Good Morning America's Amy Robach talked to U.S. Freestyle Ski Team member Kai Owens about her adoption story and hopes of representing the U.S. as part of Team USA in China in February on Tuesday's broadcast.
 

The U.S. Alpine Ski Team packed four into the points in Courchevel, France, led by Mikaela Shiffrin, who threw down two stellar giant slalom runs to take her 72nd FIS World Cup win. Nina O’Brien and Paula Moltzan were 15th and 16th, respectively, and AJ Hurt was 28th.

It was a bright and sunny December day in Courchevel, the home of the upcoming 2023 FIS World Championships, with the World Cup women attacking the long and demanding giant slalom. Sara Hector of Sweden—who Shiffrin has long lauded her skiing—had the fastest second run to land her in second place, .86 seconds behind Shiffrin. Michelle Gisin of Switzerland was third.

Shiffrin was the leader after the first run with a commanding .74 second advantage over the field and she continued to build on it throughout second run. She crushed the top of the exhausting course, and took a little off on the bottom to ski to her 14th giant slalom victory and sixth career win in Courchevel on the Emile Allais Slope—making her tally at Courchevel the highest at any resort. 

“It’s incredible,” said Shiffrin. “It was really quite difficult, to be honest—tiring today! Even after the first run, I wasn’t sure I could do the second run. It’s a big push and for every athlete racing, we had to dig very deep and just fight and be aggressive. I think I did that quite well. I’m certainly happy with the day.”

The win came directly after taking fifth in Val d’Isere super-G—a new stop on the World Cup tour for Shiffrin. “I feel some motivation now and feel a lot more fire after these last weeks,” said Shiffrin. “That was the first time I ever raced in Val d’Isere—years and years of wanting to go there and try it and we finally did it this year. To come here today was a big question in my mind if it was a right decision and if it was going to be too much, so to be able to ski this way today even with fatigue and less energy is very spectacular.”

The race was also one year after Shiffrin’s return to the World Cup podium after her father’s death. When asked about what Courchevel means to her, given the emotional weight of the venue on her mind, she said this year’s race was different than last year’s race. “There was just so much leading up to the victory last year,” she recalled. “It was so different from anything I knew or had experienced before. I feel like I’ve settled into my new self a little bit more at this point.”

Shiffrin’s win bumped her 35 points ahead of Sofia Goggia in the overall standings, who had overtaken Shiffrin after winning twice in Val d’Isere but did not finish second run in Courchevel.  

O’Brien and Moltzan also had excellent days, both putting down blazing second runs to take 15th and 16th place. “I’m just happy to finally put some good turns and link them top to bottom and come down in the green,” said Moltzan, who had the sixth-fastest second run. “I was really happy. As ski racers, you’re always looking for the green light and when you finally get it after not seeing it so much, it’s a good feeling. It’s definitely a really challenging GS course.”

AJ Hurt was 28th at the venue where she scored her first GS points and had her career-best finish in 2020. This was her fourth time scoring points in GS.

Keely Cashman did not qualify for a second run and Katie Hensien did not finish the first run but is OK.

Following Tuesday's giant slalom, the American women continue to lead in the nations standings. The Americans also currently lead the nations standings in slalom. The depth of this women's tech team is something this generation of women has never before experienced. 

Notably missing from the race were Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, Austrian Katharina Liensberger and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson who had all tested positive for COVID-19.

The women gear up for a second giant slalom on Wednesday before the holiday break, which was added to make up for the canceled GS at Killington Resort, Vt. in November.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
12:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Chloe Kim was tossed into the throes of fame at 17 years old when she won her first Olympic Gold medal in Pyeongchang. Her coming of age as an adult came simultaneously with a peak achievement of her career. Not unlike any other child star, Kim became acutely aware of her environment, questioning who she was as an athlete, and who she was as a person. Feeling stifled by speculation, Kim took a step back from snowboarding to explore her identity. She even thought about retiring.

Yet amid her freshman year of college, COVID-19's isolating effects, a rise of Asian hate, and weeding out trolls on social media, Kim learned more about her capacity to adapt and overcome. Her return to competition in January of 2020 came with a fresh perspective, one that will propel her into the chaos of yet another Olympic season.

“I started to get numb to it, and that’s a problem, right?” Kim told NY Times reporter, John Branch, of her negative experiences. “I’ve recently started to realize that it’s not something that I should have ever had to get used to. It shouldn’t happen.”

Read the full story on NYTimes.com.

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.

Read Full Story on APNews.com

River Radamus showed his consistency, finding the top 10 for the second time in two days at the FIS World Cup giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, finishing 10th.

