Canada names 15 alpine and 6 ski cross athletes to Olympic team

Erik Guay in the Vancouver Olympics (GEPA/Andreas Pranter)

TORONTO — Alpine Canada Alpin today (Jan. 27) announced the remaining nine alpine ski racers who have been formally nominated to the Canadian Olympic Team for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The six men:  Phil Brown, Mike Janyk, Trevor Philp, Morgan Pridy, Brad Spence, and Ben Thomsen and three women: Erin Mielzynski, Marie-Pier Prefontaine, and Elli Terwiel, bump the team number up to a total of 15.

They join the three men and three women already nominated to the Canadian Olympic Team at events in Toronto and Quebec City earlier this month: Erik Guay, Jan Hudec, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, Marie-Michele Gagnon, Britt Phelan and Larisa Yurkiw.

“This is a strong team with a mix of experienced podium contenders and talented young racers,” said Paul Kristofic, Alpine Canada’s vice president of sports. “This group has worked extremely hard to earn the right to represent Canada at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. They will do everything they can to push for the podium and make Canada proud.”

Alpine Canada has 15 quota spots for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The Olympic qualification window for Canadian alpine racers closed on Sunday after both Thomsen and Pridy punched their tickets to Sochi with breakthrough performances in this weekend’s World Cup races in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

“The qualification battle went right down to the wire and we saw some racers step up and deliver career-best performances when the pressure was on,” said Kristofic.

“This is an incredibly talented group of athletes who have all earned the right to don our country’s colours in Sochi,” added President of the Canadian Olympic Committee Marcel Aubut. “Each of the alpine ski racers nominated today has the potential to compete and win against the world’s best. I look forward to seeing them in action as they take to the Olympic snow in Sochi.”

Alpine Canada Alpin also announced the six athletes who are formally nominated onto the Canadian Olympic Ski Cross Team for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The three men: Dave Duncan, Chris Del Bosco and Brady Leman; and three women: Kelsey Serwa, Marielle Thompson and Georgia Simmerling were nominated during an announcement at the Vancouver Convention Centre, in Vancouver.

“Our team is heading to Sochi with fire in our hearts,” said Kelsey Serwa, Vancouver 2010 Olympian and 2011 world and X Games champion. “I know I’m not only speaking for myself when I say that we will do everything in our power to make our nation proud next month as we race for gold. We are winter, and we are competing to win.”

Ski cross made its Olympic debut in 2010 when Whistler, B.C.’s Ashleigh McIvor – who has since retired – won gold. Canada’s ski cross team has been ranked No. 1 in the world in four of the past five years and the six nominated athletes include World Cup winners, world champions, X Games gold medallists and a Crystal Globe winner.

“All three of us on the men’s team are heading into Sochi looking for redemption. We all feel like we have a second chance,” said Chris Del Bosco, Vancouver 2010 Olympian. “We all have the potential to go out there and win gold and that’s what we’ll be trying to do. Canada has been the top ski cross nation in the world for four of the past five years and we have nothing to fear in Sochi. We believe this is our year.”

The FIS allocates up to 26 quota spots for each nation for all five freestyle disciplines. The minimum requirement from the FIS is a top-30 ranking in order for an athlete to eligible for the Games. All six ski cross nominees were ranked in the top 10 in the world when the Olympic qualification window closed, and they have all earned at least one World Cup podium since the start of the 2012-13 season. No more than four athletes per gender in each discipline can be nominated.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 7-23, 2014. The Canadian Olympic Team has set a goal to contend to be the top nation in overall medals won.

Release courtesy of Alpine Canada