US names 222 to Olympic team; 4 athletes are 5-timers
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The 222-person U.S. Olympic roster revealed Monday includes four athletes making their fifth trip to the Games: Shaun White and Lindsey Jacobellis in snowboarding, Katie Uhlaender in skeleton and John Shuster in curling.
There are 115 men and 107 women on the roster, which ties for the second-biggest contingent the U.S. has ever sent to the Games. The opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics is Feb. 4, with some of the curling action beginning on Feb. 2.
Most athletes had already been nominated by their respective sports for the Olympic team. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s announcement makes their spots official.
Fifty-four of the U.S. athletes are making their debuts. Among the veterans, 18 have already won medals. That includes White, who could become only the second person to win individual gold medals at four separate Winter Olympics, joining speedskater Ireen Wust of the Netherlands.
Mikaela Shiffrin comes into Beijing with two gold medals. If she wins one more, she’ll snap a tie with Ted Ligety and Andrea Mead-Lawrence for the most of all American Alpine skiers.
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