Navy veteran wins trip to the 2026 Olympics

A 71-year-old US Navy veteran was pleasantly surprised to be among the winners of a deluxe trip to the 2026 Olympic games in Italy.

The winner is among a handful of fortunate players who were selected from a pool of nearly 80,000 players.

To win the prize, Julian Osborne, a Carroll County man, registered his ticket with the Maryland Lottery's special Mega Millions Team USA promotion, a statement reveals.

The promotion was active between June 10 and August 12 and enabled players to register their Mega Millions tickets in a draw that granted a chance for a range of prizes.

Besides a deluxe trip to the 2026 Olympic Games, a Team USA merchandise prize pack or a trip to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles were also up for grabs.

In addition to Osborne, two other fortunate players won the deluxe prize for the 2026 Olympics.

The list included Lisa Keeney, a resident of Adamstown as well as Cheryl Harrow, from Baltimore.

While winning is always exciting, now comes the hard part, which in this case will be who will Osborne pick to accompany him to the next Olympic Games.

The Lucky Player Hopes to See the Ski Jump Events

The 71-year-old Sykesville resident was a part of the US Navy for more than two decades.

After 24 years of active duty, Osborne retired from the Navy but kept his involvement by holding the role of a transportation supervisor with the US Naval Academy.

Speaking about his days in the "silent service," the 71-year-old said to Maryland Lottery officials: "There wasn’t always time to see the sights."

Looking forward to the 2026 Olympics, the man said: "I’m hoping I get a chance to see the ski jump events."

During his time on active duty, Osborne traveled across the globe beneath the seas via US Navy fast-attack submarines.

Although he traveled across the globe, considering the line of his job, Osborne often had to spend months underneath the sea level.

Throughout his career, the Navy veteran accomplished many missions with his crew and sometimes spent up to three months underwater.

The 2026 Winter Olympics will mark the 70th anniversary of the Winter Olympics.

The Olympic Games will take place in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy.

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