U.S. Ski Team Announces Athletes Headed to 2022 Olympics in Beijing

Exactly two weeks out from the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, U.S. Ski and Snowboard today announced its nominations for the U.S. Olympic Alpine and Freestyle Teams. Seventeen athletes will represent Team USA across the six Olympic alpine skiing disciplines, including slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, alpine combined, and mixed team parallel. On the freestyle side, which comprises the aerials and moguls events, 15 athletes will represent the U.S.

2022 U.S. Olympic Alpine Team

The alpine team headed to China to represent Team USA includes 17 athletes—11 women and 6 men—and is headlined by two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin. The Beijing Games will mark Shiffrin’s third Olympic bid, where she’s expected to enter in all five major individual disciplines, including slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, and alpine combined, if all goes according to plan.

The 26-year-old who just weeks ago shattered the World Cup record for the most slalom victories earned by any individual will be competing to add more Olympic hardware to her current collection—a slalom gold medal from the 2014 Games, and a GS gold and alpine combined silver from the 2018 Olympics.

Related: Shiffrin “not in competition” for the 2022 World Cup slalom title anymore

Breezy Johnson, Bryce Bennett, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Tommy Ford, Travis Ganong, Tricia Mangan, and Jacqueline Wiles will also be joining Shiffrin as Olympic veterans. Each has at least one Olympic bid under their belt, though Ganong and Wiles will make their first appearance at a Winter Games since 2010 after missing the selection criteria for the 2018 Games.

“Being able to have the opportunity to represent my country while doing the sport I love is every athlete’s dream,” says Wiles. “Having to miss 2018 due to injury makes this Olympics that much more special.”

“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,” says Shiffrin. “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.”

First-time Olympians named to the 2022 Olympic Alpine Team include Paula Moltzan, Katie Hensien, AJ Hurt, Maureen Lebel, Nina O’Brien, River Radamus, and Luke Winters. All of these athletes, like the veterans named above, were nominated to this year’s Olympic team after securing one or more top-three, top-five, or top-10 finishes in World Cup races during the 2021-’22 World Cup season.

“This team is filled with talent and multiple podium threats in many events,” says U.S. Ski and Snowboard Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “We’ve had five athletes in the last two seasons who have had breakthroughs and career-first podiums. On top of that, we’ve had numerous up-and-coming athletes score personal best results.”

Noticeably absent from the men’s side is speed skier Steven Nyman, who after the U.S. Team’s Olympic quota was reduced from 24 for the 2018 Games to 17, didn’t make the cut, despite being ranked 33rd in the world in downhill this season.

Whoever wrote the new rules of @olympic spots allocated to nations and genders has completely missed the boat. Your rules are leaving out a lot of the top contenders on the mens side across several nations to make room for random competitors from small nations. @fisalpine #ioc

— Steven Nyman (@Steven_Nyman) January 18, 2022

Ford, on the other hand, earned a discretionary spot on this year’s Olympic team after an injury at the end of last season kept him out of the start gate this World Cup season. Since Ford, now reported to be healthy and ready to return to racing, is a GS-specialist, it seems the scales tipped in his favor.

2022 U.S. Olympic Team Athletes

Listed by name, hometown; birth date; club; past Olympic appearances; *denotes first-time Olympian

Women

• *Keely Cashman, Strawberry, California; 1999; Team Palisades Tahoe
• *Katie Hensien, Redmond, Washington; 1999; Rowmark Ski Academy
• *AJ Hurt, Carnelian Bay, California; 2000; Team Palisades Tahoe
• Breezy Johnson, Victor, Idaho; 1996; Rowmark Ski Academy (Olympics: 2018)
• *Maureen “Mo” Lebel, Truckee, California; 1998; Sugar Bowl Ski Team/Mammoth Mountain Ski Team
• Tricia Mangan, Buffalo, New York; 1997; Holimont Race Team (Olympics: 2018)
• *Paula Moltzan, Prior Lake, Minnesota; 1994; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/University of Vermont
• *Nina O’Brien, Edwards, Colorado; 1997; Burke Mountain Academy/Team Palisades Tahoe
• Mikaela Shiffrin, Edwards, Colorado; 1995; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (Olympics: 2014, 2018)
• Jacqueline “Jackie” Wiles, Aurora, Oregon; 1992; White Pass Ski Club (Olympics: 2014)
• *Isabella “Bella” Wright, Salt Lake City, Utah; 1997; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation

Men

• Bryce Bennett, Tahoe City, California; 1992; Team Palisades Tahoe (Olympics: 2018)
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, Vermont; 1992; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club (Olympics: 2018)
• Tommy Ford, Bend, Oregon; 1989; Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation (Olympics: 2010, 2018)
• Travis Ganong, Alpine Meadows, California; 1988; Team Palisades Tahoe (Olympics: 2014)
• *River Radamus, Edwards, Colorado; 1998; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
• *Luke Winters, Gresham, Oregon; 1997; Sugar Bowl Academy

2022 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team

On the freestyle side, 15 athletes will represent Team USA across the aerial and mogul disciplines, including four-time Olympian in aerials Ashley Caldwell and mogul phenom and 2021 Rookie of Year Kai Owens.

In fact, of the 15-member team, 11 athletes will make their Olympic debut in China. The only two athletes to return to the Olympic stage on the aerials team are Caldwell (2010, 2014, 2018) and Eric Loughran (2018). On the moguls team, only Brad Wilson (2014, 2018) and Jaelin Kauf (2018) return as veterans.

“The 2022 Olympic roster for moguls is stacked with an impressive lineup of Olympic veterans and new-to-the-Games talent,” says U.S. Ski and Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “These athletes have put in the work and are excited and ready to make their mark in the sport. We’re heading into Beijing well-prepared and with a clear understanding of what we need to execute in order to be successful.”

2022 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team Athletes

Aerials Team – Women

• Ashley Caldwell, Ashburn, Virginia; 1993; Elite Aerial Development Program (Olympics: 2010, 2014, 2018)
• *Kaila Kuhn, Boyne City, Michigan; 2003; Park City Ski & Snowboard
• *Megan Nick, Shelbourne, Vermont; 1996; Elite Aerial Development Program
• *Winter Vinecki, Gaylord, Michigan; 1998; Park City Ski & Snowboard

Aerials Team – Men

• *Chris Lillis, Pittsford, New York; 1998; Bristol Mountain Freestyle
• Eric Loughran, Pelham, New Hampshire; 1995; Loon Mountain Freestyle (Olympics: 2018)
• *Justin Schoenefeld, Lawrenceburg, Indiana; 1998; Perfect North Slopes

Moguls Team – Women

• *Olivia Giaccio, Redding, Connecticut; 2000; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
• Jaelin Kauf, Alta, Wyoming; 1996; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Olympics: 2018)
• *Kai Owens, Vail, Colorado; 2004; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
• *Hannah Soar, Killington, Vermont; 1999; Killington Mountain School

Moguls Team – Men

• *Cole McDonald, Park City, Utah; 2003; Wasatch Freestyle
• *Nick Page, Park City, Utah; 2002; Wasatch Freestyle
• *Dylan Walczyk, Rochester, New York; 1993; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
• Brad Wilson, Butte, Montana; 1992; Wasatch Freestyle (Olympics: 2014, 2018)