At this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan, Ethan Cepuran competed for Team USA, where he came away with the Silver medal alongside Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman in the Men’s Team Pursuit, which marked their last Team event together due to Emery’s retirement from speed skating, and at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the team won Bronze. For the 2025-26 World Cups in Salt Lake City, Calgary, Heerenveen, Hamar and Inzell, Ethan once again competed with Casey and Emery, which saw them win overall Gold in the Team event for the fifth consecutive year. Ethan won Silver in the 5000m and Mass Start at this U.S. Single Distances Championships (Olympic trials), and last year, he became World champion for the first time in his career, having won Gold, once again alongside Casey and Emery, at the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Norway. Last year, Ethan also won Gold at the Four Continents Speed Skating Championships with Emery and Jordan Stolz, retaining their title from the year before with Casey in the team. As a junior speed skater, Ethan represented USA at the 2018 World Junior Championships at Salt Lake City, winning Silver in the individual Mass Start. We chatted to Ethan about his success at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022 and Milan this year, competing for Team USA alongside Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman in Team pursuits, winning fifth consecutive Gold at the 2025-26 World Cups and becoming World champion in 2025 for the first time in his career.
The 2026 Winter Olympics marked your last race with Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman in the Men’s Team Pursuit due to Emery’s retirement from speed skating; how would you sum up your final season with Emery and how did you feel going into the Olympic race?
It was very bittersweet throughout the last season knowing that the team would change forever. Emery, Casey and myself have formed a bond over many years of training together that I’m really going to miss in my day-to-day life. While it was sad to know Emery was stepping away from the sport, it also put pressure on ourselves to make everything happen now. We knew there was no tomorrow in a sense. So I really enjoyed striving further than we ever had before, breaking our own world record and winning Olympic Silver.
In the Olympic Men’s Team Pursuit, you won Silver in February in Milan and Bronze in 2022 in Beijing; what was it like standing on the podium for two consecutive Games, and how different was it competing this year opposed to in the COVID restrictions in 2022?
It’s surreal to have stepped onto the Olympic podium twice. Growing up in the sport, it was always something I dreamed of doing, but never knew if I’d be good enough to seize that opportunity if it came. Being on that podium twice just shows our consistency and connection as a team. There’s nothing truly like going through a journey as a team and getting to celebrate at the finish line.
The crowds this time in Milan were amazing. It was also amazing to have my family to share the Olympic experience with, since they’ve been part of this process since day one.
What is it like staying in the athletes village and attending the opening and closing ceremonies?
Staying in the athletes village is amazing. You’re watching all of these elite athletes perform on TV, and then you see them in the athlete lounge or cafeteria later that same day. Same for opening and closing ceremonies. Getting to walk in as one Team USA is unbelievably special and filled with so much energy.
How is it representing Team USA at the Winter Olympic Games as both an individual and Team Pursuit speed skater, and what is it like competing at an Olympics opposed to other competitions throughout the season?
I love competing as part of a team. It certainly mitigates pressure because you’re going through it as a team. It’s also amazing to feel like you’re putting your country on your back as an individual.
There’s so much extra energy at the Olympics that it’s hard to compare any other competition. There’s so much pride and energy in trying to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
What was it like racing in the 2025-26 World Cups in Salt Lake City, Calgary, Heerenveen, Hamar and Inzell and winning overall Gold in the Men’s Team Pursuit with Casey and Emery for the fifth consecutive year?
I love the opportunity to race around the world. The fifth consecutive World Cup title shows consistency throughout the past Olympic quad. While we haven’t won every race in the last five years, you could always expect us to show up and put up a fight.
Can you tell us about competing at the 2026 US Single Distance Championships (where you won Silver in the 5000m and Mass Start), and what is this competition like to be part of?
Olympic trials were an absolute blast in Milwaukee. It’s special because not everyone can make it over to watch the Olympics, so it gives family and friends the ability to see you live out your dreams of becoming an Olympian. Getting to race in front of a home crowd is, and always will be, special.
