Team USA Tracker: Winter Wonderland of Sports
Speedskating Season, Shiffrin goes to add more reindeer to her sled, plus PanAm Games Qualification Recap
THE COUNTDOWN
57 Days Until US Sailing Trials
188 Days Until the Olympic Qualifier Series
259 Days Until Paris 2024 Opening Ceremonies
819 Days Until Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremonies
WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
Speedskating World Cup begins this weekend as most of the Winter Olympic sports will start World Cup competition in November and December
For Team USA there is a lot to be excited re Winter Sports
Jordan Stolz: Possibly the Most Talented US Men’s Speed Skater since Eric Heiden
Mikaela Shiffrin: Most Decorated Women’s Alpine Skier Ever
That does not mention Jessie Diggins, Hilary Knight, John Shuster, and Kaillie Humphries, Lindsey Jacobellis and some other stars in their sports
JORDAN STOLZ STARTS SEASON
Jordan Stolz won 🥇in the Men’s 500M, 1000M, 1500M at the 2023 World Championships as he ended last season. To start the season Stolz won 4 out of 5 races at US Nationals (500M, 1000M, 1500M, Mass Start) and finished 2nd in the 5000M. Overnight Jordan Stolz raced the 500M and 1000M at the ISU World Cup in Obihoro, Japan finishing 3rd in 1000M and 6th in 500M. The big US star was Kimi Goetz who
19 year old Stolz continues to impress the speed skating and trained this past offseason with marathon speed skaters in the Netherlands on top of his normal sprint training- the World has taken notice of Stolz. Tokyo🥈 Laurent Dubreil (father was also an Olympian speed skater) said in the ISU preview of the season opener of Stolz - “The most talented skater of the last 40-45 years. I’ve never seen anything like that, so I’m just going to try to win as many races as possible until he gets too strong.”
This year Stolz will have two World Championships (ISU World Speed Skating Championships - (Single Distance format) in February, and ISU World Speed Skating Championships (Allround & Sprint format) in March). Last American to win the Allaround Championships was Shani Davis in 2006 a couple of months before Jordan Stolz turn 2.
MIKAELA GOES FOR A SLED OF REINDEER
From the best American on ice to one of the best Americans what will Mikaela Shiffrin do as an encore after breaking Ingemar Stenmark’s World Cup record last season. After a 6th place finish in the first race of the season - something Shiffrin foretold in an interview with Brian Pinelli about a new coach - “I’m trying to take a little bit more of an approach of giving myself time to build into my best form” - this weekend, Shiffrin competes at one of her favorite courses in Levi, Finland. Levi has one of the best trophies ( reindeer for the winner) so will Mikaela Shiffrin go for a reindeer #7 and #8 to get a full sled.
You can Mikaela Shiffrin this weekend on Ski and Snowboard Live. FIS Skiing will be on both Peacock and Ski and Snowboard Live this season and US Skiing put together how to watch U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes compete all around the world.
TL: DR if the race is US or Austria watch it on Peacock. Anywhere else : Ski and Snowboard Live.
2026 MILANO CORTINA OLYMPIC QUALIFYING IN HOCKEY AND CURLING
Most of Olympic qualification for Milano Cortina will begin in next year’s World Cup season. Two exceptions are in ice hockey and curling.
The US Men’s Ice Hockey team qualified for 2026 Olympics via fourth place finish at the 2023 Worlds where they went 8-0 to start the World Championships before losing their last two games in overtime to finish just off the podium. The US Women’s Ice Hockey team will likely qualify for the 2026 Olympics at the 2024 World Championships in Utica, NY that USA is hosting and prepared for the Worlds by two playing games vs Canada this week in the Rivalry Series . Team USA won the first game 3 to 1 on Wednesday night. Hilary Knight scored a goal and a had an assist Goal #151 and Assist #109 in Knight’s illustrious USA Hockey career.
The World Curling Championships also will count towards the 2026 Olympics (along with the 2025 Worlds).
Team USA locked down qualification for the 2024 Worlds in Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles curling by virtue of a bronze finish by Team Peterson, top 6 finish by Team Dropkin in Pan Continental Championships, and a 🥇in the 2023 Worlds by Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse in Mixed Doubles.
The US Trials for Men’s and Women’s Team will happen January 29th in February 4th in New Jersey and Mixed Doubles Trials- February 27 to March 3 in Traverse City, Michigan.
