U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Kiernan Fagan earned his second medal of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 with a silver medal in big air. 

"It definitely was an awesome day," said Kiernan. "I'm really stoked to back up my slopestyle gold with another medal in big air! I was super hyped to throw down one of my biggest tricks (triple cork 1440 mute). The energy was really high today and it was amazing to see everyone send it."

Kiernan landed two very technical tricks including a switch double cork 1440 blunt and triple cork 1440 mute. Teammate Hunter Henderson, who joined Kiernan on the podium in slopestyle, just missed the podium, finishing fourth overall. Matej Svancer of the Czech Republic won the event and Orest Kovalenko of Ukraine earned the bronze.

For the women, American Jenna Riccomini, who was selected as Team USA’s flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony, finished in a respectable fifth place ahead of teammate Riley Jacobs in eighth. Chinese freeskier Eileen Gu Ailing edged ahead of Kirst Muir of Great Britain for the gold and Sweden’s Jennie-Lee Burmansson finished in third place.

In snowboard big air, Americans earned three top-ten finishes. U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team members Dusty Henricksen and Ty Schnorrbusch landed in fourth and fifth place respectively. In addition, American Will Healy finished in sixth-place. 

For the men, Japanese riders Kimata Ryoma and teammate Kawakami Aoto won gold and silver respectively. The bronze went to Canada’s Liam Brearley, his third medal of the Games. For the women, Japanese rider Hinari Asanuma won the event, Annika Morgan of Germany earned the silver medal, and Melissa Peperkamp of the Netherlands completed the podium with the bronze. 

Combined, U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team athletes earned a total of six medals in slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air competition at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020. See a complete list of podium results below. 

RESULTS
Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air
Men’s snowboard big air
Women’s snowboard big air

FREESKI & SNOWBOARD MEDALS
Kiernan Fagan: Men’s freeski slopestyle - Gold | Men’s freeski big air - Silver
Hunter Henderson - Men’s freeski slopestyle - Bronze
Hanna Faulhaber - Women’s freeski halfpipe - Bronze
Hunter Carey - Men’s freeski halfpipe - Silver
Dusty Henricksen - Men’s snowboard slopestyle - Gold
 

Fourteen American riders are headed to Big White, Canada, for the third of five FIS Snowboardcross World Cups of the season. The U.S. Snowboardcross Team is still searching for their first podium of the season, but athletes and coaches have high hopes coming out of a very successful training camp in the Canadian Rockies at Sunshine Village in Banff, Alberta.

Our training camp at Sunshine was amazing,” said Snowboardcross Head Coach Peter Foley. “Dave Riley, the COO, has been a long-time, consistent supporter of the U.S. Snowboard Team and he put together a World Cup level course for us to train on. We partnered with the Canadian Team and invited some of the other best teams in the world to come train with us, including the Austrians and the Swiss. We were able to put together practice races and train at a great intensity in preparation for the World Cup at Big White.”

Lindsey Jacobellis, U.S. Snowboardross veteran and the most decorated athlete in snowboardcross history, shared Peter’s thoughts on Sunshine Village Camp. 

“Sunshine camp was a blast,” said Lindsey. “The course was world-class and so were all of the employees that supported the camp. I’m excited to go back next year. We are in good shape and prepared going into the Big White World Cup.”

Joining Lindsey in Big White are U.S. Snowboardcross Pro Team riders Faye Gulini and Rosie Mancari as well as development group riders Stacy Gaskill and Livia Molodyh. For the men, U.S. Snowboardcross Pro Team riders Nick Baumgartner, Alex Deibold, Hagen Kearney, Senna Lieth, Jake Vedder and 2019 double FIS World Champion Mick Dierdorff. In addition, Americans Jonathan Cheever, Cole Johnson, and Paul Kimisky are set to compete. 

Although U.S. riders have yet to find the podium this season, they have been riding very well. Hagen, Jake, and Nick are all ranked in the top-20 of the FIS Cup Standings and Faye and Lindsey are both in the top-10. 

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s snowboardcross
Women’s snowboardcross

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Jan. 25
3:00 p.m. - FIS Snowboardcross World Cup - Big White, British Columbia, Canada - Olympic Channel-TV and NBC Sports Gold.

