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Floor Speech

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Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, I am so pleased to join my esteemed colleague from Wyoming in this next presentation where we rejoice and celebrate our Olympians.

Last night was an incredible display of Americana, of the joy of celebrating our athletes. It was particularly joyous when our gold medal U.S. Olympic hockey team came into the Gallery in their beautiful USA sweaters with their gold medals around their necks so every American who was watching the State of the Union last night could join with them to celebrate this tremendous achievement and to have a moment where America was rejoicing together over something that is so quintessentially a North American sport and a triumph for our Olympic teams.

Today, I want to continue that joyous celebration by congratulating and highlighting and punctuating three Wyoming athletes who were at the U.S. Olympic Games in Italy.

The three are Breezy Johnson, Anna Gibson of Jackson, and Jaelin Kauf of Alta. They did not just compete; they embodied grit, resilience, and the determination that really defines Wyoming. I have no doubt that they inspired every person in Wyoming, especially our young student athletes who watched them on TV.

I was so overjoyed that I got to watch Breezy Johnson's win in realtime. Breezy Johnson got America's medal run off to a tremendous start. Her race was early in the Olympic Games, and she took the gold medal in the women's skiing downhill, racing nearly 80 miles an hour to the finish line. It was an incredible moment for our country-- incredible--and a truly incredible moment for Wyoming.

In addition to Breezy's gold medal, she also came home with a fiance. So congratulations to Breezy and Connor. We are so happy for you both.

Jaelin Kauf made history by becoming the most decorated Olympic mogul skier in U.S. history, earning her second and third career silver medals. From learning to ski in Teton Valley to competing on the world's greatest stage, Jaelin's journey reflects years of discipline, perseverance, and unwavering community support.

The strength that is required in your legs to be a mogul skier is absolutely unparalleled. Through two Olympic Games, she has represented Alta and the United States with exceptional courage and joy. We could not be prouder.

Anna Gibson became the very first American to compete in Olympic ski mountaineering--which is a relatively new sport in the Olympics-- finishing fourth alongside her partner in a sport she grew up with in Jackson.

Anna demonstrated the courage to step into uncharted territory. As I said, it is a very new sport, and stepping into uncharted territory is a quality Wyoming knows well. So she just did a bangup job representing Wyoming and the United States in our skimo Olympic debut.

These three women remind us that greatness is not born in stadiums, but it is built in gymnasiums and on training courses and on ski mountains and early morning trainings; in weight rooms, in your diet, your exercise, and particularly in tight-knit communities that support these athletes.

These communities believe in one another. They believe in celebrating each other's hard work. Wyoming has always stood for toughness, independence, and quiet excellence. Breezy, Jaelin, and Anna carried that spirit with them to the world stage. They made Wyoming and the entire country so proud. We are lucky to call them ours.

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