Curling season started this summer and the men’s representative for Team USA looks to be a 3 way battle between Team Shuster, Team Dropkin, and Team Casper who all ranked in the Top 25. Team Casper had a good start to the season winning the US Open of Curling and Tier 2 event Grand Slam of Curling event in Niagara Falls. Team Dropkin has had some losses vs the Top 25 teams in the world this year (3-13 according to Ken Pomeroy’s Double Takeout rankings) and the Olympic 🥇winning team of Team Shuster needs no introduction as Skip John Shuster has 9 US Men’s Curling National Championships (six as skip) .
The women’s side Team Peterson looks to be the heavy favorite coming off the Pan Continental Championships bronze to win their 3rd Women’s Curling National Championships in the last 4 years (they did not participate in 2021) but Team Strouse and Team Anderson are top 30 ranked teams in the World so will try challenge.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER SPORT and WHAT TEAM USA ATHLETE ARE YOU LOOKING MOST FORWARD TO WATCHING THIS WINTER? LEAVE A COMMENT
THE COUNTDOWN
PANAM GAMES RECAP
286 MEDALS (124🥇75🥈86🥉)
Team USA finished with most 🥇 medals at a PanAm Games since the 1995 Pan Am Games.
More importantly in term of Paris 2024 Team USA qualified in 21 events and 49 athlete quotas in Paris 2024 via Santiago 2023
ICYMI: I broke down the sports that qualified at halfway point last week and here is a breakdown of Team USA strong Week 2 finish that qualified 3 full teams, 2 sailing classes, and the first female break dancer for the Olympics.
QUALIFIED: USA Water Polo Men
USA Water Polo won every game by double digit margins and won their 6 games by an average winning margin of 19
USA Men’s Water Polo won their 8th straight Pan Am Games 🥇
QUALIFIED: USA Water Polo Women
3-time straight Olympic 🥇🥇🥇 won their six games by an average winning margin of 25 points and until the 🥇medal final with Canada had outscored their first five opponents 148 to 5.
USA Women’s Water Polo won their 7th straight Pan Am Games 🥇
QUALIFIED: USA Equestrian Jumping Team
After starting the first day out of Paris 2024 qualification position (in 5th) in Team Jumping- a perfect second day from the USA Jumping Team not only qualified the team for Paris but also won 🥇at the PanAm Games.
They also placed 3 riders in the Top 4 in the Individual Jumping category with Kent Farrington and Landon winning 🥈, McLain Ward and Contagious winning 🥉and Laura Kraut and Dorado 212 finishing 4th
Team USA has officially qualified all 3 teams and all 9 athelte quota spots in Equestrian.
QUALIFIED: USA ARTISTIC SWIMING DUET TEAM
USA Artistic Swimming won 🥈 despite having the best freestyle and acrobatic routine. USA Artistic Swimming final score was a point behind Mexico who had taken a big lead from the technical portion. Personally I feel like the scoring should be based off how well you do in each competition (like Team Figure Skating in Winter Olympics) but never the less - USA Artistic Swimming did qualify a Duet Team for Paris 2024 and have a positive outlook that they could finish in the Top 5 at 2024 Worlds (excluding continental qualifiers- China, Egypt, France, Australia, and Mexico) to make the Paris 2024 Olympics in the team competition.
Team USA will likely be in contention at 2024 Worlds with Japan who finished 2nd in the Asian Games to China and a host of European countries (Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Israel, Greece) who could not qualify at a continental qualification because the spot was given to host country France. Coach Andrea Fuentes said the following re Doha
“I’m unbelievably proud. There is no way this doesn’t make us stronger. We will be in Doha, and we will be at the Olympic Games.”
Next Qualification Event: 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar
February 2 to February 10 (Team Competition for Artistic Swimming will be broken up over six days from February 3 to February 9)
QUALIFIED: BREAKING: SUNNY CHOI
PanAm Games Medal Count:🥇1🥈 1🥉1
Paris 2024 Spots Qualified: 1 Paris 2024 Spots Available: 1 Success Rate: 100%
Sunny Choi (B-Girl Sunny) qualified for Paris 2024 by winning 🥇at the Pan Am Games. The first spot for Team USA men was already locked down by Victor Montalvo (B-Boy Victor) winning 🥇at World Championships.
