Olympians that Hail from Reno-Tahoe

With the highest concentration of ski resorts in North America, it’s no wonder Reno-Tahoe is home to so many Winter Olympic athletes. For the third straight winter event, local athletes won a region-best four medals. This year, Reno’s David Wise won the silver medal in the ski halfpipe, to add to this previous collection of two gold medals.

Northern Lake Tahoe played host to the 1960 Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, one of the largest ski areas in the United States. The popular landmark has served as inspiration for everyday skiers and local Olympic hopefuls. Since the games, visitors have come to ski at Palisades Lake Tahoe Ski Resort on the mountain that Olympians jumped in the 60’s and to see the tribute sign with the Olympics Rings near the ski lifts. You can even take a tram to the top for a tour of the newly renovated Olympic Museum with an epic view of Lake Tahoe.

Last summer in the Summer Olympics, Reno athletes won five medals which brings us to a total of nine medals won by locals in the past seven months. Below are all 17 of the athletes that competed in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Freestyle Skiing:

•          David Wise – The Reno native and Wooster High alum scored a silver medal with a first-run score of 90.75 as he and the other athletes battled windy and cold temperatures. A fun fact about David, he and his family are also members of Montreux Golf and Country Club.
•          Brita Sigourney – Won bronze in the ski halfpipe in 2018 and placed 10^th in this year’s Olympics.

Freestyle Snowboarding:

•          Jamie Anderson – A South Lake Tahoe native and three time-Olympic medalist, Jamie finished 12^th in the snowboard slopestyle.

Alpine Skiing:

•          Bryce Bennett – The Truckee native finished 19^th in the downhill and 17^th in the Super-G.
•          Travis Ganong – Another Truckee native, Travis finished 20^th in the downhill and 12^th in the Super-G.
•          AJ Hurt – Hailing from Carnelian Bay, the 21-year-old competed in her first Olympics, finishing 34^th in the slalom.
•          Keely Cashman – Having grown up on Tahoe’s mountains, she competed in three events, finishing 17^th in the downhill and 27^th in the Super-G.
•          Nina O’Brien – Another Olympic debut, the San Francisco native took a hard spill in the second run of the giant slalom that kept her from competing in the rest of the event.
•          Luke Winters
•          Alice Robinson – Born in Sydney, Robinson finished 22^nd in the giant slalom.
•          Michel Macedo
•          Louis Muhlen-Schulte
•          Katie Parker
•          Maureen “Mo” Lebel

Nordic Skiing:

•          Hannah Halvorsen
•          JC Schoonmaker