Two more Aussie athletes have been named to the expected 44 strong Aussie team for the Beijing Winter Olympics next month.
33-year-old Sami Kennedy-Sim (ski cross) and 19-year-old Abi Harrigan (park and pipe) will both be donning the green and gold.
This will be Kennedy-Sim’s third Olympics in Ski Cross and Harrigan’s first Olympics. Harrigan will compete in Freeski Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air, with the Ski Big Air event making its Olympic debut in Beijing.
Kennedy-Sim’s Olympic journey is one of incredible resilience and strength, with the Manly local recovering from a stroke suffered in 2013, just nine months before the Sochi Olympics. While there were doubts that she could ever even ski again in 2013, Kennedy-Sim defied the odds to make her Olympic debut in 2014 and continue to excel on the world stage.
Kennedy-Sim is currently 23rd in the World Cup rankings, in her comeback season after injury cut short her 2020/21.
Abi Harrigan grew up in one of the heartlands of Australia’s winter community in Jindabyne, competing at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2020. She had her best result of the season in last week’s World Cup event in Font Romeu, France, finishing 13th in the Slopestyle.
The majority of Ski Cross and Freeski competition will take place in Genting Snow Park in the Zhangjiakou region, with the Big Air event taking place in the spectacular Big Air Shougang in Beijing.
“Having an Olympics in a similar time zone to Australia means that I will feel connected with my friends and family – Ski Cross is on at prime time so I can’t wait to share this experience with everyone, I’m so excited!” said Kennedy-Sim.
Teenager Harrigan will compete in both the Zhangjiakou mountain cluster and at the Big Air Shougang in Beijing, the world’s first permanent Big Air venue.
“I’m absolutely frothing to be selected for the Beijing 2022 team, just super excited,” Harrigan said.
“It’s the first time Big Air is in the Olympics and I get to compete, it’s amazing. I’m so excited to be on the biggest stage.
The Ski Cross competition will run from 17-18 February and Freeski Big Air, Slopestyle and Halfpipe from 7-19 February.
