Lindsey Vonn, Chloe Kim, Mikaela Shiffrin headline US ski and snowboard squad named to the Olympics

Lindsey Vonn’s stirring return to ski racing in her 40s will hit its crescendo at the Milan Cortina Olympics, while the comeback quest of another U.S. gold medalist, snowboarder Jamie Anderson, came up short.

Anderson, a two-time champion in slopestyle who returned to the sport after having two kids, failed to reach a podium this season and will not join the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team in the mountains of Italy.

Mikaela Shiffrin made her fourth Olympic team, while snowboarder Chloe Kim is trying to make it three gold medals at three Olympics — though her health is in question after hurting her shoulder in training earlier this month.

They’re the headliners as U.S. Ski and Snowboard named its 97-person roster on Thursday. It contained few surprises, since virtually all the spots were determined based on results over the last two years.

The 41-year-old Vonn, Kim and Shiffrin, who have five Olympic gold medals between them, lead a roster that is short in experience. There are 48 first-time Olympians.

In all, there are 50 women and 47 men, ranging in ages from 15 (halfpipe freestyle skier Abby Winterberger) to 44 (snowboardcross rider Nick Baumgartner, at his fifth Olympics, and defending champion in the mixed event). The team is slated to be officially announced on Monday.

The skiers and snowboarders brought home 15 of the United States’ 25 medals at the Beijing Games four years ago. They’ll make up almost half of the entire contingent the U.S. brings to Milan Cortina.

“I am confident about the impact they will make in Italy,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said. “More than the results, our athletes are also bringing some of the most captivating story lines to Milano Cortina.”

Vonn returned last season after a partial knee replacement and quickly began to show the form that made her a four-time overall World Cup champion. She’s won two World Cup downhill races this season — to bring her career total to 84 — and will be a favorite in both speed events in Cortina. She may even pair with Shiffrin as the team combined event makes its Olympic debut.

Shiffrin is trying to bounce back after going 0 for 6 in her bid to win a medal four years ago. She captured gold in the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games and gold in giant slalom four years later in South Korea. She’s locked in this season in the slalom, winning six races.

This will be the fourth and final Olympics for cross-country skier Jessie Diggins, a three-time Olympic medalist, including gold in the team sprint in 2018, who plans to retire at the end of the season.

“Throughout this season, we’ve seen quite remarkable results from our athletes across all 10 of our sports,” said Anouk Patty, the chief of sport for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “I know this is one of the strongest teams we have sent to the Games.”

Alpine skiing

It’s been a bumpy road back to the Olympics for Breezy Johnson, who tore her right knee a month before the 2022 Beijing Games. The 30-year-old Johnson competed at 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

Vonn and Paula Moltzan both were once taught at Buck Hill in Minnesota under the tutelage of late coach Erich Sailer.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle was a silver medalist in the super-G at the Beijing Games.

Snowboarding

Eight years ago, Red Gerard lit up the Olympics by winning gold in slopestyle at 17. He’s back for his third Olympics and now, there’s another 17-year-old on the squad. It’s Ollie Martin, who is the first to land a pair of 2160-degree spins in opposite directions and could be a threat in both slopestyle and big air.

The post-Shaun White era on the halfpipe starts with a roster full of underdogs. Chase Josey returns for his third Olympics and Jake Pates is back after missing in 2022. Neither has finished higher than sixth.

Freeskiing

Nick Goepper, who has two silver medals and a gold in slopestyle, moves over to the halfpipe for his fourth Olympics. He’ll be joined there by Alex Ferreira, who has silver and bronze on the halfpipe.

David Wise, who has two gold medals and a silver, didn’t make the team after failing to reach the podium over the qualifying period. Also missing is big air silver medalist Colby Stevenson.

In slopestyle, Alex Hall returns to defend his slopestyle title.

Moguls & aerials

Jaelin Kauf is the reigning Olympic silver medalist in moguls, while Chris Lillis will try to add to the gold medal he won with Ashley Caldwell and Justin Schoenefeld in mixed team aerials in China four years ago. Winter Vinecki has a fitting first name as she competes in her second Olympics.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics