Meet the 24 Coloradans Competing in the Winter Olympics

Colorado has no shortage of world-class athletes. Case in point: Our state boasts the second largest contingent of  Team USA competitors in the 2022 Winter Olympics (February 4 to 20), with 24 Centennial Staters slated to participate. (California is sending 29 athletes.)

Ahead of the Opening Ceremony this Friday, we rounded up details on our state’s star-studded roster. Here, a look at the Colorado-grown talent that will take to the slopes and ice this month for their shot at Olympic hardware.

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Alpine Skiing

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Mikaela Shiffrin
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Hometown: Edwards
A two-time Olympic champion and one of the greatest Alpine skiers of all time, 26-year-old Shiffrin has already etched her name deep in the history books. Among her many achievements: Becoming the most decorated American athlete in Alpine World Ski Championships history in 2021; becoming the first skier–male or female–to win gold medals at five straight World Cup races (also in 2021); and, most recently, earning the title of winningest slalom skier of all time in January 2022. In 2020, Shiffrin and her family started the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund in honor of her late father. The fund raised more than $3 million for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes.

Nina O’Brien
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Hometown: Denver
An eight-time national champion, O’Brien had the best season of her career in 2020–2021, nabbing ninth in slalom and a top-10 in the giant slalom at the World Championships. The 24-year-old, a first-time Olympian, is currently studying Economics and German at Dartmouth College.

River Radamus
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Hometown: Edwards
Raised near the slopes in Beaver Creek, Radamus made his international debut at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, where he netted three golds. In the time since, he’s added two Junior World Championship gold medals to his collection. The Olympic newcomer, who will turn 24 during the Games, is now in the process of creating a foundation to make the sport of ski racing more accessible and affordable for interested athletes.

Cross-Country Skiing

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Hailey Swirbul
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Hometown: El Jebel
Another Olympic first-timer, Swirbul earned a spot atop her first World Cup podium in 2020 when she nabbed third in a 10K freestyle in Davos, Switzerland. The 23-year-old, who took home a bronze relay medal at the Junior World Championships in 2017, is involved with the Women Ski Coaches Association, which tackles the wage gap between male and female coaches.

Figure Skating

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Brandon Frazier
Sport: Figure Skating
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Twenty-nine-year-old Frazier will compete in pair figure skating with his Illinois-based partner, Alexis Kneirim. The duo was the top scoring U.S. pair’s team at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, where they finished seventh overall. Beijing marks Frazier’s Olympic debut.

Freestyle/Freeski

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Aaron Blunck
Sport: Freestyle/Freeski
Hometown: Crested Butte
Blunck, 25, first hit the slopes as an 18-month-old at Crested Butte Ski School. He started entering competitions at age eight, and by 15, ​​won a bronze medal at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. Now a two-time Olympian, X Games Champion, and World Cup Champion, Blunck will take on the halfpipe in Beijing.

Hanna Faulhaber
Sport: Freestyle/Freeski
Hometown: Basalt
Growing up watching the X Games in her hometown inspired Faulhaber to ski halfpipe. Last year, the 17-year-old finished fourth at the FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Aspen. Most recently, Faulhaber won bronze in halfpipe at the 2021 Dew Tour, followed by her X Games debut in January 2022, where she clinched bronze in halfpipe. Beijing will mark her Olympic debut.

Alex Ferreira
Sport: Freestyle/Freeski
Hometown: Aspen
The 2018 Olympic silver medalist in halfpipe, Ferreira recently nabbed gold in both the 2021 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the 2021 Dew Tour. Ferreira, 27, first hit the slopes as a three-year-old in Aspen. In addition to skiing, the two-time X Games gold medalist is also passionate about the anti-bullying Shred Hate initiative.

Birk Irving
Sport: Freestyle/Freeski
Hometown: Winter Park
A child skiing prodigy, 22-year-old Irving landed his first 360 (meaning, he rotated 360 degrees while in the air) at age five and nabbed his first sponsor at age seven. In 2016, he clinched gold at the 2016 Youth Olympics. Beijing is his first Olympics; he’ll compete in men’s freeski halfpipe.

Kai Owens
Sport: Freestyle/Freeski
Hometown: Vail
At 14, Owens made history as the youngest American to win a NorAm Moguls competition. She also stands as the youngest American mogul skier to start in a World Cup and was named the World Cup Rookie of the Year in 2021. Now 17, Owens will compete in her first Olympics. Earlier this week, Owens crashed during a training run in Beijing. As a result, she did not participate in the opening qualifying round Thursday night but will look to compete in the second qualifying round Sunday, per the Vail Daily.

Dylan Walczyk
Sport: Freestyle/Freeski
Hometown: Blue River
Breckenridge-based Walczyk qualified for the Beijing Games as an independent skier after he was not named to the U.S. Ski Team last fall. The 28-year-old, who will compete in men’s moguls as an Olympic first-timer, was the highest ranked American mogul skier in the 2020 Freestyle World Cup standings. Making the cut for Beijing fulfills a long-held dream for Walczyk. “It’s 20 years of super hard work—a lifetime goal achievement,” he told the Vail Daily.