Sunday, Jan. 26
2:30 pm. - FIS Snowboardcross World Cup - Big White, British Columbia, Canada - Olympic Channel-TV and NBC Sports Gold.

All streams will be available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
 

A deep roster of U.S. Freeski and Snowboard athletes have started to arrive in Aspen, Colo. for the American edition of the 2020 Winter X Games Jan. 23-26 at Buttermilk Mountain. 

With four returning medalists from 2019, the U.S. Freeski Team moves into the season’s apex event with high expectations. Defending slopestyle gold medalist Alex Hall will lead the way coming off what has already been a very successful season. Alex has not only won the last three big air events he’s entered, including 2019 X Games Norway in Oslo, but he’s also secured the FIS Freeski Big Air Crystal Globe. For the women, last year’s slopestyle bronze medalist Maggie Voisin is making her competition debut back from a long injury recovery process. 

“X Games is the pinnacle of action sports and it’s always an honor to be apart of,” said Maggie. “When I decided in April to get my left ACL repaired, I had one goal in mind and it was to make it back in time to compete for X Games. My doctor reassured me that there was no reason why I couldn’t be back this year to compete and I let that be one of my core motivations in rehab. It’s crazy to think that nine months have already gone by since I was in the operating room and I’m extremely grateful to be back in Aspen competing for the first time this season. I’ve only been skiing park for about two months now, but with that being said, I’ve been skiing well. I’ve got a new fire inside me and I’m looking forward to my comeback!”

Joining Maggie and Alex from the U.S. Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air Team are teammates Colby Stevenson, two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper, and American Quinn Wolfermann. 

In halfpipe, returning 2019 gold medalist Alex Ferreira will see if he can defend his title in front of his hometown crowd. Joining Alex is last year’s silver medalist and double Olympic gold medalist David Wise, Lyman Currier, Hunter Hess, Jaxin Hoerter, Birk Irving, Taylor Seaton, Brita Sigourney, and two-time defending FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck. Also competing from the U.S. Freeski Team is Torin Yater-Wallace, back from a devastating injury at last year’s Dew Tour. However, you won’t find Torin in the pipe or on the slope course, but rather participating in the first-ever freeski knuckle huck event. Snowboard knuckle huck’s debut in 2019 quickly became a crowd favorite, so expect Torin and the freeskiers to carry on with this new display of style and creativity. 

On the snowboard side, U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member and double Olympic slopestyle gold medalist Jamie Anderson will lead the way for the U.S. With 16 X Games medals (5 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze in Slopestyle, and 2 bronze in Big Air), she owns the most snowboard medals (16) of any woman in X Games history and sits at number three for most medals among all snowboarders, behind Shaun White (18) and Mark McMorris (17). 

Joining Jamie from the U.S. Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air Team is returning 2019 slopestyle silver medalist Hailey Langland, Julia Marino, Lyon Farrell, Red Gerard, Chris Corning, Judd Henkes, Luke Winkelmann, Kyle Mack, and American and U.S. Snowboard Alumnus Brandon Davis. 

“To be here at X Games is such an honor,” said Kyle. “It’s such a fun time of the year and to be able to see everyone in such a cool environment is always great. Not to mention, coming to the biggest contest of the season is always something special.”

In halfpipe, U.S. Snowboard Team members Chase Blackwell, Chase Josey, Toby Miller, Jake Pates, Ryan Wachendorfer, Lucas Foster, Jake Canter, Taylor Gold, as well as Americans Danny Davis, Ben Ferguson, and Josh Bowman are set to compete for the men. Taylor is coming hot off a third-place finish at the 2020 Laax Open where he landed the first-ever Double Michaelchuck 1080 in snowboard halfpipe competition. 

Olympic bronze medalist and Taylor’s sister, Arielle Gold, will be dropping into the pipe with teammate Maddie Mastro. The pristine pipe at Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain will likely be an important element to Maddie attempting to put down her signature double crippler which won her the 2019 Burton U.S. Open. Although she has not yet landed it in competition this season, expect her to be looking to put this groundbreaking trick to her feet at X Games. 

"I'm really excited to be back under the lights competing at X Games," said Maddie. "I can't wait to see what I'm able to do out there."

You will not want to miss what is considered the premier freeski and snowboard event of the winter at the 2020 Winter X Games Aspen. Tune into ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2 for more than 15 hours of live coverage. 

