Oak Park's Emery Lehman and Glen Ellyn's Ethan Cepuran win silver in final Olympics team pursuit

Lehman, 29, retires after 4th Olympics, while Cepuran, 25, looks to future Games

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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Emery Lehman, a 29-year-old from Oak Park, Illinois, and Ethan Cepuran, 25, from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, won a silver medal in the men's speedskating team pursuit event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. This was Lehman's fourth and final Olympics, as he has decided to retire from competitive speedskating after a 15-year career that included a bronze medal in 2022. Cepuran, who has known Lehman since childhood, earned his second Olympic medal.

Why it matters

Lehman's journey to the Olympics began when he was just 9 years old, and he has become one of the most accomplished American male speedskaters of his generation. His decision to retire after this final Olympics marks the end of an era, while Cepuran's continued success suggests a bright future for American speedskating.

The details

In the team pursuit final, the American trio of Lehman, Cepuran, and Casey Dawson held a growing lead for the first four laps. However, the Italian team surged ahead in the final half of the race, winning by 4.51 seconds and leaving the Americans with a silver medal. Lehman, Cepuran, and Dawson had dominated the event on the world stage, winning two world championship races and setting a world record just three months prior.

  • Lehman competed in his first Olympics in 2014 at age 17, making him the youngest male American Olympian in speedskating at the time.
  • Four years ago in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Lehman won a bronze medal in the team pursuit event.
  • Lehman, Cepuran, and Dawson set a world record in the team pursuit event in 2024, and then broke it by over a second in November 2025 at the Speedskating World Cup in Salt Lake City.
  • The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy was Lehman's fourth and final Olympics before his retirement.

The players

Emery Lehman

A 29-year-old speedskater from Oak Park, Illinois who competed in his fourth and final Olympics in 2026, winning a silver medal in the team pursuit event. Lehman had a 15-year career in competitive speedskating that included a bronze medal in 2022 and numerous world championship victories.

Ethan Cepuran

A 25-year-old speedskater from Glen Ellyn, Illinois who earned his second Olympic medal, a silver, in the team pursuit event alongside Emery Lehman. Cepuran has known Lehman since childhood, as Cepuran's father was one of Lehman's first speedskating coaches.

Casey Dawson

A 25-year-old American speedskater who competed alongside Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran in the team pursuit event at the 2026 Olympics, winning a silver medal.

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What they’re saying

“I'd say well over half the time I'm unhappy with the results or the times or how I'm feeling, or, you know, whatever it is, and that's tough. It's tough to deal with every day. So I don't think I'll miss that too much.”

— Emery Lehman (Chicago Tribune)

“Now that it's real, it's kind of crazy.”

— Emery Lehman (Chicago Tribune)

“He's somebody that I've looked up to my whole career.”

— Ethan Cepuran (Chicago Tribune)

What’s next

Lehman plans to retire from competitive speedskating and move back to Chicago, while Cepuran and Dawson will look to compete in the 2030 Winter Olympics in search of gold.

The takeaway

Emery Lehman's storied Olympic career came to a bittersweet end with a silver medal, but his legacy as one of the most accomplished American male speedskaters will endure. Meanwhile, the future of U.S. speedskating looks bright with rising talents like Ethan Cepuran poised to carry on the tradition.