2019 Alpine World Championship Team Announced
U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 13 athletes to the U.S. Alpine Team that will compete in the 2019 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. 2017 World Championship gold and silver medalist Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) and bronze medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) will headline the Team of six women and seven men, competing Feb. 4-17 in Åre, Sweden.
Continuing with his “winning at every level” mantra, Alpine Director Jesse Hunt is looking forward to seeing what this team can do on the world stage in Åre. “This team has the depth, experience and heart to bring home medals,” Hunt said. “Many of these athletes have had prior success at this venue in Åre, and with their progression and consistency throughout this season, medals are within reach. The staff has been working hard this season, and the teamwork is palpable - we are eager to support our veterans and up-and-coming athletes on the world stage.”
With 11 victories across four disciplines this season, Shiffrin is a force to be reckoned with and a multiple medal threat - currently leading the overall, slalom, giant slalom and super-G standings in the FIS Ski World Cup. Shiffrin is also a three-time reigning world champion in slalom, becoming the first woman since Germany's Christl Cranz back in 1939 to win three slalom World Championship golds in a row. All-time women’s World Cup winner Vonn - who just recently returned to competition from a knee injury - has seven career World Championship medals to her name, including a bronze medal in the St. Moritz downhill in 2017, making her the oldest woman (then 32-years-old) to earn a world championships medal. Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.), who finished with a career-best World Championships result in fifth in the St. Moritz downhill in 2017, and has posted three top 15 finishes in the last five races, rounds out the roster of seasoned vets.
Rising stars, including 2017 World Juniors downhill champion Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.) and Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) will make their World Championships debut. 2015 World Juniors slalom champion Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, Minn.), who currently skis for the University of Vermont and has had incredible success on the World Cup this season, also joins the 2019 squad.
On the men’s speed side, 2015 World Championships medalist Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) and Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) - who is currently ranked seventh in the World Cup downhill standings - will headline a strong crew of speed skiers, while Olympic champion Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), and Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) lead the way on the giant slalom side. Brian McLaughlin (Topsfield, Mass.) will make his World Championships maiden voyage.
After missing out on the 2017 World Championships due to injuries, Nyman and Ligety return with their strong leadership and presence. Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.), who has been skiing strong across multiple disciplines this season, also will be one to watch, having objectively qualified in downhill, super-G and giant slalom.
The last time World Championships were held in Åre was 2007, when the U.S. Ski Team won three medals, with Vonn grabbing silver in both downhill and super-G, while U.S. Ski Team alumni Julia Mancuso brought home silver in the combined. In last year’s World Cup Finals in Åre, Shiffrin won the slalom, while Vonn was third in super-G and first in downhill. It’s a special venue for Shiffrin, whose first-ever World Cup victory was in Åre in 2012, and she has won the slalom there four times.
Fans can follow all of the action in Åre, Sweden on NBC, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel, with live streaming on NBC Sports Gold.
2019 FIS SKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
(Name, hometown, ski club, birthdate, past World Champs Teams)
WOMEN
Alice Merryweather* (Hingham, Mass.; Attitash Race Team/Stratton Mountain School; 10/5/1996)
Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, Minn.; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail/University of Vermont; 4/7/1994; 2015)
Nina O’Brien* (San Francisco, Calif.; Burke Mountain Academy/Squaw Valley Ski Team; 11/29/1997)
Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; 8/17/1988; 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/13/1995; 2013, 2015, 2017)
Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Buck Hill Ski Team; 10/18/1984; 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
MEN
Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 7/14/1992; 2017)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/27/1992; 2013, 2017)
Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.; Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation; 3/20/1989; 2011, 2015, 2017)
Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 7/14/1988; 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 8/31/1984; 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Brian McLaughlin* (Topsfield, Mass.; Dartmouth College/Green Mountain Valley School; 6/24/1993)
Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard/Sundance Ski team; 2/12/1982; 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
*Denotes first World Championships team
HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast
Tuesday, Feb. 5
6:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G - NBCSN
Wednesday, Feb. 6
6:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G - NBCSN
Friday, Feb. 8
5:00 a.m. - Women’s super combined downhill - NBCSN
10:00 a.m. - Women’s super combined slalom - NBCSN
Saturday, Feb. 9
6:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
3:30 p.m. - Men’s downhill - NBC*
6:30 p.m. - Men’s downhill - NBCSN*
Sunday, Feb. 10
6:30 a.m. - Women’s downhill - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
4:30 p.m. - Women’s downhill - NBC*
11:30 p.m. - Women’s downhill - NBCSN*
Monday, Feb. 11
5:00 a.m. - Men’s super combined downhill - NBCSN
8:30 a.m. - Men’s super combined slalom - NBCSN
Tuesday, Feb. 12
10:00 a.m. - Team event - NBCSN
Thursday, Feb. 14
8:00 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 1 - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
10:30 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 1 - NBCSN*
11:30 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom - NBCSN*
Friday, Feb. 15
8:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1 - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
10:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1 - NBCSN*
11:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom - NBCSN*
Saturday, Feb. 16
5:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1 - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
7:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1 - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 2 - NBCSN
1:00 p.m. - Women’s slalom - NBC*
Sunday, Feb. 17
5:00 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
7:00 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - NBCSN
