Olympics, joining Petra Hyncicova (2018) and Weronika Kaleta (2022).
By the Numbers
- Jakob Moch is the 45th Olympian in Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team history.
- He is the first current or former CU ski team member — and the first CU student overall — to compete for Germany at the Olympic Games.
- Moch becomes the 19th Nordic Olympian produced by the CU ski program and 20th from CU Boulder.
- Across all sports, he is the 60th known Winter Olympian in University of Colorado Boulder history, counting all current and former students.
Players Mentioned
NORDIC
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