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland won the race handily, taking the victory by more than a second over local Italian hero Luca De Aliprandini, who scored his first World Cup podium in second place. German Alexander Schmid also had his first podium appearance, finishing in third. Sunday’s race winner Henrik Kristoffersen was just off the podium in fourth.

Odermatt, who has four wins under his belt so far this season in both GS and super-G, remains in first place in the overall World Cup hunt.

Radamus put down another good day, showing his strength and skill on the longest giant slalom on the circuit. He was eighth after the second run but a few minor errors cost him enough time to push him back into 10th. “I made mistakes early—cost myself my time up there,” said Radamus. “But I fought like hell. I fought really hard and just wanted to keep my skis in the fall line. I did a good job with my approach. There are some turns that I want back but I’m psyched with how I went at it today.”

With Sunday’s sixth-place result tying Radamus’ personal best finish on the World Cup and Monday’s 10th place, the world is starting to notice the Vail-bred skier and pointing out his medal potential in Beijing in February. But the measured and mature 23-year-old is thinking about the Games in a different way, allowing himself to focus on the aspects of the sport he can manage.

“It’s the shadow that’s looming over everybody; you can’t not think about it,” said Radamus. “I’ve never been to the Olympics. I think I’m in a good position to go this year, but I need to focus on my approach and focus on the things I can control. I think my skiing is going in the right direction because I’m doing that and so I’m going to keep that up and hopefully can bring the momentum into the Olympic Games. I’ll focus on the process instead of the outcome and the outcome will be there if I do that.”

Radamus is also battling some pain after crashing through the finish yesterday after his first run but is treating the issue and does not expect it to be a lingering problem throughout the season.

Brian McLaughlin and Ryan Cochran-Siegle did not qualify for the second run. George Steffey did not finish the first run.  

The giant slalom specialists and speed men now have a holiday break, while the slalom skiers stay in Italy for the Madonna di Campiglio night slalom on Wednesday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the women will race two giant slaloms in Courchevel, France.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
12:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Bella Wright crashed in the second of two FIS World Cup super-G races at St. Moritz, sustaining a broken talus bone in her right ankle. She traveled back to the States to undergo further evaluation, therefore missing the Val d’Isere (FRA) speed series. 

On Saturday, Wright provided an update via her Instagram account: 

My heart is a little shattered, but I’m going to continue to work and make sure I do everything I can to be back when the time is right. For the next 6 weeks I will be non-weight bearing so my ankle is going to be taking it easy but the rest of my body is going to work🏋🏽‍♂️

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Bella Chanel Wright❄️ (@bellswright)

Stay tuned to Wright's Instagram account for further updates, and to follow her journey to recovery.

What a day for a halfpipe contest here at the Dew Tour. Four days of competition wrapped up with snowboard halfpipe finals under sunny skies Sunday.

Defending Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim earned the day’s top score of 96 on her third and final run. After uncharacteristically not landing her first two runs, Kim settled back into her progressive trajectory on her third run landing two technical 1080s.

Chloe dropped in with a frontside 1080 tail grab, into a Cab 900, into a switch backside 540, into a Cab 1080, ending with a frontside 540.

“That was so stressful, I hate when I’m in that situation where I come to the third and final run,” said Chloe. “I’m just so grateful. I was actually thinking about backing off and not doing the Cab 1080, but I’m so happy I did it. Just putting myself in those high-stress situations especially with the Olympics coming up is pretty important. I’m so happy I was able to pull through.”

When asked if she had any tricks she was planning to pull out today that she didn’t get to, she shared: “Absolutely, I actually have three new tricks waiting for you guys. I’m just trying to figure out when I want to do them, but I think the Olympics will be the time.”  

This first-place result follows her first-place finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen, also an Olympic qualifier.

U.S. Snowboard Team rider Maddie Mastro, today’s first-place qualifier, came out blasting through the pipe on her first run, unfortunately taking a hard-hit midway down the pipe. Mastro finished in seventh. We’re wishing her all the best for a quick recovery.  

Spain’s Queralt Castellet took second and China’s Cai Xuetong earned third place.  

Men's Superpipe 

In the men’s field, U.S. Snowboard Team rider and 2014 Olympian Taylor Gold had a huge win today earning second place and his first podium of the season.

Taylor Gold dropped in on a mission earning his best score of 92 on his first run. Gold started off his stylish run with a McTwist Japan 540, launching into a frontside 1260 tailgrab, a double Michalchuk 1080, into a switch McTwist, finishing with a Cab 1080 with a chicken salad grab—going for maximum style points all the way down the pipe.

