Waltham High School graduate cross-country skier Julia Kern heads to her second Olympics Games 

If you’re a Waltham community member feeling disconnected with the upcoming Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games or without a rooting interest, look no further than cross-country skier Julia Kern as your reason to pay attention.

A 2015 Waltham High School graduate, the 28-year-old Kern will represent Team USA in various skiing events held at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Tesero, Val di Fiemme, Italy, February 6–22. Kern competed in the 2022 Beijing Games but looks forward to a fully non-COVID-19 restricted experience. This time, she thinks she has a real shot at a medal.

“Last time I was going, medals weren’t really in reach, it was more about gathering experience and doing the best I can,” Kern told The Waltham Times in an interview from Austria, where she recently finished the winter World Cup. “This time around, there’re expectations, pressure and big goals I want to achieve. It has a bit of a different flavor this time around.

“Even so, I also want to make sure I enjoy and soak up the whole Olympic experience.” 

Born in California, Kern spent all but the first year of her childhood in Waltham. She first put on cross-country skis at 15 months old and began racing at age 7. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2021 with an economics degree and a minor in human-centered design. While at Dartmouth, she trained and competed with the Stratton Mountain School elite SMS T2 program. 

She stays connected to the area, visiting family and friends and taking part in an annual September event with the Youth Enrichment Services for Boston Kids (YES) program. 

In her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing games, Kern placed 18th in the Sprint Freestyle and 53rd in the Skiathlon. She will likely race both events again this year, and perhaps a few more with a maximum of six. 

Looking forward to the full Olympic experience

Kern’s first Olympic experience came at the end of the pandemic. The stress of avoiding COVID-19, daily testing and isolation made it “quite locked down” for all athletes, Kern said. She looks forward to a fully open Olympics this year. Kern’s parents, two sets of aunts and uncles, her boyfriend and other friends plan to make the trip to Italy to support her. 

Since her first Olympics, Kern has earned a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in the Team Sprint Freestyle and a silver medal at the 2025 World Championships in the Team Sprint Classic. The six-time U.S. National Champion also finished fifth in individual Sprint Freestyle last year. 

Kern calls Richmond, Vermont, home now, but travels seven months of the year for skiing. She’s been in Europe since November. An active content creator, she’s active on Instagram @julieakernski, and TikTok, chronicling her career for more than 25,000 followers across platforms. 

The annual Tour De Ski event ends in Val di Fiemme, and Kern finished seventh in the skiathlon there at last year’s World Cup. Although the Olympic courses are not the same as the Tour De Ski and World Cup courses, the somewhat familiar territory brings comfort. It also doesn’t hurt that Kern loves Italy. 

“We generally know what to expect,” Kern said. “The weather can be crazy and all that … but it feels like we’re racing something representative to what we normally race.” 

Though the team isn’t staying at the main Olympic Village or participating in the opening ceremony, Kern looks forward to exploring the town where they’ll be staying with her inner circle and teammates, trading pins with athletes from other countries, acquiring Olympic swag and spending time with other Team USA-related people. 

“Last time around, you could run like five-minute laps in a fenced in athlete village,” Kern said. “I think just having some team games and connecting with one another also brings the stress level down a little bit.”