Three Park City athletes win gold in Olympic Freestyle Aerials

Olympic gold medalist Justin Schoenefeld. Photo: Steven Kornreich/U.S. Ski Team @usskiteam // @steven_kornreich

BEIJING — Ashley Caldwell, Chris Lillis, and Justin Schoenefeld, all Parkites, won gold in the Olympic debut of the Mixed Team event for Freestyle Aerial skiing today. For two of the three, Lillis and Schoenfeld, it was their Olympic debut as well. Caldwell captures this gold medal on her fourth trip to the Olympics in Beijing. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A University of Utah student from Virginia, Caldwell trained for 11 years in gymnastics before starting aerials, a sport in which gymnastics-like flips and twists are performed after launching three stories straight up into the air.

Hailing from New York, Lillis has followed in his brother Jon’s Olympic footsteps who competed in aerials in PyeongChang.

Indiana is where Scheonefeld grew up, before now attending Utah Valley University.

This gold medalist team of three is coached in Beijing by gold medalist Eric Bergoust. They’ll have more chances later in this 2022 Olympics to ski their high-flying acrobatics.

No doubt the celebrations for this particular win will be felt tonight at a long-planned, coincidental, Park City community Olympic watch party for which registration is required. It’s being hosted at the Utah Olympic Park, steps away from the summer training pool that’s played such a massive role in the mastery of these athletes’ performances.