The U.S. Olympic Alpine skiing team, headlined by Mikaela Shiffrin, was finalized with the last five roster members named Friday.
Steven Nyman, who raced in three previous Olympics and turns 40 during the Beijing Games, was the most notable missing name from the final skiers named to the team.
Instead, the sixth and last men’s spot went to Tommy Ford, the U.S.’ top male giant slalom skier in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
MORE: U.S. athletes qualified for 2022 Winter Olympics
Ford, a 2010 and 2018 Olympian, has not competed since a race crash on Jan. 9, 2021, when he was knocked unconscious, suffered a concussion and torn ligaments in his knee and hand. But Ford had the ability to petition for a spot on the team.
Nyman was named to the previous four Olympic teams, with a best finish of 19th in the downhill in 2006, but he did not race at the 2018 PyeongChang Games after tearing his right ACL in downhill training two weeks beforehand.
Nyman had the inside track to the last Olympic men’s spot as the U.S.’ third-ranked super-G skier, barring another skier’s successful petition.
Six is the fewest male Alpiners the U.S. qualified for an Olympics since 1984, the last Games before the super-G was added.
Travis Ganong, Bryce Bennett, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, River Radamus and Luke Winters previously qualified through World Cup results.
The U.S. women’s team of 11 — the maximum a nation can qualify — was rounded out Friday with the announcement of first-time Olympians A.J. Hurt, Katie Hensien and Mo Lebel, plus Tricia Mangan, a 2018 Olympian.
Seven women previously qualified: Shiffrin, Breezy Johnson, Paula Moltzan, Nina O’Brien, Jackie Wiles, Keely Cashman and Bella Wright.
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