USA Nordic names Ski Jumping Team for Beijing Olympics

USA Nordic athlete Kevin Bickner. Photo: Kevin Bickner

PARK CITY, Utah — USA Nordic announced its nominations for the U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team to represent Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Nominations are to be confirmed by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee when it formally announces the U.S. Olympic Team.

Olympians Kevin Bickner and Casey Larson, live in Park City. Larson works at the Utah Olympic Park. They competed in the Team Event at PyeongChang in 2018, will return to the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Bickner is coming off a first-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Ski Jumping Trials in Lake Placid, New York. In the 2018 Games, Bickner finished 18th in the Normal Hill competition and 20th in the Large Hill competition. Larson was 39th in the Normal Hill competition and 53rd in the Large Hill competition at the 2018 Games. First-time Olympian Patrick Gasienica will join them.

The selection process for ski jumping includes results from domestic and international competitions. The winner of the Olympic Trials event in Lake Placid decided the first spot on the U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team. Additional spots are selected based on athletes’ World Cup and Continental Cup results during the 2021-22 winter qualification period.

2022 U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team:

Kevin Bickner, Wauconda, Ill. (Olympics: 2018)
Casey Larson, Barrington, Ill. (Olympics: 2018)
Patrick Gasienica, Chicago, Ill. (first-time Olympian)

Kevin Bickner said to USA Nordic in a statement, “It’s an honor to be named to my second Olympic team and to represent my country again. I’m really excited about the events in China. It took a lot of hard work to get here but it’s far from over. I want to have the best possible results I can and I’m determined to show up to my events. I’m ready to turn some heads.”

Casey Larson added, “I’m honored to have the chance to go to my second Olympics in Beijing. In 2018, I was a teenager and was really able to soak up the experience, so this time around hopefully I have a better understanding of what to expect. I want to get the best result possible and my jumping is getting to a place to allow me to do that.”

Men’s Ski Jumping Team Director Bine Norcic said, “It wasn’t an easy selection year. As we all know, this competition is our peak, and we are sure the performance of the selected athletes will be at the highest level.”

There will be no U.S. women’s ski jumping team competing in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.