Owens Eyes Return to China as Olympian
DENVER (AP) — The jade necklace was a present. These days, it serves as a reminder, and maybe even a symbol of more good things to come.
Amy and Jonathan Owens gave that necklace to their adopted daughter, Kai, years ago. It was one of the gifts they gave every year to Kai, who they adopted when she was around 16 months old. Before that, Kai had been nurtured in an orphanage after being left by her birth parents at a town square in China.
Now 17, the U.S. moguls skier is in the mix to return to China in February, possibly to be discovered again, but this time, in a much different way.
Kai Owens
Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Moguls athlete Kai Owens has made history as the youngest U.S. athlete to compete in a World Cup and win a Nor-Am competition. She also represented her country at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
Kai started skiing early - by two-and-a-half years old, she was already able to navigate moguls on the ski hill. At 14 years old, she became the youngest American to win a Continental Cup competition and in 2021, she was named the World Cups Rookie of the Year.