Sochi, Russia – After nearly a week of training action swings into top gear today with slopestyle snowboarding and women’s moguls qualification rounds. Hannah Kearney will take the first step towards defending her 2010 gold medal in moguls while in slopestyle snowboarding, Shaun White withdraw Wednesday to focus his attention on a third halfpipe Olympic gold. Veteran Todd Lodwick was honored by his Olympian peers, being named as flag bearer for Team USA as he enters an unprecedented sixth Olympics.
ALPINE
Men and women each open official downhill training Thursday at the Rosa Khutor alpine venue. Women’s start time will be 10 a.m. with Julia Mancuso, Stacey Cook, Leanne Smith, Laurenne Ross and Jackie Wiles entering the starting shack for the U.S. The men will follow at 11:30 a.m. featuring Bode Miller, Travis Ganong, Marco Sullivan, Steven Nyman, Erik Fisher and Jared Goldberg for the U.S. It will be the first glimpse that athletes will get of the competition hill, as thus far they have only been given access to the training slope. Alpine skiing medal events will open with the men’s downhill Sunday and women’s super combined Monday.
CROSS COUNTRY
Cross country training is getting underway today at the Laura Cross Country Ski Center.
FREESKIING
Slopestyle skiing training took place under bluebird skies on Wednesday afternoon. The U.S. team expressed how they felt about the new course and are setting their sights high.
“I love this course!” exclaimed U.S. Freeskiing Team member Gus Kenworthy, of Breckenridge, Colo. “The rails are close together so you have to be on your game throughout the run, the jumps are big and starting to soften up with the weather, but you can expect some crazy runs from our team. It will be great.”
Wednesday was the last day of practice before actual competition begins on the course with the snowboarders today. After complaints from athletes about rider safety on the course, daily tune-ups have been made to both the jumps and rails ahead of competition.
FREESTYLE
Freestyle opens up Thursday evening with women’s qualifying in moguls. Team USA starters will include Hannah Kearney, Heidi Kloser, Heather Mcphie and Eliza Outtrim.
NORDIC COMBINED
The four-athlete U.S. nordic combined team arrives in Russia Thursday, including six time Olympian Todd Lodwick, who was selected by his fellow Olympians as Team USA flag bearer. The Olympic silver medalist and World Champion will lead the American team into the stadium Friday at his record sixth Winter Olympics. No other American has competed in six Winter Games, the most for any athlete worldwide.
“Being nominated to carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony is one of the greatest honors that has ever been bestowed upon me. I couldn¹t be more humbled and excited to be selected among all of the great athletes who were vying for this representation,” said Lodwick, of Steamboat Springs, Colo. “Going into my sixth Olympic Games, it feels like I have already won a medal, and to cap off my career by representing the United States of America and Team USA is truly a privilege.”
SKI JUMPING
Men’s jumping gets underway Thursday, with women beginning this weekend.
SNOWBOARDING
Shaun White withdrew from the slopestyle comp to focus on winning his third gold medal in halfpipe. Rookies and veterans alike told their story at the halfpipe team’s arrival press conference to a packed house at the Gorki Media Center in Krasnaya Polyana on Wednesday. Men’s and women’s slopestyle qualifiers are set for Thursday beginning at 10:00 a.m. U.S. men’s starters include Chas Guldemond, Sage Kotsenburg and Ryan Stassel, while Jamie Anderson, Jessisa Jenson, Karly Schorr and Ty Walker will drop in for the women. Walker, just 16, is a student at the USSA Team Academy.