Speedskater Erin Jackson already has made history, as the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics. Bobsledder Frank Del Duca is a sergeant in the Army, hailing from a family with deep Italian roots.
They might be the perfect pair to lead the U.S. into the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
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FILE - Gold Medalist Erin Jackson of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the speedskating women's 500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
FILE -Frank del Duca, Joshua Williamson, Boone Niederhofer and Bryce Cheek, of the United States, compete in the 4-man bobsleigh race at the Bobsleigh World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
FILE -Frank del Duca, pilot of the fourth-place United States team, waves to fans after the 4-man bobsled event at the bobsled world championships, March 15, 2025, in Lake Placid, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - Erin Jackson of the United States hoists an American flag after winning the gold medal in the speedskating women's 500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
Jackson, 33, and Del Duca, 34, were selected by a group of their fellow Olympians as the U.S. flagbearers for Friday night’s opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games. Jackson will become the eighth U.S. speedskater to carry the flag into an Olympics, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said, while Del Duca will be the first bobsledder to carry the flag into an opening in 70 years.
“Being chosen to represent the United States on the world stage is a tremendous honor,” Jackson said in a statement Tuesday from the USOPC. “It’s a moment that reflects far more than one individual — it represents my family, my teammates, my hometown, and everyone across the country who believes in the power of sport. The Olympics remind us of the power of sport to connect and inspire, and I’m proud to carry that forward on the Olympic stage.”
It will be an unusual opening ceremony, given that these are the most spread-out Olympics ever. The main ceremony is in Milan; there will be other ceremonies and athlete parades in the Italian cities of Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
And for Del Duca, the top U.S. bobsled pilot in both two- and four-man racing, an already-special Olympic opportunity in his family’s homeland just got even more significant. He said Tuesday that he was surprised by the flagbearer nod.
“I grew up with a lot of Italian and Italian-American influence in my life,” Del Duca said in an interview with The Associated Press last month. “Three out of my four grandparents were Italian. My name is Frank Joseph Del Duca IV. It’s not the most Italian name, but it’s clearly Italian.
“I grew up on the food. I grew up in that Italian American culture. So much of my life has been Italian American, which is not the same as Italian, but we’re very proud of our ancestry.”
U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor was picked to carry the American flag at the 2022 Beijing Olympics but tested positive for COVID-19 — forcing the postponement of her flag-carrying chance until the closing ceremony of those games. She was replaced at the Beijing opening by speedskater Brittany Bowe, and this time, it’s Jackson’s turn to have that moment.
Del Duca was fourth in both two- and four-man at last season’s world championships on his home track in Lake Placid, New York. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in both races.
Now, he wears his country’s colors in the Olympics again. That means the world to any athlete. It’s especially significant to Del Duca as a member of the Army — and even more so, he insists, with these games in his family’s homeland.
“It means a lot. It really does. It means a lot,” Del Duca said. “It would be cool anywhere, but the fact that it’s in Italy, I think our family is just that much more excited. My grandparents are no longer around, but they always rooted for Italy and the U.S. And they said the perfect day would be the Italians and the Americans tying for gold. So, yes, this is cool. It’s a cool opportunity.”
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE - Gold Medalist Erin Jackson of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the speedskating women's 500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
FILE -Frank del Duca, Joshua Williamson, Boone Niederhofer and Bryce Cheek, of the United States, compete in the 4-man bobsleigh race at the Bobsleigh World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
FILE -Frank del Duca, pilot of the fourth-place United States team, waves to fans after the 4-man bobsled event at the bobsled world championships, March 15, 2025, in Lake Placid, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - Erin Jackson of the United States hoists an American flag after winning the gold medal in the speedskating women's 500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
OSLO, Norway (AP) — The son of Norway’s crown princess pleaded not guilty to rape charges as he went on trial Tuesday for multiple alleged offenses, opening weeks of proceedings in a case that has cast a shadow on the royal family’s image.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. Høiby has no royal title or official duties.
Høiby stood while prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø read out the 38 counts against him at the Oslo district court, asking him if he pleaded guilty. He replied “no” to the most serious charges, including the four counts of rape.
The charges also include abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) of marijuana. Others include making death threats and traffic violations.
Høiby pleaded guilty to several driving offenses, to an aggravated drugs offense and breaking a restraining order, and “partly” to threats and aggravated assault. Wearing glasses, a brown sweater and beige trousers, he spoke quietly and conferred regularly with a defense lawyer.
Prosecutors have said that Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted in the trial, which is scheduled to last until March 19. Seven alleged victims are expected to testify.
