Canadian freestyle skiing team named for PyeongChang 2018
MONTREAL (January 22, 2018) — The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Freestyle Canada officially announced the 22 athletes nominated to represent Canada in moguls, aerials, halfpipe, and slopestyle at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
DOWNLOAD: High-resolution team photos for editorial use
For moguls and aerials, the athletes were selected based on their performances in FIS World Cup and World Championship events. For halfpipe and slopestyle, athletes were selected based on their performances at the Aspen and Oslo X Games as well as at platinum events on the AFP circuit. The selection period during which the rankings were taken into account was December 1, 2016 to January 21, 2018. Based on their results in some key competitions last season, Freestyle Canada had already pre-qualified Mikaël Kingsbury, Justine Dufour-Lapointe, and Andi Naude to Team Canada for PyeongChang 2018.
The athletes nominated for Team Canada are:
Moguls
| Name | Hometown |
| Chloé Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, QC |
| Justine Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, QC |
| Marc-Antoine Gagnon | Terrebonne, QC |
| Mikaël Kingsbury | Deux-Montagnes, QC |
| Philippe Marquis | Quebec City, QC |
| Andi Naude | Penticton, BC |
| Audrey Robichaud | Quebec City, QC |
Aerials
| Name | Hometown |
| Lewis Irving | Quebec City, QC |
| Catrine Lavallée | Montreal, QC |
| Olivier Rochon | Gatineau, QC |
Halfpipe
| Name | Hometown |
| Simon d’Artois | Whistler, BC |
| Noah Bowman | Calgary, AB |
| Rosalind Groenewoud | Calgary, AB |
| Mike Riddle | Sherwood Park, AB |
| Cassie Sharpe | Comox, BC |
Slopestyle
| Name | Hometown |
| Alex Beaulieu-Marchand | Quebec City, QC |
| Alex Bellemare | Saint-Boniface, QC |
| Teal Harle | Campbell River, BC |
| Dara Howell | Huntsville, ON |
| Evan McEachran | Oakville, ON |
| Kim Lamarre | Lac Beauport, QC |
| Yuki Tsubota | Whistler, BC |
The coaches nominated for Team Canada are:
| Name | Position | Hometown |
| Rémi Bélanger | Assistant Coach, aerials | Mascouche, QC |
| Dennis Capicik | Head Coach, aerials | Toronto, ON |
| JF Cusson | Assistant Coach, slopestyle | Mont-Tremblant, QC |
| Liz Gardner | Assistant Coach, aerials | Toronto, ON |
| Michel Hamelin | Head Coach, women’s moguls | Sainte-Agathe, QC |
| Rob Kober | Head Coach, men’s moguls | Penticton, BC |
| Marc McDonell | Assistant Coach, halfpipe | Squamish, BC |
| Freddy Mooney | Assistant Coach, men’s moguls | Winter Park, Colorado |
| Steve Omischl | Jump Coach, moguls | Rossland, BC |
| Trennon Paynter | Head Coach, halfpipe | Squamish, BC |
| Vincent Sigouin | Assistant Coach, women’s moguls | Sainte-Agathe, QC |
| Toben Sutherland | Head Coach, slopestyle | Calgary, AB |
PyeongChang 2018 will be the next stop for the aerials and moguls athletes while a select number of halfpipe and slopestyle athletes will compete at the 2018 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado before making their way to South Korea.
Canada has a long history of excelling in freestyle skiing, with 15 Olympic medals won across moguls, aerials, halfpipe and slopestyle since the sport’s official debut at Albertville 1992. Freestyle Canada athletes brought home seven medals from Sochi 2014, including three double podiums in men’s moguls, women’s moguls, and women’s slopestyle.
All freestyle skiing events will take place at the Phoenix Snow Park, starting with moguls February 9-12 (Days 0-3) and followed by aerials February 15-18 (Days 6-9), slopestyle February 17-18 (Days 8-9) and halfpipe February 19-22 (Days 10-13).
QUOTES:
“Freestyle skiing is such an exciting sport to watch, especially with the incredibly talented team we are nominating today. Canada’s depth will once again be on full display at the Games as so many skiers challenge for the podium.”
– Isabelle Charest, PyeongChang 2018 Team Canada Chef de Mission
“Athletes who were named to the Canadian Olympic freestyle skiing team are part of the top freestyle skiing team in the world. These athletes have won 96 World Cup medals and ten World Championship medals since 2015. The team includes several medallists from Sochi 2014. They bring a rich legacy of Olympic success that spans many decades.”
– Bruce Robinson, Chair and CEO, Freestyle Canada
“It’s definitely a dream of mine to win an Olympic gold medal, but I’m not approaching the Games with that goal in mind. Rather, I’m showing up at the Games with the intent to ski my best, follow my plan and not to get too wrapped up in things I cannot control. I will approach this competition in the same way I approach other events and I know that if I manage to do that, the results should follow.”
– Mikaël Kingsbury, Sochi 2014 silver medallist and PyeongChang 2018 nominated athlete
“I want to go to the Olympic Games and enjoy the environment, to be there with Canada, my family and friends and use this as an opportunity to show what I am capable of.”
– Cassie Sharpe, PyeongChang 2018 nominated athlete
“Congratulations to these exceptional athletes on being chosen for the Canadian Olympic Freestyle Ski Team. As they compete, I know that they will feel the full weight of Canadians’ support behind them.”
– The Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the COC’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Federations in late January 2018.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dominique Ladouceur, Media Attachée
Freestyle Canada
Tel: 514-576-2379
Email: dominique@freestylecanada.ski
Josh Su, Coordinator, Communications
Canadian Olympic Committee
Tel: 416-324-4303 / Cell: 647-464-4060
Email: jsu@olympic.ca
Photi Sotiropoulos, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
Tel: 416-324-4298 / Cell: 416-476-9174
Email: psotiropoulos@olympic.ca