The remaining two spots (one each gender) Team USA could grab in Olympic Qualifier Series that consists of two events in May and June.
Part I: Shanghai May 16- May 19
Part II: Budapest June 20-June 23
PanAm Games🥈Jeffrey Louis (B-Boy Jeffro) and PanAm Games 4th place finisher Miguel Angel Rosario (B-Boy Gravity) will represent Team USA in the Olympic Qualifier Series for the men’s spot. PanAm Games 🥉Vicki Chang (B-Girl La Vix) and 2023 Worlds QF Logan Ebra (B-Girl Logistx) will represent for the women’s spot. Top 7 at the Olympic Qualifier Series (combined score) will qualify for Paris 2024 and all four of them should be in a position to finish Top 7 but only one can qualify per gender could be an interesting battle between US athletes for one spot.
Team USA could qualify a third athlete to the Olympic Qualifier Series but Isby Morris (B-Boy Morris) and Carmarry Hall (B-Girl Pep C) but might need some favorable reallocation to qualify as spots are guaranteed in the OQS to host countries and universality spots.
QUALIFIED: Rhythmic Gymnastics: EVITA GRISKENAS
PanAm Games Medal Count:🥇0🥈 1🥉7
Paris 2024 Spots Qualified: 1 Paris 2024 Spots Available: 7 Success Rate: 14%
Silver Medal for Evita Griskenas qualified her for Paris 2024 by winning 🥈in the Individual AA at the PanAm Games. Griskenas won 5 medals at the PanAm Games (🥈 1🥉4) for the second straight PanAm Games (In 2019 Griskenas won 🥇4🥉1)
Griskenas will be the only member for Rhythmic Gymnastics for Team USA in Paris as Team USA did not qualify in the Group Event for the first time since London 2012. Team USA will qualify next Olympics LA28 as the host country.
QUALIFIED: TWO SAILING CLASSES: WOMEN’S WINDSURFING AND MIXED NACRA 17
PanAm Games Medal Count:🥇4🥈 3🥉2
Paris 2024 Spots Qualified: 2 Paris 2024 Spots Available: 5 Success Rate: 40%
2🥈for USA Sailing - Dominique Stater in Women’s Windsurfing: IQ Foil and Sarah Newberry Moore/David Liebenberg in MX Nacra 17 qualified Team USA in 6 of the 10 Olympic sailing classes. 3 Olympic sailing classes they were already qualified- sailors won 🥇 at Pan Am Games -Daniela Moroz: Women’s Formula Kite (Kiteboarding), Erika Reineke: ILCA 6 (Laser Radial), Ian Barrows & Hans Henken: Men’s 49er (Skiff)
Just missing qualification in two sailing classes was Noah Lyons who won 🥉in Men’s Windsurfing: IQ Foil but Lyons was 2nd best North American windsurfer behind 🥈Ethan Westera from Aruba and Markus Edgeran in Men’s Formula Kite who finished 4th as a couple of DSQ and 4th place in the medal race kept him from the podium and also made him 3rd best North American kiteboarder behind kiteboarders from Antigua and Barbuda (Tiger Tyson) and Dominican Republic (Deury Javier)
Next Up for Qualification in Sailing:
US Sailing will have the first set of Olympic Trials in Miami, FL (Biscayne Bay)- January 6 to January 13. 5 sailing classes (Men’s 49er,Men’s Formula Kite, Men and Women’s Windsurfing: IQ Foil, Mixed 470) will have their Olympic representative named there however two of 5 winners (Men’s Formula Kite, Mixed 470) will still need to qualify the boats. The winner of Men’s Formula Kite will need to finish Top 5 in the Last Chance Regatta in France from April 18 to April 27, 2024. The winner of Mixed 470 will have two chances to qualify being the top North American boat at 470 Worlds (February 24 to March 3) or a Top 4 finish at the Last Chance Regatta.
