Havard graduate Rémi Drolet's Olympic journey continues at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, where he will compete in men's cross-country skiing for Canada. His return to the pinnacle of sport comes as no surprise after a promising Olympic debut in 2022 and the exemplary impact he made as an NCAA student-athlete.
Drolet earned one of the NCAA's most esteemed honors in 2025 — the Impact Award, formerly known as Today's Top 10. The award recognizes student-athletes who show the highest standards of athletic excellence, academic achievement and service to their campuses and communities.
Beijing 2022: What Drolet learned in his Olympic debut
In his first Olympic chapter at the Beijing Games, he helped propel Canada to an 11th-place finish in the 4x10-kilometer relay. He also competed in the 15K classic and 50K mass start as an individual, finishing in the top 40 in both races.
Rémi Drolet made his Olympic debut in Beijing, where he helped Canada to an 11th-place finish in the 4x10-kilometer relay. (Photo courtesy of Remi Drolet)
"I was able to make the team and have the amazing opportunity to go ski for Canada in Beijing and represent my country," Drolet said. "I got to ski against the best skiers in the world and see what it takes to compete at the top. I think it was a really huge learning experience for me."
Harvard highlights: NCAA title, All-America honors, team captain
With this experience, he became the third Nordic skier in school history to compete in the Winter Games and the first to represent the Crimson since 1984.
When Drolet returned to Harvard in the fall of 2022, he carried with him the momentum of his Olympic debut and the foundation of an impressive first year — one that included earning Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Nordic Rookie of the Year honors and qualifying for the National Collegiate Men's and Women's Skiing Championships, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over his final two seasons at Harvard, Drolet established himself as one of the most accomplished Nordic skiers in program history. His junior year was highlighted by an NCAA title in the men's 20K classic — an achievement that cemented him among the nation's best and earned him first-team All-America honors. He added another All-America nod after finishing seventh in the 10K individual-start freestyle and dominated the carnival circuit with multiple victories at the Harvard, Williams and St. Lawrence carnivals.
As a senior, he guided the Crimson as team captain and again delivered on the biggest stages, placing fourth in the NCAA 20K classic to secure another first-team All-America selection. He remained a fixture at the front of the pack — collecting three individual wins and eight podium finishes while earning team MVP honors. He especially enjoyed working toward success with his teammates and coaches.
"NCAA skiing in particular is really special because unlike most other contexts in skiing, the team aspect is a lot stronger," Drolet said. "In college skiing, you score points as a team and you're really trying to help the team have the best result possible, as a whole.
"I think that environment helped me become a better teammate because I was always excited for my teammates and had to really want them to succeed as much as I wanted myself to succeed."
Drolet competes at the 2024 National Collegiate Men's and Women's Skiing Championships, where he placed fourth in the men's 20K classic. Drolet won the 20K classic title the previous year. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow / NCAA Photos)
In the classroom: physics, mathematics and research excellence
Drolet also distinguished himself in the classroom, concentrating on physics and mathematics and graduating magna cum laude.
"For me, it was important to go somewhere that had strong academics and somewhere that I would feel like the school was pushing me," Drolet said.
As a student, he contributed to research projects on quantum field theory and wave turbulence and the development of a self-assembly platform. His scholarly commitment earned him College Sports Communicators first-team Academic All-America honors twice. He also garnered Academic All-Ivy laurels, a place on the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association All-Academic team twice and induction into Harvard's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa — the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States.
"I think being a student-athlete is really an amazing thing because on the one hand it forces you to split your attention between different aspects of your life," Drolet said. "I think ultimately being a student-athlete can make you better at those things. … Even though it was a challenge, I think it was really a huge privilege for me to have that opportunity."
Drolet hopes his impact on Nordic skiing will continue as he prepares to write his next chapter.
"Nordic skiing isn't a sport that you can only do when you're young," he said. "It's a sport you can do your whole life. Some of the best skiers in the world reach their peak when they're 27, 28, even up to 30 or beyond. Nordic skiing is something you can do for a really long time. There's a long pathway, and you can have a long career in it."
What's next at Milan Cortina: schedule and events to watch
The men's cross-country ski events of the Milan Cortina Olympics will commence Sunday, Feb. 8, with the skiathlon. Fans can follow the 2026 Winter Olympics across NBCUniversal's coverage, led by NBC and its affiliate networks. Every event will also be livestreamed and available on demand on Peacock. Daily broadcast schedules are available at nbcolympics.com/schedule.
