MILAN, Feb 3 : Laila Edwards is ready to shatter a nearly three-decade-old barrier when she steps onto the ice at the Milano Cortina Games, becoming the first Black woman to compete in Olympic ice hockey for the United States.
She has embraced her role as a trailblazer 28 years after women’s ice hockey made its Olympic debut, as part of a young cohort brought in to bolster the top-ranked Americans’ chances of taking a third gold.
“I feel like I’ve been learning to embrace it,” Edwards, 22, told reporters after a practice session with her team at the Milano Rho ice hockey venue.
“It’s a big deal and it can make a positive impact on other people so why not embrace it.”
Edwards, who plays on defence, was named to the roster eight years after Jordan Greenway became the first Black man to compete for the U.S. men’s team, in an overwhelmingly white sport in which the top-flight NHL has faced criticism over its handling of race.
Two high-profile racist incidents rocked the league in 2019, while the Hockey Diversity Alliance has called on the NHL to take action on the lack of diversity in the sport.
Edwards, the tournament MVP at the 2024 World Championships, said that inspiring young Black girls to take up the sport was her biggest motivator.
“That’s my favourite part,” she said. “It’s really cool, all the people reaching out, saying I paved the way for them.”
Her charmed run to her sport’s biggest stage got a celebrity boost earlier this year, when NFL star tight end Travis Kelce helped pay for her family to fly to the Games after giving her a shout-out on his wildly popular “New Heights” podcast.
Edwards said the gesture was all the more meaningful coming from Kelce, who is engaged to pop star Taylor Swift, as the two come from the same Cleveland Heights, Ohio, hometown.
“Been a big fan of his growing up,” said Edwards. “He’s a great athlete but I learned he’s an even better person.”
The women’s Olympic ice hockey tournament begins on Thursday.