“I’ve been wanting to do that line for so long and honestly anytime I land that ‘Chuck 10 clean, I’ve gotta do it,” said Gold. The switch McTwist was exciting in the air—I’m really glad I landed it. Landing that run was insane, I’m so psyched.”

Gold tried to improve on that run, adding in a Cab 1260, but couldn’t bring it all together. He held onto the top spot all the way through the final round when Japan’s Yuto Totsuka unseated him. An amazing finish for Gold!

Looking ahead, Gold says, “My plan is to keep the intensity with my riding. I’d like to add a couple of tricks—I’d like to make what I’ve already done smoother and bigger. Honestly, my biggest thing is I want that switch McTwist to be as big as everything else. That would make me really happy.”

U.S. Snowboard Team rider and three-time Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White finished seventh, adding a crucial third result to boost his World Snowboard Points List standing. Shaun’s run included a frontside 1440 and back-to-back 1260s, a solid showing for his final Dew Tour.

Seventeen-year-old Joey Okesson finished in ninth and Chase Josey, who was unable to continue the competition after taking a hard landing on the final hit of his first run, earned a tenth-place finish for the U.S. Team.

Japan’s Yuto Totsuka came back from a third-place finish at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix to finish in first. And teammate Ruka Hirano took the third-place podium.

Japan’s Ayumu Hirano made history landing the first-ever frontside triple cork 1440 in halfpipe competition. Look for the triple cork evolution to continue unfolding at the final Olympic qualifier—the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, January 3–9, 2022.  

RESULTS
Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Presented by Toyota

Field of 8, 3 Runs
1. Chloe Kim (USA), 96.00
2. Queralt Castellet (ESP), 95.00
3. Cai Xuetong (CHN), 89.00

Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Presented by Toyota

Field of 10, 3 Runs
1. Yuto Totsuka (JPN), 95.50
2. Taylor Gold (USA),92.00
3. Ruko Hirano (JPN), 89.00

Men’s Snowboard Finals
Women’s Snowboard Finals

Surrounded by breathtaking Dolomite mountains in Italy, River Radamus tied his best ever FIS World Cup result in Alta Badia, taking sixth place in the giant slalom—proving that he is in the medal hunt in a critical Olympic season.

Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway won his first World Cup of the season with a near-perfect second run to elevate himself from seventh place to the victory. Marco Odermatt of Switzerland was second and Manuel Feller of Austria third. 2021 giant slalom World Champion Mathieu Faivre led the race after the first run, but had a slow second run and finished 16th.

Radamus had a strong first run, crashing into the finish to take an impressive fourth place—his best ever result in a first run. He took a little off second run, but still skied well to end up in sixth. The result tied his personal best finish earlier in the season when he was sixth in Soelden.

“Getting sixth here is huge for me,” said Radamus. “It’s a step in the right direction. Obviously after first run I would have liked more, but I’m happy to make that second run and do it decently. I take the points, take the result and I keep moving forward.”

He reflected on his second run start, in which he was sandwiched between ski racing legends like Manuel Feller and Alexis Pinturault. “That was definitely my first run amidst the scene—starting between idols of mine and titans of the sport,” said Radamus. “I don’t think it got to me too much, but it’s definitely a cool feeling. I want to get back there more often and be able to compete with those guys because I feel that I can.”

Radamus also took time to pay homage to the track that he has long dubbed his favorite on the circuit. The Gran Risa has always been the darling of the giant slalom greats—including Marcel Hirscher, Bode Miller, Alberto Tomba, and Radamus’ hero Ted Ligety. “Everyone will tell you this is the best GS hill,” said Radamus. “I treat it almost as a religious experience coming here—you have to pay tribute to the hill. I always want to come here and really execute and have a good run and really do it justice.”

Ryan Cochran-Siegle also scored points in the race, finishing 28th. Brian McLaughlin did not qualify for a second run and George Steffey did not finish first run.

The men get another crack at the Gran Risa with a giant slalom slated for Monday.  

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Mikaela Shiffrin showed off her speed skiing prowess again, scoring fifth place in the FIS World Cup super-G in Val d’Isere, France. Breezy Johnson also finished in the top 10, taking ninth place—a career-best super-G finish for the speed skier.

Sofia Goggia dominated the race, taking her second win of the weekend and her fifth win of the season. Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway was second, breaking up what looked to be a potential Italian sweep (Federica Brignone ended up in fourth ahead of Shiffrin) and Elena Curtoni of Italy third.

