At the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the top athletes across the globe gather on the world’s stage to bring home the gold for their country. Under so much pressure and scrutiny, a furry sidekick to fill their training and competition days full of love is much needed.
Get to know the cutest companions who are getting Team USA's animal lovers through some of the most challenging and rewarding moments of their lives.
Entering the Olympics as the two-time reigning national champion and the world number two in mass start, Mia Manganello is turning in career-best performances. She has a new sense of gratitude that has given her the confidence to head into her third Olympics in Milan Cortina.
From Crestview, Florida, Manganello’s parents have roots in Italy and owned an Italian restaurant named after her, making this Olympics quite the homecoming for her. In 2002, the Mangellos closed their restaurant and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah so Mia could chase her dreams of speed skating. In 2018, Mangello helped earn the U.S. their first-ever Olympic medal in the women’s team pursuit. In 2025, Manganello won her first ISU World Cup mass start race in her home Salt Lake City.
The master of mass start has an adorable blonde dachshund named Linguini, aka Gweeny. Gweeny is about to be 4 years old, weighs 6 pounds and loves to ride in Mia’s backpack while she bikes. Mia has posted their cycling adventures on Instagram, showing Gweeny’s ears take flight in the freeze and sharing a granola bar together on their ride. Gweeny also loves to lay on the porch and watch her mom mow the lawn.