• U.S. roster of 23 (16 men, 7 women) includes 14 Paralympians, four Paralympic medalists competing in alpine skiing at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
• Team USA will begin Paralympic competition with downhill on March 10.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Twenty-three athletes, including four guides, will represent Team USA in alpine skiing at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 from March 9-18, as announced today by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Four returning Paralympic medalists headline the U.S. roster competing in South Korea. Two-time Paralympic medalist Stephanie Jallen (Harding, Pennsylvania) and six-time medalist Laurie Stephens (Wenham, Massachusetts) both earned double bronze at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Danelle Umstead (Park City, Utah), a three-time medalist, added a bronze of her own with guide and husband Rob Umstead (Park City, Utah). On the men’s side, Mark Bathum (Seattle, Washington) captured two silver medals to bring his Paralympic total to three with guide Cade Yamamoto (Quincy, Washington). The U.S. left Sochi with 10 medals and will aim to build off that performance in PyeongChang.

“After four years of preparation, our team is ready to prove themselves at the pinnacle of Paralympic competition: the Paralympic Winter Games,” said Kevin Jardine, director of U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding. “We have a great balance of veterans who know what it takes to succeed at the highest level as well as younger talent who are eager to make a name for themselves. I feel confident that our team will rise to the occasion and look forward to seeing which athletes have breakout performances for Team USA.”   

Stephens is the most decorated athlete on the U.S. roster with PyeongChang marking her fourth Winter Games after competing in Torino, Vancouver and Sochi. She leads a squad that boasts three world championship medalists from 2017, highlighted by Paralympian Andrew Kurka (Palmer, Alaska) who won three medals, including his first world title. Kurka comes off a strong season this year, securing the super-G and downhill crystal globes and helping to lead the U.S. men to the overall nation’s cup heading into PyeongChang. Umstead and Paralympian Staci Mannella (Randolph, New Jersey) with guide Sadie DeBaun (Park City, Utah) also took home hardware at world championships.

The U.S. will begin competition at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre with the men’s and women’s downhill on March 10 and finish with women’s slalom on March 18. Athletes will compete in 30 medal events across three classifications (sitting, standing and visually impaired) and five disciplines (downhill, super-G, super combined, slalom and giant slalom).

Three military veterans will be representing Team USA at their first Winter Games in alpine skiing. U.S. Marine Corps veterans Josh Elliott (San Diego, California) and Brandon Powell-Ashby (Boulder, Colorado), as well as U.S. Navy veteran Kevin Burton (Erie, Colorado) who competed in Nordic skiing at Sochi 2014 but will be making his debut next month in alpine skiing in PyeongChang.

All Paralympic nominations are subject to the approval of the USOC and U.S. Paralympics. For more information on the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Team, visit Team USA’s PyeongChang 2018 microsite and follow U.S. Paralympics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

2018 U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team
*Denotes U.S. Paralympic medalist