PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 15, 2016) - Two young Americans have been nominated to the cross country ski team slated to compete in the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway February 12-21.
Headlining the 2016 U.S. cross country team are Hunter Wonders (Anchorage, AK), who will be participating in his first international competitions at the Youth Olympic Games, and Hannah Halvorsen (Truckee, CA), who has qualified for Junior Worlds twice.
The International Olympic Committee’s Youth Olympic Games offers a competitive venue for young athletes to not only compete, but also participate in a Learn & Share program designed to inspire and empower youth. The 2016 U.S. Youth Olympic Team will be formally named by the United States Olympic Committee in late January.
Modeled after the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games debuted its winter event in 2012 at Innsbruck, Austria. Held every four years, the Winter Youth Olympic Games will feature over 1,100 athletes, aged 15 to 18, from around the world. Cross country events will include: cross country cross, classic sprints, 5/10k skate and a nordic relay, which includes one male cross country skier, one female cross country skier, one male ski jumper, one female ski jumper and one male nordic combined athlete.
Coupled with the competition, the Learn & Share program will offer young athletes the opportunity to become ambassadors of their sport through workshops and exercises based around five major themes: Olympism, Social Responsibility, Skills Development, Expression and Well-Being and Healthy Lifestyles.
2016 U.S. Youth Olympic Team Cross Country Nominees
Men
Hunter Wonders (Anchorage, AK, 17, APU Nordic Ski Center): Wonders will be joining the international competitions for the first time due to his outstanding efforts at the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships. In addition to competing at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, Wonders will also be joining the USA U18 team in Rasnov, Romania February 22-28.
Women
Hannah Halvorsen (Truckee, CA, 17, Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy): A senior at Sugar Bowl Academy, Halvorsen has seen big improvements in her endurance this year, making her a threat in both distance and sprinting results. Highlighting the 2015-16 season so far, she took top 15s and a top five at the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships and advanced to three SuperTour sprint finals. Halvorsen has qualified for Junior World Championships twice.
Highlights
- The 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games will be held in Lillehammer, Norway, February 12-21.
- It is the second installment of the Winter Youth Olympic Games and will feature over 1,100 young athletes aged 15-18 competing in winter events.
- Alongside competition, the teens will also learn the spirit of the Olympic Games, so that they may become strong ambassadors of their sports.
- The USOC will formally name the 2016 U.S. Youth Olympic Team in late January.
