Emery Lehman is bringing his silver medal home. The four-time Olympian and 2014 Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate will serve as Grand Marshal of Oak Park's annual Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 4, celebrating a career that made him one of the most accomplished long-track speed skaters of his generation.

The parade steps off at 10 a.m. at Longfellow Park, at Ridgeland Avenue and Adams Street, and marches north on Ridgeland to Augusta Street, according to the Village of Oak Park's weekly report. More than 50 groups typically take part, with performances from the Kaotic Drumline, Jesse White Tumblers, Medinah Shriners Mini Choppers, South Shore Drill Team, and New Generation Fancy Drill Team.

Lehman, 30, earned his silver medal in the men's team pursuit at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, adding to the bronze he won in the same event at the 2022 Beijing Games. He also competed at PyeongChang in 2018. His Olympic career began at Sochi in 2014, when he represented the United States at age 17, becoming the youngest male U.S. speed skater to make an Olympic debut and breaking a record held by Eric Heiden by two days, according to Team USA.

"I'm so grateful to have the opportunity and support to be able to dedicate myself to this dream of being an Olympic champion," Lehman told the Wednesday Journal in January 2026, after qualifying for his fourth Olympics by winning the 1,500-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Milwaukee with a time of 1:44.202. "It's always an honor to represent Team USA."

Before committing fully to speed skating, Lehman was a varsity hockey defenseman at OPRF, earning conference All-Star honors as a sophomore. He started skating at age nine after seeing a poster claiming the sport could improve hockey skills. He went on to graduate cum laude from Marquette University with a civil engineering degree and earned a master's in structural engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Lehman and his Team USA teammates also won the world title in the team pursuit at the 2025 World Single Distances Championships in Hamar, Norway, and hold the world record with a time of 3:32.49.

The Oak Park Village Board recognized Lehman on Tuesday, May 19, presenting him with what officials described as the first-ever Key to the Village. Dan Yopchick, Oak Park's chief communications officer, said the July 4 parade is part of the village's America 250 celebration marking the nation's 250th anniversary.

The parade is free and open to the public. Neither Oak Park nor River Forest is hosting fireworks on Saturday, July 4.