Bronze. Silver. Gold. Speed Skater Casey Dawson's Third Medal Isn't on the Podium.
Casey Dawson arrived in Milan with teammates Ethan Cepuran and Emery Lehman, having trained for team pursuit more than any country on earth.
They held the world record. They'd just won their fifth overall World Cup title and, finally — after years of agonizingly close finishes at World Championships — they claimed that title too, in March of 2025.
Every metric said they were untouchable. They walked into the Milano Speed Skating Stadium with a target on their back.
The Weight of Being Number One
There's a particular kind of pressure that comes with being the favorite. Dawson reflects on it honestly.
"I think there was a big target on our backs, and I think, honestly, a little bit of the pressure got to us at the 2026 Games. We were the heavy favorites, and TP was really the distance that we're looking most forward to."
The pressure wasn't just external noise from the media or other competitors. It also was the internal weight of shared investment that comes from training alongside the same guys every single day, collectively putting in the work towards a common goal.
"We all put pressure on ourselves to perform at our best. Stepping onto the ice on the final day was like…yeah, we were scared a little bit, because we didn't know what was gonna happen."
Italy was simply better that day. That's sport. The U.S. took silver, and in the moments immediately after, something shifted in the way Dawson saw the whole thing.
"After the fact, there was the realization that, hey, even though we got a silver medal, that doesn't define the path we had leading up to that."
The Gold Is the Legacy
By the last three laps of the final of the men’s team pursuit, it was clear to the US squad that Italy was going to come away with the gold.
"We realized, finally, like, hey, we gotta get to this finish line, and we're celebrating no matter what. We had our family in the stands, and no matter how we finish, everyone's gonna be proud of us. Our parents still see us as the same skaters we were years ago."
Emery Lehman has since retired. The trio that spent the better part of a decade grinding Team Pursuit together won't race as a unit again. Seven years of early mornings, shared ice time, fantasy football grudges, and a collective obsession with going faster, done.
Most athletes in Dawson’s position would talk about what they didn't get. He talks about what they made.
"Our legacy in the team pursuit, even though the three of us aren’t going to be a team anymore, the legacy we've built in the 7 years we've been doing this together is the gold medal, in a way."
Dawson has a bronze from 2022, a silver from 2026, and one legacy that’s golden.
"We have a bronze and a silver in Team Pursuit, but what's our gold? Our the gold is our legacy. We've made an impact on the sport."
Photo Credit: AP Photo / Ben Curtis
The Pink Backpack
But seven years together wasn't all pressure and podiums. It was also fantasy football, punishments, and at least one deeply humbling accessory.
"Fantasy football is a big thing between the three of us, and doing the punishments from fantasy football have really kept things light. We had a tradition where if we lose fantasy football, someone would have to carry around this pink backpack throughout the season."
Dawson lost this past season.
"I unfortunately lost this last season, so I had to carry the pink backpack around…at the Olympics. All sport has so much pressure, and it's how you manage that that is the most important, honestly."
The pink backpack, along with Dawson’s mentality of self-belief and love for the process, made it to the Olympics. Ralph Lauren, take note.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
I'm Amy Wotovich and I’m on a mission to interview 100% of Team USA's 2026 Olympic and Paralympic athletes to create the most comprehensive mindset record of a single Games cycle. What do elite competitors actually believe about pressure, identity, failure, and joy? Casey Dawson is one of hundreds of athletes sharing their unfiltered stories. Follow the journey!