For more details on the athletes, schedule and more visit www.xgames.com.

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Thursday, Jan. 23
1:00 p.m. - Men’s Ski Big Air Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
9:30 p.m. - Ski Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Ski Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 24
2:00 p.m. - Men’s Ski Slopestyle Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:00 p.m. - Women’s Ski Big Air Finals- Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:00 p.m. - Men’s Ski SuperPipe Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Men’s Ski Big Air Finals- Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
10:35 p.m. - Women’s Ski Big Air Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan. 25
1:00 p.m. - Men’s Ski Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Women’s Ski SuperPipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s Ski SuperPipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 26
2:00 p.m. - Women’s Ski Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2
8:30 p.m. - Men’s Ski Superpipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

SNOWBOARD
Wednesday, Jan. 22
9:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames

Thursday, Jan. 23
1:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
10:00 p.m. - Women’s Snowboard Big Air Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 24
2:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard Big Air Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Snowboard SuperPipe Session - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan. 25
1:00 p.m. - Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
10:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard Big Air Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
10:00 p.m. - Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 26
2:00 p.m. - Snowboard Rail Jam - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2
8:30 p.m. - Snowboard Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
 

Coming off a strong finish at the FIS World cup in Laax, Switzerland, U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Dusty Henricksen proved he’s on a roll and took home the gold in snowboard slopestyle at Leysin Park & Pipe during the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020. Dusty took a commanding lead with a score of 96.33, 11 points ahead of Canada’s Liam Brearley, who earned silver. Switzerland’s Nick Puenter rounded out the podium with the bronze.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said Dusty. “It’s been such a crazy experience since I arrived in Lausanne and I’m super stoked to be representing Team USA. I’m super grateful to have this once in a lifetime experience competing out here and hyped to walk away with the gold. I honestly couldn’t ask for more.”

Teammate Jack Coyne had a solid top-ten finish landing in eighth place.

In women’s slopestyle Ty Schnorrbush led Team USA into sixth place followed by teammate Courtney Rummel in seventh. Belgium’s Evy Poppe took the gold followed by Netherland’s Melissa Peperkemp with silver and Switzerland’s Bianca Gisler earned the bronze.

U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Tessa Maud finished just shy of the podium during Monday’s halfpipe competition. She earned fourth place behind Switzerland’s Bernice Wicki in third, Manon Kaji in second and Mitsuki Ono in first for Japan. For the men, Jack, who was pulling double duty in slopestyle and halfpipe, earned another top-ten result with a solid fifth-place finish. 

Snowboard competition will continue in Lausanne, Switzerland, with men's and women's big air finals on Wednesday. 

RESULTS
Men's snowboard slopestyle
Women's snowboard slopestyle
Men's snowboard halfpipe
Women's snowboard halfpipe
 

It was a successful few days for the freeskiers of Team USA at Leysin Park & Pipe during the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 with U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Kiernan Fagan earning slopestyle gold and teammate Hunter Henderson snagging the bronze. Sweden’s Melvin Moren skied his way to the silver medal. Kiernan had a strong run right out of the gate earning first with a score of 87.33 in his first run of finals. That confidence carried over into his second run where he nailed a clean line and secured the top spot.

“To walk away with a gold medal at an event we won’t have another shot at was one of the greatest moments,” said Kiernan. “To have my mom out here and friends supporting me definitely played a part in me winning the gold. Having my teammate Hunter Henderson right behind me in third place was one of the coolest things.”

Sharing the podium was a special moment for both Kiernan and Hunter who have been skiing together and pushing each other since childhood. After a rough first run, Hunter was able to bounce back into third place with a score of 88.66 on his second run.

“Representing Team USA in an Olympic event has been a dream of mine ever since I was in grade school,” said Hunter. “Coming out to Youth Olympic Games and walking away with a medal is the best feeling in the world."

That winning momentum carried into the next day’s halfpipe competition for Team USA with U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Hanna Faulhaber taking bronze behind China’s Fanghui Li earning silver and Eileen Gu Ailing taking the top spot with the gold.

