At the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, one of the most talked-about athletes in snowboarding is Louis Philip Vito III, better known as Louie Vito. At nearly 38 years old, Vito is one of the oldest competitors ever in Olympic halfpipe snowboarding, and he’s doing it wearing the Italian colors because of his family heritage.
Vito grew up in Columbus, Ohio, but his grandparents came from Italy, and he always dreamed of representing their homeland on the world stage. After competing for the United States early in his career, including at the 2010 Winter Olympics where he finished 5th in halfpipe, he switched allegiance and became an Italian citizen. He raced for Italy at the 2022 Games and is back again in 2026, this time on home snow.
His career spans more than 20 years, with seven medals from the Winter X Games in superpipe, including two golds in 2011 and 2013. Those world-class results helped establish him as one of snowboarding’s top performers, and he remains competitive against much younger riders. Vito’s presence at the Games is about more than results: it’s a celebration of his mixed Italian-American identity and a chance to honor family roots in Abruzzo.
At Livigno Snow Park, Vito has been a mentor to younger riders, some of whom grew up watching him compete and now race alongside him. He talks openly about helping them learn tricks and navigate competition, even as he focuses on his own runs in qualification.
Competing at this age against athletes in their late teens and early 20s highlights his longevity and passion for the sport. Whether he makes the final or not, his story at Milano–Cortina 2026 captures the imagination of fans who admire both his athletic achievements and his personal journey from Ohio to the Olympic halfpipe representing Italy.
