There are eight Lake Tahoe area skiers and snowboarders who are among the possible medal winners at the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.
Among the participants at PyeongChang will be three gold medal winners from the 2014 Winter Olympics – David Wise, Maddie Bowman and Jamie Anderson.
While the eight Tahoe-Reno athletes made the Winter Games, some prominent names from the region did not. The list includes locals Travis Ganong (torn ACL), Hannah Tweeter (two-time Olympic medalist), Karly Shorr (competed in 2014 Games) and Nate Holland (three-time Olympian).
Here’s a look at the 2018 Olympic skiers and riders.
Jamie Anderson
Local connection: South Lake Tahoe resident
Event: Snowboarding slopestyle/big air
Olympic dates: Feb. 11 (slopestyle); Feb 19, 23 (big air)
About: The Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort product returns to the Winter Olympics to defend her title. Anderson has captured 14 X Games medals, making her one of the most decorated athletes in PyeongChang. Anderson took top honors in slopestyle at the most recent X Games. The win snapped a four-year gold medal drought. She also won bronze in big air, an event that makes its Olympic debut this year.
Jamie Anderson overcame severe conditions to win gold in PyeongChang
Bryce Bennett
Local connection: Born in Squaw Valley; Tahoe City resident
Event: Alpine skiing
Olympic dates: Feb. 11-15, 17-18, 21-24
About: One of two locals making their Olympic debut. Bennett, 25, captured the U.S. downhill title and took 11th in the alpine combined at last year’s World Championships. A Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows product, Bennett is 14th in alpine combined World Cup standings. He’s 18th in downhill and 39th in super-G.
Maddie Bowman
Local connection: South Lake Tahoe resident
Event: Freestyle skiing (ski halfpipe)
Olympic dates: Feb. 18-19
About: Another Sierra-at-Tahoe product, Bowman has been dominant in freestyle skiing halfpipe and was the inaugural gold medal winner in the Sochi Olympics. She has medaled in the past seven X Games, including five golds. Bowman took first last month at the X Games in Aspen, landing back-to-back 900s during her winning run.
Stacey Cook
Local connection: Born in Truckee; lives in Reno
Event: Alpine skiing
Olympic dates: Feb. 11-15, 17-18, 21-24
About: This will be Cook’s fourth and final Olympics. She is a speed specialist with the downhill being her best event – her top Olympic finish was 11th in the downhill in 2010. She is 17th in the World Cup downhill this season. Cook, who trains at Mammoth Mountain, is a three-time World Cup podium finisher. Unlike the freestyle skiers, alpine skiers aren’t guaranteed they will compete in the Olympics. That’s decided in the training times prior to the events.
Mark Engel
Local connection: Truckee resident
Event: Alpine skiing
Olympic dates: Feb. 11-15, 17-18, 21-24
About: This is the first Olympic appearance for Engel. Although a member of the U.S. National team from 2011-13, Engel went to college following a back injury and won the 2014 NCAA giant slalom title while at Utah. Engel has 37 World Cup starts, but only one in a world championship race. Engel, who represents Tahoe Donner Downhill ski resort and also has ties to Sugar Bowl, goes to PyeongChang ranked 49th in the World Cup standings in slalom.
Tim Jitloff
Local connection: Reno resident
Event: Alpine skiing
Olympic dates: Feb. 11-15, 17-18, 21-24
About: He was raised in Reno and attended college there, but now resides in Germany. A giant slalom specialist, the 33-year-old Jitloff placed 15th in the Sochi Games. He also qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics, but was not selected to compete. Jitloff has reached five world championships and held seven U.S. titles. Entering what appears his final Olympics, Jitloff is 36th in this year’s World Cup giant slalom standings.
Brita Sigourney
Local link: Trained at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows
Event: Freestyle skiing (ski halfpipe)
Olympic dates: Feb. 18-19
About: She grew up in Carmel, but was regularly skiing in Lake Tahoe because her parents owned a Lake Tahoe condo. She trained at Alpine Meadows. Sigourney qualified for the 2014 Olympics and finished sixth. She placed second in this year’s X Games behind Bowman and could challenge for the gold in PyeongChang.
David Wise
Local link: Born and raised in Reno
Event: Freestyle skiing (ski halfpipe)
Olympic dates: Feb. 20-21
In short: In horrible weather conditions, Wise captured the gold medal at Sochi in the ski halfpipe’s Olympic debut. He hopes to repeat at PyeongChang, but has been bothered by injuries. Wise has struggled the last two seasons, but appears healthy now and enters the 2018 Winter Olympics as the gold medal favorite.