“I tried to treat it like every other competition, but I definitely was a little nervous,” said Hanna. “I quickly realized the scope of the event and how big the Youth Olympics Games really is when I arrived. It’s a much different atmosphere than a World Cup and it’s really special to compete with athletes from all over the world who are representing their nation. I’m extremely happy with my results and hope to carry momentum into the Mammoth Grand Prix and the rest of my competition season.”

Meanwhile, on the men’s side, U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Hunter Carey took the silver behind Canada’s Andrew Longino and ahead of New Zealand’s Luca Harrington in third.

"The last Youth Olympic Games was four years ago, and my friend from Winter Park, Birk Irving, was in it," said Hunter. "He got first place, which was insane. Everyone was hyped in Winter Park. To come back four years later and take a medal home to Winter Park is super cool. Going into finals, I was going to do a more mellow run [for the first run] just to get points on the board, but I figured points don't matter unless it's 'go big or go home'. I threw down one of my hardest runs first, landed really well, got a decent score so I was feeling confident. I went back up, did the same run - but did it better - so that went really well. I was going to try to step it up on the last run to hopefully take over the top, but it just didn't go to plan, but I'm still stoked. It honestly feels amazing. Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be on the U.S. team. Coming here and getting second place for the U.S. is really nice."

Freeski competition will continue in Lausanne, Switzerland with men's and women's big air finals on Wednesday. 

RESULTS
Men's freeski slopestyle
Women's freeski slopestyle
Men's freeski halfpipe
Women's freeski halfpipe
 

Kendall Kramer and Will Koch led Team USA, each skiing to Youth Olympic Winter Games bronze medals in their respective classic events Tuesday in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

"Winning a medal feels absolutely amazing, particularly after getting fourth place earlier in the week," Will said. "My dad was out on the hardest part of the course cheering me on and giving me splits, so I knew for the entire race that I would need to fight for each second if I wanted to get onto the podium."

In the women’s 5k classic, Kendall skied to the biggest accomplishment of her young career, finishing 20-seconds off the gold-medal time set by Sweden’s Maerta Rosenberg (14:15), and 12 seconds back from the silver-medal time of Siri Wigger (14:28). Sydney Palmer-Leger just missed the medals by a few seconds, finishing fourth. Nina Seemann was 35th.

In the 10k classic men’s race, Koch took the bronze with a time of 27 minutes, 29 seconds. Russia’s Lliya Tregubov won the gold with a time of 26:40, and Elias Keck grabbed the silver medal with a time of 27:25. Brian Bushey was 13th, and Kai Mittelsteadt was 48th.

"I was in a podium position for nearly the entire race,"  Will said. "But then, with one kilometer left, I moved into fourth place. In the last couple of minutes, I skied harder than I have ever skied in my life and secured the bronze by three seconds."

Up next, the Youth Olympic Winter Games wrap up for cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined with a mixed team Nordic event on Wednesday.

RESULTS
Women’s 5k classic
Men’s 10k classic
 

Maddie Bowman, a seven-year member of the U.S. Freeski Team, announced her retirement from competitive halfpipe freeskiing today. The South Lake Tahoe local is one of the most decorated athletes in her sport and leaves behind a lasting legacy of triumph, perseverance, and progression. 

“I have decided to step away from halfpipe skiing for a simple reason,” said Maddie. “I have given everything I have to progress the sport and now I know the women after me will do an amazing job. I would not have been able to be so successful or give the sport so much without the support of my sponsors and U.S. Ski and Snowboard. I also wouldn't have been so prepared to make this huge decision without them. The team and the halfpipe community has raised me into a woman with a voice, with passions both inside and outside of sport, and who knows when it's time to walk away. However, I will be a skier for the rest of my life. Skiing is my passion and I will be following it this season to Chamonix, France, where I will explore the backcountry and the big mountain side of things. Thank you all so much for your support as a halfpipe skier and into my lifetime career of being a skier and educator.”

Maddie’s accolades in halfpipe skiing are countless, and a few stand-out moments will be cemented in the history books. Maddie won the first Olympic gold medal in the history of women’s halfpipe freeskiing at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. With the world watching, she put a beautiful representation of her sport on display. In 2018, Maddie made her second and final Olympic Team and finished 11th. However, she showed her true colors as she watched her teammate and friend Brita Sigourney step onto the podium to receive the bronze medal. Although Maddie would have loved to have been on the podium herself, being the fierce competitor and friend she is, she was one of the first people to greet Brita with tears of congratulations. This was one of many moments throughout her career that Maddie’s role as a supportive teammate and leader became clear. It was always about the sport and not the individual to Maddie. 