Shiffrin was heading for a week of training after racing the speed events in St. Moritz last week, but made a last-minute decision to race the super-G in Val d’Isere—a venue she had never before raced. The decision paid off, scoring key points toward the overall hunt for the World Cup title and securing another World Cup super-G finish before the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Though she is still considered a tech event specialist, Shiffrin has now been in the top 10 in every super-G she has entered in the 2021-22 season.   

“I enjoyed the experience coming to a new place—having to study the course and learn the hill,” said Shiffrin. “Super-G is difficult to execute a plan in the one run, but I felt like that was all really good today. We’ll go back and look at the video and see where I can gain time, but I felt really good on my skis—good skiing.”

Goggia continues to ski a head above the rest in speed, winning her fifth World Cup this season, garnering comparisons to Lindsey Vonn’s historic dominance in speed. It was her first super-G win since Lake Louise, having grabbed second place and sixth place, respectively, in the wind-riddled St. Moritz. Her win also gives her a 65-point lead over Shiffrin in the overall standings.

After taking yet another downhill podium in Saturday’s race, Johnson came in with confidence to Sunday’s race on the same track. She has been steadily improving in the discipline, scoring a 12th and 24th in the St. Moritz super-Gs, and skied the Val d’Isere hill tactfully to score her best-ever World Cup super-G finish. She finished ninth, besting her previous personal best of 10th in Val di Fassa, Italy last February.

Rounding out the Americans, Tricia Mangan was 40th, Jackie Wiles 43rd, and Keely Cashman 44th.

The speed women get a short break, while the World Cup tour heads to Courchevel, France for two giant slaloms December 21-22 before the short holiday break.

RESULTS
Women's super-G

Julia Kern and Jessie Diggins rallied back from a couple of early-race falls to finish second in the FIS Cross Country World Cup freestyle team sprint in Dresden, Germany, Sunday. 

“I’m always proud of the ‘never give up' attitude, and I think it really paid off today,” said Diggins, who also credited the U.S. Service Team with working under challenging conditions and providing them fast skis. “We didn’t panic, we just skied as smooth, and smart, and as hard as we could.”

Kern and Diggins, who won their heat to advance to the finals, was sitting comfortably among the top three in the 12-lap race on the Dresden city course, when Diggins got tangled up with Slovenia’s Eva Urevc on the back corner - her second fall of the race. “The first time I crashed, that was all me,” Diggins said. “The second time, that was not my fault. Eva took me down skiing into me from behind, which is a bummer but unintentional, and happens in sprint racing.”

Fortunately, neither fall resulted in any damage, only bruises, and Diggins jumped back up. She tagged off to Kern in ninth-place, who proceeded to turn on the afterburners, weaving her way through the field and pulling the American duo back into podium contention.

With two laps to go, Diggins and Kern had moved into third, and on the final exchange, Diggins tagged off to Kern, who took an inside line and sprinted ahead of Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic, and Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu for second. Sweden’s duo of Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist won the race, which was the second-straight victory for Dahlqvist, who has a commanding lead in the overall World Cup sprint standings after winning all five sprint races so far this season. Slovenia’s Lampic and Urevc were third.

“I’m so proud of Julia,” Diggins said. “She was confident and smooth. It was really a battlefield out there. You had to fight for position and she did so with such grace, poise, power, and speed. It was so fun to watch her ski.”

"I thought Jessie and I skied tactically really well and brought awesome energy.," Kern added. "The crashes are part of the game here in Dresden and I thought Jessie skied super smart by getting us right back in it and staying calm. We made a plan for tags and tactics and executed that to the best of our ability and I am proud of the effort we put out as a team."

 

 

 

 

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For Kern, the podium result was extra special, as numerous members of her family, many of whom live in Germany, were there to watch her race. 

"It was extra special to have such a large part of my family here in person," Kern said. "Despite no spectators allowed on the course, my family was able to cheer loudly on the bridge from above, and every lap that was the best part of the course. This is always one of my favorite races of the year because it is exciting and it feels like the closest thing to racing at home with my German family there to support me."

In the men’s race, Kevin Bolger and JC Schoonmaker advanced to the 10-team finals and finished ninth. Norway took the top two spots with Thomas Helland Larsen and Even Northhug taking the victory. Sindre Bjoernestad Skar and Haavard Solaas Taugboel were second. Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov and Gleb Retivykh were third. 

Up next, the athletes are off for the Christmas holidays, returning to competition with a freestyle sprint on Dec. 28 at the first stage of the Tour de Ski in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

RESULTS
Women’s freestyle team sprint
Men’s freestyle team sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup sprint
Men’s World Cup sprint