By Gavin Kentch
Finally. Earlier Thursday, USSS announced the 16 athletes nominated to this year’s Olympic team for cross-country skiing. They are:
Women
- Jessie Diggins (SMS) (prior Olympic teams: 2014, 2018, 2022)
- Julia Kern (SMS) (2022)
- Rosie Brennan (APU) (2018, 2022)
- Sammy Smith (Sun Valley)
- Novie McCabe (APU) (2022)
- Hailey Swirbul (APU) (2022)
- Lauren Jortberg (Mansfield Pro and CNEPH)
- Kendall Kramer (APU)
Men
- Ben Ogden (SMS) (prior Olympic team: 2022)
- Gus Schumacher (APU) (2022)
- Jack Young (Craftsbury)
- Zak Ketterson (Team Birkie)
- JC Schoonmaker (APU) (2022)
- Hunter Wonders (APU)
- Zanden McMullen (APU)
- John Steel Hagenbuch (Sun Valley)
If you have been reading this site this week, the above list will look familiar. It is what I posted on Monday, and basically what I posted a week ago. I have added Centre National d’Entraînement Pierre-Harvey as an additional team affiliation for Jortberg and have moved Steel Hagenbuch up from “next in line for a spot” to “on the team,” are the only changes here.
Strictly speaking, the athletes listed here have only been nominated to the team. An official announcement will follow next week. I am so psyched for this year’s crew, but I will probably refrain from posting the same list of names for a fourth time next Monday. Nothing personal; I feel like you know by now who’s on the team, and I don’t need to clog your feed.
In a press release, Chris Grover, program director for the national team, said:
“I’m very excited to see what this team can do in Val di Fiemme. Our season started slowly, but we’ve built some important momentum in the last few weeks. We have some athletes who are at the pinnacle of their craft, winning World Cups and showing everyone what is possible for USA cross country. We’ll be medal threats in some key Olympic events, and we’ve assembled the biggest and most experienced support staff in history to support these athletes. Our service team has pushed hard into new areas of ski service, including a homegrown grinding program, and we’ll be ready to compete for medals in February. Please join us in celebrating these amazing athletes!”
Again, hells yeah to all athletes named to the team. See you in Val di Fiemme soon. I will be the guy in the mixed zone with an amazing pink hat.
You’re reading this on Nordic Insights, one man’s labor of love dedicated to publicizing American skiing. We started with nothing and now we’re going to the Olympics. You can read more about our first three years here, and donate to the Olympics fund here. Thank you for consideration, and, especially, for reading.