On the FIS World Cup circuit, Maddie continued to prove she was at the top of her sport earning nine podiums, five of which were victories. At X Games, Maddie was the second skier ever to win four-straight gold medals in Aspen, Colo. She’s collected a whopping nine total X Games medals throughout her career (five gold, two silver, and two bronze). She is also a three-time (2013, 2014, and 2016) Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) halfpipe champion. Maddie has always focused on pushing the sport including landing back-to-back 900’s and the switch 900 at the highest level of competition. Throughout her career, her determination and discipline have allowed her to overcome season-ending injuries and come back stronger than ever.

“Maddie has had such a huge impact on the sport and the U.S. Freeski program overall,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freeski and Snowboard Director Jeremy Forster. “Her competitive results stand on their own. Although, Maddie has done as much away from competition as a teammate, mentor, role model, and representative of the sport to establish her legacy. We look forward to working with Maddie as she takes this next step.” 

Maddie’s status as a role model is unquestionable. She has focused on increasing women’s participation in sport, combatting climate change, pursuing a college education, and even pushing her own limits stepping into the backcountry. Due to her undeniable success, she’s also been at the center of criticism as it relates to the pace of progression in women’s freeskiing. Her reaction and grace throughout these difficult times may actually be her most impressive career accomplishment. She never responded with malice, but rather through her actions, continuing to advance the boundaries of the sport. She even created her own event called “Recess”, where she provided a fun, stress-free environment for women to ski and progress.

Moving forward, Maddie will continue to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in biology at Sierra Nevada College with the ultimate goal of becoming a high school science teacher. Maddie plans to carry on with public speaking, telling her story and sharing her experiences to inspire others. Also, Maddie looks forward to enjoying the outdoors, whether it’s mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, or venturing more into the world of backcountry skiing.  

“Maddie has been a huge influence, not only to me, but to the entire sport of women’s halfpipe skiing,” said 2018 Olympic halfpipe bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. “She led us to where we are now with her constant progression of technical tricks years ahead of the rest of the game. She was a fierce competitor and always fun to watch, even when she was beating me at every contest and dominating the scene for so many years in a row. But Maddie has always been more than just my competition. She is my ‘little sister’, my powder-skiing-sidekick, my travel buddy, and my loyal friend. I know she will go on to accomplish even bigger things.”

Maddie has come a long way since her parents started her on skis on her second birthday on a small slope behind Sierra-At-Tahoe’s lodge, the mountain she still represents today. The journey isn’t over for Maddie and we look forward to her new adventures. If the past is any representation, Maddie will move forward to thrive with the same spirit that’s brought her so much success and made her the freeskiing icon she is today. 

For all media and public speaking engagements, please contact Maddie via her agent Tom Yaps (tom@emmllc.com) with Evolution Management.
 

The men finished out the weekend in Wengen, Switzerland with a slalom on one of the trickiest tracks on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit. The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men had a tough day, with no Americans qualifying for a second run.

Clement Noel of France started first and never gave up the lead, taking another win on the track where he had his first World Cup victory last season. Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway finished second—his third World Cup slalom second-place result in a row—and Alexander Khoroshilov of Russia was back on the podium in third.

Starting bib 44, the light turned green in the first split for Luke Winters, showing an early lead for the young skier who has had a number of impressive moments so far this season. But he struggled over the pitch—getting low on his line before straddling and DNFing.

“I was happy with how I went out of the gate,” said Luke. “Especially with my second run at Adelboden—not really pushing like I needed to—I thought I did that today. But I didn’t change gears coming over the pitch and lost it from there down. That said, I’m happy with it. It’s my first time on the hill—there’s a lot to learn here.”

Wengen is a difficult track with all kinds of terrain changes including steep pitches, rolls, side hills, and flats, making it difficult to find a rhythm. The fact that Luke was leading at the first split on his first attempt on the hill is a promising threat of future success. “I know I’m fast. I know I can ski well and keep up with those guys,” said Luke. “I just have to find that gear. There are things I learned today—like coming over that pitch: You gotta change gears. You’re not going to win it on the pitch because it’s so steep… I tried to bring the intensity on the pitch and didn’t need to.”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team slalom coach Ryan Wilson agreed with Luke. “Green light again and then Luke went out, but we are happy with his fast skiing and setup,” Ryan commented. “We are in great spirits, as he was fast as heck before he went out.”

