Personal injury lawyer headed to Winter Olympics on curling team
Rich Ruohonen, a member of the U.S. men’s curling team, is shown in 2022. A plaintiff personal injury lawyer from Minnesota, this year, he is a team alternative for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Who might be the oldest athlete on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics? It's Rich Ruohonen, a 54-year-old trial lawyer from Minnesota who started curling in 1981.
The plaintiff personal injury lawyer is an alternate for the U.S. men’s team, according to the Team USA website.
Ruohonen has been part of two world championship curling teams and was the team captain, or “skip” as the sport calls it, for Team USA in 2018 at the World Curling Championships, NBC Olympics reports.
At this point in his life, Ruohonen thought that if he ever made it to the Olympics, it would be as a coach, he told the network.
“It was really emotional for me because I thought it was over,” he said. “I thought I had retired, basically, and even though I’m not playing full time or anything like that, I feel like I’m part of the team. Any way I can help, I’ve helped. Just to make it this time, I told my wife, it’s all worth it.”
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