How did you find the experience winning Gold with Casey and Emery at the 2025 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Hamar, Norway, and becoming World champion for the first time in your career?
Becoming a World champion was a dream come true. For years we knew we had the ability to do it, but actually executing it at the right time was tough. It showed our team that we can win at the right time going into the Olympic season. There’s just something so special about being able to call you and your teammates the best in the world.
At the 2024 and 2025 Four Continents Speed Skating Championships, you won Gold – with Casey and Emery in 2024 and Emery and Jordan Stolz in 2025; what was it like having Jordan join the team for his first Team Pursuit in place of Casey last year, and how was it coming away as champion for both years?
It was great winning back-to-back Four Continents Championships, with different teams as well. It shows how much depth and potential we have as a country. That even when we shake it up or have to adapt, we still have a chance to win.
What do you remember most from representing USA at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Salt Lake City and winning an individual Silver medal in the Mass Start?
The 2018 Junior World Championships were one of the toughest weekends of racing in my career. On Friday and Saturday, I really underperformed and I couldn’t figure out why. I felt like I had no energy and had forgotten how to skate.
Sunday morning, I did the Team Pursuit and the team had done better than the weekend before at the Junior World Cup. I was put into the Mass Start about 10 minutes before the race started. I barely made it to the line on time and raced my way to a Silver medal. I was so rushed that I got out of my own head and forgot how bad I was feeling. Bringing home a medal for the US there was amazing and a dream come true. It was a big step for me in believing I could make it to the 2022 Olympics.
Can you say about some of your further stand-out highlights of your speed skating career so far?
A lot of my highlights are due to the fact that I was lucky to be part of a team throughout my career. If I was ever down, I could rely on the team to keep me going.
I crashed while inline skating in 2020 and suffered a concussion. It was a big turning point for me because it forced me to take a break and decide how I want to pursue my dreams. Like when it came time to qualify for my first Olympic team in 2022, I knew I had to stay in the race no matter what to give myself a chance.
Do you have a favourite aspect of being a speed skater and competing around the world?
My favourite thing about competing around the world is, before or after ice practice, I get to sit around the oval and watch people skate. I believe it’s important to be a student, so I just enjoy studying the best in the world.
Otherwise, getting to try different foods and cultures around the world is also a big plus. Sushi in Japan or Norway, and schnitzel in Germany, are among my favourites.
What is it like skating in both individual and team events and how do you stay focused during each?
It can be very hard to balance individual and team events in a weekend of racing. Many times, the Team Pursuit and Mass Start are on the same day during World Cups, so it can be tough racing two hard events very close together.
Thankfully, the training we do for Team Pursuit really helped my fitness for Mass Start. One of the reasons we were so consistent in the Team Pursuit was because we treated it as a main event and not a side event.
Was speed skating something you always wanted to do at a high level, and how did you get into the sport?
I’ve been speed skating since I was two years old. I followed my older brothers into the sport, and my oldest brother used to be on the national team. Growing up, I just wanted to be as fast as my brothers. In my head, that’s what it took to make it to the Olympics.
I also remember watching Shani Davis in the Turino and Vancouver Olympics, and that lit a fire in me to keep with skating.
What does a typical training day look like for you?
Training typically involves a three-to-four-hour ice session in the morning. That includes warm-up, cool-down and any extra work. Then a weight session in the afternoon, or hopping on the bike for two to three hours.
It can be a grind, but you get used to it. Then schoolwork somewhere in between.
Do you have any favourite sports to watch, or favourite athletes to support?
I love watching golf throughout the summer. I’m a big fan of Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa. I’m also a big Chicago sports fan. I grew up especially loving the Chicago Cubs, Blackhawks and Bears. It’s been very fun watching Chicago sports the last few years, as the Cubs and Bears are both on a resurgence.
How do you like to spend your free time?
If I’m not resting or doing schoolwork, I’m an avid golfer. Nothing special, but I really enjoy spending time outside. I’m also a big fisherman, and it’s always something me and my brothers would do growing up. I don’t fish as much as I used to, but I love hanging around bodies of water whenever I can.
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