Olympics
U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today its nominations for the U.S. Olympic Alpine Team that will represent Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Nominations are to be confirmed by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee when it formally announces the U.S. Olympic Team.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be representing my country on the biggest sporting stage in the world as part of this 2022 Olympic team. What I’m even more excited about is the depth this team has and the success we’ve collectively had coming into this Olympics. Not only do we have a group of very talented veterans, but we also have so many first-time Olympians who have a shot at the podium, and I can’t wait to see what they do. As always, I am extremely grateful for the team behind us that has helped us get here. With all of the challenges we’ve faced just getting to this point, we’re even more motivated to compete and more determined to win. When we leave the start gate in Beijing, we will all be giving it everything we’ve got. Thank you to our fans, our sponsors, our incredibly gracious donors, and—of course—our coaches and support staff who work tirelessly day in and day out to allow us to realize our dreams, especially our Olympic dreams.”
– Mikaela Shiffrin
The promising team includes seven athletes who have podiumed on the FIS World Cup stage in the last two seasons, headlined by two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, a medal threat in both technical and speed disciplines. Shiffrin is no stranger to shattering records on the world stage and has established herself as one of the greatest skiers of all time at a mere 26 years old. She will go into Beijing a three-time Olympic medalist, with slalom gold from the 2014 Games and a giant slalom gold and alpine combined silver in 2018. Joining Shiffrin in the bright lights will be teammate Breezy Johnson, who is currently ranked second in the world in the downhill standings and has amassed three downhill podiums in the 2021-22 season.
On the men’s side, Ryan Cochran-Siegle—who won his first World Cup in December 2021 in Bormio, Italy—will headline a solid crew of veteran athletes and first-time Olympians. Bryce Bennett, who snagged his first World Cup podium at the Val Gardena, Italy downhill less than two months prior to the 2022 Olympics with a massive victory, will be making his second Olympic bid in Beijing. Veteran speed skier Travis Ganong started the 2021-22 season with a bang, grabbing third place in the super-G on home snow at the Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Beijing will also mark giant slalom specialist Tommy Ford’s return to competition after a bad crash last January in Adelboden, Switzerland.
“I was thrilled to make my first Olympic Games in 2018, but I never intended them to be my last. I left Korea with a deep desire to work as hard as anyone ever has to come back to the Games in a place to win a medal. I never expected the roller coaster the last four years have brought me, but after everything there has been more doubt about whether I ever could reach the level to go back to the brightest stage, let alone contend for a medal. I feel incredibly proud to be representing Team USA at my second Games and I hope to bring something back to show that all the work on the dark days was worth it. They say qualifying to the Olympics is less likely than being struck by lightning. I feel blessed that lightning struck twice.”
– Breezy Johnson
Athletes who will make their Olympic debut in Beijing include Paula Moltzan, who snagged her career-first podium in the Lech, Austria parallel event in November 2021, Nina O’Brien, Keely Cashman, Katie Hensien, AJ Hurt, Mo Lebel River Radamus, and Luke Winters.
The team includes 17 athletes who qualified for the team through one or more top-three finishes, top-five finishes, and top-10 finishes, along with World Cup points and discretion. The qualification period included 2021-22 World Cup races from October 23, 2021, through January 16, 2022.
The alpine team has a full competition schedule for the 2022 Games featuring 11 medal events across men and women including slalom, giant slalom, alpine combined, super-G, downhill, and the team event. Alpine competition will start with the men’s downhill on Sunday, February 6, while the women will kick off their Olympic competition on Monday, February 7 with giant slalom. Alpine competition will conclude on Saturday, February 19 with the parallel team event.
2022 U.S. OLYMPIC ALPINE TEAM
(Name, Hometown; Birth Date; Club; Past Olympics)
Women
*Keely Cashman, Strawberry, California; 4/4/1999; Team Palisades Tahoe
*Katie Hensien, Redmond, Washington; 12/1/1999; Rowmark Ski Academy
*AJ Hurt, Carnelian Bay, California; 12/5/2000; Team Palisades Tahoe
Breezy Johnson, Victor, Idaho; 1/19/1996; Rowmark Ski Academy (Olympics: 2018)
*Maureen “Mo” Lebel, Truckee, California; 6/13/1998; Sugar Bowl Ski Team/Mammoth Mountain Ski Team
Tricia Mangan, Buffalo, New York; 3/7/97; Holimont Race Team (Olympics: 2018)
*Paula Moltzan, Prior Lake, Minnesota; 4/7/1994; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/University of Vermont
*Nina O’Brien, Edwards, Colorado; 11/29/1997; Burke Mountain Academy/Team Palisades Tahoe
Mikaela Shiffrin, Edwards, Colorado; 3/13/1995; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (Olympics: 2014, 2018)
Jacqueline “Jackie” Wiles, Aurora, Oregon; 7/13/1992; White Pass Ski Club (Olympics: 2014)
*Isabella “Bella” Wright, Salt Lake City, Utah; 2/10/1997; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation
Men
Bryce Bennett, Tahoe City, California; 7/14/1992; Team Palisades Tahoe (Olympics: 2018)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, Vermont; 3/27/1992; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club (Olympics: 2018)
Tommy Ford, Bend, Oregon; 3/20/1989; Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation (Olympics: 2010, 2018)
Travis Ganong, Alpine Meadows, California; 7/14/1988; Team Palisades Tahoe (Olympics: 2014)
*River Radamus, Edwards, Colorado; 2/12/1998; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
*Luke Winters, Gresham, Oregon; 4/2/1997; Sugar Bowl Academy
*Denotes first-time Olympian
Watch Team USA compete on the networks of NBC throughout the Olympics, February 4-20, 2022.