Ice Hockey

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Nicholas Shore
Sport: Ice Hockey
Hometown: Denver
A forward who currently plays for Russian pro hockey team Sibir Novosibirsk, Shore was named to the 2022 U.S. Olympic team in January after the National Hockey League (NHL) announced it would not compete in the Beijing Games because of COVID-19. Shore, who played collegiately for the University of Denver, formerly competed in the NHL, where he was first drafted in 2011 by the Los Angeles Kings. Beijing will be the 29-year-old’s first Olympics.

Nicole Hensley
Sport: Ice Hockey
Hometown: Lakewood
Hensley already owns Olympic gold–she played on the U.S. Team that won the women’s hockey tournament at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. The 27-year-old is also a three-time World Championship medalist (two golds, one silver). Athletics aren’t her only strong suit: While at Lindenwood University in Missouri, she maintained one of the highest GPAs among NCAA athletes and earned the Presidential NCAA Award.

Nordic Combined

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Jasper Good
Sport: Nordic Combined
Hometown: Steamboat Springs
Good, 25, made his Olympic debut at the 2018 Games. He’s currently a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, which allows top-ranked soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving in the military. Fun fact: Good started out as a freeskier, but at age nine, discovered the sport of Nordic combined, which blends ski jumping and cross country skiing.

Taylor Fletcher
Sport: Nordic Combined
Hometown: Steamboat Springs
A member of the U.S. National Nordic Combined team since 2009, Fletcher is a two-time World Cup medalist and World Championship medalist. Known affectionately as “Old Man” by his teammates, 31-year-old Fletcher will compete in his fourth Olympic Games in Beijing.

Snowboarding

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Chris Corning
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Avon
Corning burst onto the Olympic scene at the 2018 Games, where he just missed the podium with a fourth place finish in big air. Now 22, Corning started snowboarding at the age of seven and won his first World Cup at 15. In Beijing, he’ll compete in both big air and slopestyle.

Mick Dierdorff
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Steamboat Springs
A member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team for nearly a decade, Dierdorff qualified for his first Olympic Team with the 2018 Games, where he finished fifth in snowboardcross. In 2019, he became the first U.S. competitor to medal in that year’s FIS Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships. When he’s not training, 30-year-old Dierdorff frames houses for a living.

Lucas Foster
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Telluride
Foster, an Olympic first-timer, spent much of his career riding slopestyle, but will be competing in halfpipe in Beijing. Last month, the 22-year-old was the top American finisher and fourth finisher overall in halfpipe at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Mammoth Mountain, California. In his free time, Foster coaches skateboarding.

Stacy Gaskill
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Golden
Born and raised in Colorado, Gaskill started skiing at age two, then learned to snowboard at age eight. Now 21, Gaskill has two top-10 World Championship finishes under her belt, plus 51 World Cup starts. She’ll make her Olympic debut at the Beijing Games in snowboardcross. When she’s not on the slopes, Gaskill plays ultimate frisbee for the University of Colorado.

Red Gerard
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Silverthorne
Gerard made history at the 2018 Winter Olympics when he clinched gold in men’s snowboard slopestyle, becoming the sport’s youngest ever Olympic gold medalist at 17. He also placed fifth in big air. Last month, at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Gerard finished first in slopestyle, proving he’s a strong contender for a repeat performance in Beijing, where he’ll compete in both slopestyle and big air again. Olympic hype aside, 21-year-old Gerard is also known for Red’s Backyard, a free hikeable terrain park he helped create at Copper Mountain.

Taylor Gold
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Steamboat Springs
Gold credits the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics for sparking his interest in snowboard competitions. Just 12 years later, he made his first Olympic Team. After competing at the 2014 Sochi Games, Gold went onto nab two World Cup wins and one X Games podium. Now 28, he will compete in halfpipe in Beijing.

Hagen Kearney
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Norwood
A family ski trip to Telluride in 2000 inspired Kearney’s passion for snow. The 30-year-old Olympic veteran won his first World Cup in 2016, nabbed a World Championship medal in 2017, and made his first Olympic team in 2018. He’ll compete in snowboardcross in Beijing. When he’s not on the slopes, Kearney plays the drums and guitar in a metal band.

Meghan Tierney
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Eagle
Tierney overcame a broken back to qualify and compete in the 2018 Olympic Games, where she finished 17th in snowboardcross. This Olympic cycle, 25-year-old Tierney once again battled bad luck as a case of COVID-19 prevented her from attending the final Olympic tryout qualifier in early January. Just a few weeks later, though, Tierney was named to the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team. Her performances earlier this season, including a sixth place finish at the World Cup in Cervinia, were strong enough to secure her spot in Beijing.

Cody Winters
Sport: Snowboarding
Hometown: Steamboat Springs
Twenty-one-year-old Winters, an Alpine snowboarder, will compete in his first Olympics in Beijing. He’ll participate in parallel giant slalom, an event he’s recently made huge improvements in, though his best event remains slalom. Making the 2022 Olympic Team fulfills a long-held dream for Winters. “It seemed like an infinitely far away goal, but I just kept doing what I loved and chasing what brought me happiness,” he recently wrote on Instagram.

Where to watch: Check the full NBC Networks TV schedule, so you can catch all the action.

Editors’ note 2/3/22: This article was updated to include skier Kai Owens, who is from Vail. We regret the omission.