“There is equality before the law," Henriksbø told the court. "The defendant is the son of the crown princess. He is part of the royal family. He shall nevertheless be treated in the same way as any other person who is charged with the same offenses.”
The defendant sat between defense lawyers Ellen Holager Andenæs and Petar Sekulic for the beginning of the trial and moved later to a table behind them, where he fiddled with a chain while the prosecutor outlined the allegations.
Reflecting international interest in the trial, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad addressed the court in English, warning that it was prohibited to record or take photographs in the courtroom and advising that some witness testimony would be heard behind closed doors.
Andenæs argued that Høiby's fame had already colored the case. She said he had faced a “tsunami of publicity” over a long period that had made him “feel that he is losing control of his life,” and that the weight of public scrutiny from thousands of newspaper articles had made it difficult for him to believe he could prevail.
“Like everyone else, he is innocent until proven guilty. The verdict will be pronounced in this courtroom and not anywhere else,” the defense lawyer told the court. "It is only you who will decide this.”
The investigation began in 2024. Police were first called to an apartment in Oslo's upscale Frogner neighborhood following reports of a violent incident. Høiby was arrested and later released, but the case expanded as additional women came forward with allegations.
The indictment prosecutors centers on four alleged rapes between 2018 and November 2024; alleged violence and threats against a former partner between the summer of 2022 and the fall of 2023; and two alleged acts of violence against a subsequent partner, along with violations of a restraining order.
It was expanded in January, when Høiby was charged with six more offenses, including possession and delivery of large quantities of marijuana and further restraining order violations.
He was free pending trial until Sunday, when police said he was arrested over new allegations of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order.
The Oslo court on Monday granted their request to keep him in detention for up to four weeks on the grounds of a risk of reoffending. Defense lawyer Petar Sekulic said that the arrest followed an alleged “incident” Sunday involving another person.
He said Høiby contests his detention and his legal team was considering an appeal as soon as he and the other person can provide statements to police.
Haakon said last week that he and Mette-Marit don't plan to attend the trial and that the royal house doesn't intend to comment during the proceedings.
King Harald, 88, and the royals are generally popular in Norway, but the Høiby case has been a problem for the family's image.
The trial opened at a particularly sensitive moment. Mette-Marit faces renewed scrutiny over her past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 in a New York jail cell as he faced sex trafficking charges, following the release on Friday of a new batch of documents from the Epstein files.
They contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported. The documents, which include email exchanges, showed that Mette-Marit borrowed an Epstein-owned property in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days in 2013. Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported that the stay was arranged through a mutual friend, which was later confirmed by the royal household.
Mette-Marit said in a statement that she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.” She added: “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”
Mark Lewis reported from Stavanger. Geir Moulson contributed to this report from Berlin.
A court sketch of Marius Borg Hoiby is drawn during the first day of the trial against him, which is taking place in room 250 of the Oslo District Court, Norway, Tuesday Feb. 3, 2026. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix/Pool via AP)
A court sketch of Marius Borg Hoiby during the first day of the trial against him, which is taking place in room 250 of the Oslo District Court, Norway, Tuesday Feb. 3, 2026. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix/Pool via AP)
Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo, right, investigation leader Andreas Kruszewski, left, and defense attorney John Christian Elden, speak during the first day of the trial against Marius Borg Hoiby, charged with a total of 38 incidents, including four rapes, assault, violence, threats, damage, storage and delivery of marijuana, violation of a restraining order and violation of the Road Traffic Act, in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday Feb. 3, 2026.(Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix via AP)
Defense attorneys Ellen Holager Andenaes, left, and Petar Sekulic, sit at the start of the first day of trial against Marius Borg Hoiby, charged with a total of 38 incidents, including four rapes, assault, violence, threats, damage, storage and delivery of marijuana, violation of a restraining order and violation of the Road Traffic Act, in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday Feb. 3, 2026.(Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix via AP)
Administrator Jon Sverdrup Efjestad sits during the first day of the trial against Marius Borg Hoiby, charged with a total of 38 incidents, including four rapes, assault, violence, threats, damage, storage and delivery of marijuana, violation of a restraining order and violation of the Road Traffic Act, in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday Feb. 3, 2026.(Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix via AP)
Members of the media gather ahead of the first day of the trial against Marius Borg Høiby in Oslo, Norway Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)
FILE - Norway's Marius Borg Hoiby and Crown Princess Mette-Marit in Oslo, June 16, 2022. (Lise Aserud/NTB via AP, File)