Ben Ritchie finished the first run, but had a few mistakes and did not qualify for a second. Kyle Negomir and River Radamus did not finish their first runs.

The men’s slalom team is heading to the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team's official training base in Folgaria, Italy for a few days of training before attacking the two wildest slaloms on the tour: Kitzbuehel and Schladming. And these young guys are excited to see the culture at the two storied races.

“I’m looking forward to the scene,” said Luke of Kitzbuehel. “I think it’s going to be crazier than anything I’ve done so far in my ski racing career, so that’s going to be exciting. But also the track—it’s so crazy and so many rolls. My family is coming and there’s going to be a lot of people there supporting me and watching me.”

The men’s speed team starts downhill training at Kitzbuehel on Tuesday with a super-G kicking off the races on Friday. The slalom takes place on Sunday.

RESULTS
Men’s Slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Slalom

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Official event hashtag: #lauberhorn

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 19
5:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBC**
9:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

The parallel giant slalom made its debut on the women's FIS Ski World Cup circuit today in Sestriere, Italy, where current overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin extended her lead in the overall despite landing in ninth, and Nina O’Brien finished a career-best 11th place. 

Mikaela had the fastest time in the morning’s parallel giant slalom qualifier, followed by Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova. Nina had the ninth-fastest qualifier time heading into the race. After the qualifier, all indications were leading to a battle between Mikaela, Wendy and Petra. However, in an unexpected turn of events, all three of the favorites were beaten—Petra in the 1/16 final to Swiss Aline Danioth, and then Mikaela and Wendy both in the 1/8 finals. 

France’s Clara Direz—who beat Mikaela in the 1/8 final, skied fast and strong all day, going on to snag her first World Cup podium and victory, while Austria’s Eliza Moerzinger was second, and Italy’s Marta Bassino rounded out the podium in third. Three Italians were in the top five, with Marta Bassino beating teammate Federica Brignone in the small final and Sofia Goggia finishing fifth. 

The results stirred up some controversy about the fairness of the event, with social media erupting after the race and fans expressing frustration with not only the fairness of the event but the change in event format as well. In parallel races in past seasons, the qualification run results did not carry through to the round of 32. Once athletes qualified, they were seeded according to World Cup Start List (WCSL) ranking. Then, the better-ranked skier got to pick their course for each single-run (or knockout) round. In City Event parallel races, there were two runs in each round, rather than this knockout round format. 

Though she said it’s unbelievable and was excited to win the first-ever parallel giant slalom on the calendar, Saturday’s victor Clara admitted she is not sure how fair the event really is. “I don’t know if it’s really really fair or not,” she said. I’ve been lucky today because I was always on the blue course for the last runs, so I’ve been a little bit lucky. So I won’t complain about that. I’m pretty happy about winning today my first World Cups, so I won’t say something bad about that, but yeah.” 

In all single-elimination heats, only three skiers ever won from the red course, while 17 won on the blue course. Additionally, in the quarterfinals, one out of eight women (Sofia) won on the red course. In the round of 32, Mikaela was .42 seconds faster on the blue course, Wendy .32 seconds faster on the blue course, and Federica .38 faster on the blue course. Never one to complain and always diplomatic, Mikaela said she likes the event and thinks it has potential for viewers and TV, but admitted it could use some refinement. 

“This is the first parallel GS we’ve had, and it is fun—I think I like the parallel GS more than the parallel slalom, but it’s a little bit difficult,” she explained after Saturday’s race. “There’s still a lot of work we have to do, and FIS has to do, to really make the race as even as it can be…there’s always a faster course, but today it’s like they’re not even the same course at all. Especially in the last four or five gates on the blue course, you can even see just looking up the hill, that it’s straighter than the red course.”

