Park City’s Kevin Bickner lands career-best Olympic finish at Milano Cortina Olympics

Kevin Bickner at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

CORTINA, Italy — Park City’s Kevin Bickner finished eighth at the Milano Cortina Olympics in the Super Team Large Hill event (HS 141), competing alongside teammate Tate Frantz.

It’s the three-time Olympian’s highest result at a Games.

Bickner spoke with TownLift as he cheered on the women of USA ski jump at an event days earlier. During the interview, he was approached by an international super fan who was thankful to get to snap a selfie with him. When asked about his experience in general at these Olympics Bickner told TownLift, “It’s been good, I’m having lot’s of fun.” 

The gold medal went to Austria, silver to Poland, and bronze to Norway. 

Frantz, who’s in his first Olympics and skis for Lake Placid’s New York Ski Education Foundation, told TownLift in the finish area following his mixed team event a few days earlier, “I have nothing but the biggest respect for all the other guys on the team. I’m just super, super grateful for the opportunity to be here.”  

After the first round of the Super Team, the USA team had 255.5 points, putting them in 10th place. Their second round got them headed on an improvement trajectory, landing them in 4th place with 264.7 points. The combined total came to 520.2 which, when the final round had to be cancelled due to inclement weather, making the results of the second round official, ended up with the Americans in 8th place.

In late January, TownLift caught up with now Coach Casey Larson for the Park City Ski & Snowboard Team. The 2018 and 2022 ski jumping Olympian grew up in the same Norge Club in Illinios as Bickner. Both moved to Park City as teenagers. “I love Kevin. He’s one of my best friends, and I’m excited to see him go to his third Games, still striving for goals he set when he was a kid,” said Larson. “I pretty much tried to copy him my entire career in terms of what he was doing, and he’s still out there competing at the highest level and representing the U.S. so well.”