Mikaela continued, “I don’t normally talk about luck playing a role in the results, even yesterday being .01 out, I feel like that was in my control, especially in the first run. But today I would say it’s a day where luck really plays a role so you just have to take it and be OK…all in all, it is fun and I think people like to watch it—it’s just a work in progress to make the event the best it can be. This event is still in its infancy, it is fun and I see the appeal and excitement, but it’s just how it is. I wasn’t the one to make the red course work today, but there are a couple of girls who are doing that really well, so they’re going to have a really nice race.”

Nina skied strong in the qualification Saturday morning, and carried the strong skiing through to the race, scoring a career-best 11th place. In the first qualification run, Nina was second behind Mikaela, by just .05 seconds. Despite the fact that Austria’s Katharina Huber was ahead after the first run in the round of 32, Nina kept her wits about her and ended up moving onward to qualify for the 1/8 finals. Tina Robnik of Slovenia beat Nina by just .01 seconds in the 1/8 final and did not move forward to the quarterfinals. “I’m really happy to be leaving Sestriere with an 11th place and personal best,” she said after the race.” It felt really good to put some of my best skiing out there today. I love the competitive aspect of parallel, and I finally felt like I rose to the challenge today. It’s always a little tough to lose by one hundredth, but I left it all on the hill and I’m happy with my skiing.” 

Keely Cashman and AJ Hurt also started but did not qualify for the round of 32. AJ Hurt finished the qualification round just outside of the 32. Mikaela maintains, and in fact extends her lead slightly in the overall standings, with 975 points to Petra’s 726. Federica closed the gap in third to a mere 15 points, with 715 points. 

Up next for the women is a speed series in Bansko, Bulgaria, including two downhill races—including a rescheduled race from Val d’Isere, France—and one super-G. Mikaela is planning to head to Bansko for the series, “I’m excited...I’ve never been to Bansko. It sounds like it’s a fairly technical slope, so it should be really fun, and I’m looking forward to it. 

RESULTS
Women's Parallel Giant Slalom
Full Results (including qualification and add’l rounds)

STANDINGS
Parallel
Overall

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HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 19
5:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBC**
8:00 p.m. - Women’s parallel giant slalom, Sestriere, ITA - NBCSN*
9:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

Jessie Diggins once again lead the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in Sunday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup 10k classic pursuit in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, finishing in 10th. Rosie Brennan was 13th and Sadie Maubet Bjornsen was 20th.

“Today was a much better day for me,” said Rosie, who finished 17th in Saturday’s 10k freestyle. “I had much better energy and really enjoyed skiing today...I feel good that my energy is coming around after the (Tour de Ski) and things are headed in a good direction.”

Saturday’s course conditions were soft and sugary. However, Brennan noted that the course conditions Sunday were much improved. “The snow held up a little better today so it wasn't quite as tricky as yesterday and I was thankful for that,” she said. 

Norway’s Therese Johaug, who also won Saturday’s race, skied to victory again Sunday. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva was second for the second-straight day, and Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg rounded out the podium in third. Julia Kern was 32nd, Caitlin Patterson was 44th and Alayna Sonnesyn was 51st.

Coming off the Tour de Ski earlier this month, a number of athletes came out of the nine-day event with a bump in fitness. But some, including Sadie, was one of the unfortunate ones to also catch a post-tour cold. 

"Recovering from the tour is a challenge of its own," Saide said. "Balancing the excitement of the experience with the fatigue is never easy. I managed to catch a cold post-tour, and thought I had done a good enough job of resting, but I think I got a hair excited, which left me feeling flatter than I would have hoped (in Saturday's 0k freestyle). That combined with challenging conditions made for a perfect storm of imperfection yesterday."

In the men’s 15k classic pursuit, David Norris was the top American in 30th. Ian Torchia finished 64th.

Up next, the FIS Cross Country World Cup moves to Oberstdorf, Germany, for a skiathlon Saturday, Jan. 25, and classic sprint Sunday, Jan. 26. 

"My plan is to take a bit more rest, and then just participate in the sprint race next weekend in Obertsdorf, Germany," Sadie said. "When you love racing as much as I do, it can be easy to just keep charging on, and forget to plan ahead. There is another tour event coming in hot, so I will take this opportunity to make sure I am fully recovered, and stronger than ever coming into the next period of racing."

RESULTS
Women’s 10k classic pursuit
Men’s 15k classic pursuit

Overall World Cup Standings
Women
Men

Distance World Cup Standings
Women
Men