With the focus on the ILCA 6 (January 3-10, 2024 in Mar del Plata, Argentina) and ICLA 7 Worlds (January 24-31, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia)in January- USA Sailing will hold the Olympic Trials for ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes from February 17-24, 2024 in Miami, FL (Biscayne Bay). USA Sailing did not qualify the ICLA 7 class at PanAm Games as Chapman Petersen was the 6th best North American sailor. A Top 7 finish at ILCA 7 Worlds or a Top 3 finish would qualify Team USA for a spot in the ILCA 7 sailing class. There is also a scenario where 4 of the North American boats who beat Petersen at PanAm Games qualify via ILCA 7 Worlds and Team USA could get in that way. According to Olympedia (excluding 1980 Olympics) - you have to go back to 1924 Paris Olympics- the first time single-handed boats were used in the Summer Olympics to find the last time Team USA did not have a participant in the one person dinghy competition (Note Laser category was an open competition until 2008).
2 classes - US Sailing does not have trials and USA Sailing qualification for Women’s Skiff (49er FX) will combine the results of the 2024 FX World Championships (Feb 27 to March 3rd) and the 2024 Princess Sofia Regatta (April 1 -6) and Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17) will also combine results from Princess Sofia Regatta and the 2024 Nacra17 Europeans (May 7 to 12 in France)
QUALIFIED: AT LEAST ONE MALE ARCHER
PanAm Games Medal Count:🥇5🥈 4🥉1
Paris 2024 Spots Qualified: 1 Paris 2024 Spots Available: 1 Success Rate: 100%*
USA Archery won a medal in every event - five medals (🥇1🥈 4) were in compound events that were not added to the LA28 program but has been part of the PanAm Games the last two cycles. The 5 medals (🥇4🥉1) in Recurve Events locked in at least one US male archer will be competing at Paris 2024 and guaranteed Team USA will compete in the Mixed Team Competition in Paris 2024. 22 year old Jackson Mirich won 🥇in men’s recurve but Mirich is currently outside the Top 3 in the USA Archery trials behind Brady Ellison, 21 year old Trenton Cowles, and Jack Williams. Team USA could bring a very young team to Paris as 8 of the top 10 archers at US trials are under 24 years old.
USA Archery will still have 3 chances to qualify a full men and women’s team (3 athletes each gender) and qualify in the men and women’s team events in 2024
1) Top team at the Continental Championships (April 8 to 12, 2024) so hopefully repeat their PanAm Games 🥇performance
2) Top 3 for men, Top 4 for women at Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament (June 15-June 16, 2024)
3) Rankings (Top 2 teams not qualified). Both US Teams moved up in the rankings post Santiago, US Women moved to #7 and US men moved to #10 after PanAm Games 🥇 and in addition to the above events will also have 3 stages of the World Archery Series to move up their team rankings.
QUALIFIED: AT LEAST ONE TRAMPOLINE GYMNAST
PanAm Games Medal Count:🥇3🥈 0🥉0
Paris 2024 Spots Qualified: 1 Paris 2024 Spots Available: 2 Success Rate: 50%*
🥇 for Jessica Stevens at the PanAm Games locked in one spot for Team USA but all eyes will be focused on the 2023 TrampolineWorlds this weekend where Team USA can lock in the men’s spot or a higher priority women’s spot and keep hope the possibilities of two spots alive for Team USA in each event based off a Top 8 finish at Worlds. On the men’s side Tokyo Olympian Alexei Shostak and Ruben Padilla advanced from the field went from nearly 100 gymnasts to 24 gymnasts. On the women’s side Jessica Stevens and Sarah Webster survived the first cutdown and Tokyo Olympian Nicole Ahsinger is third reserve. Top 8 will advance to finals and qualify for Paris after Round 2 of Qualification and note only Shostak’s score was in the Top 8 in Round 1.
Non Olympic Events in Trampoline and Tumbling are where Team USA won all 8 of their medals at the 2022 Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships. So far at 2023 Worlds they have advanced Men’s Trampoline Team, Men’s and Women’s Double Mini Team plus 6 individuals including returning Worlds 🥇Padilla to the next stage of qualification, Men’s and Women’s Tumbling Team and 6 individuals including World Games🥇Kaden Brown to the next stage of qualification and all 3 Synchro teams to the next round including PanAm Games 🥇Shostak/Padilla.
Here is the rest of the schedule for Trampoline Worlds
Friday - Men’s Double Mini and Women’s Double Mini Team Finals, Men’s and Women’s Team Tumbling Final, Men’s Synchro Qualification 2
Saturday- Key Event for Paris 2024 Qualification: Men’s and Women’s Trampoline Q2 Qualification plus Double Mini and Tumbling Q2 qualification , Men and Women’s Double Mini Final, Men and Women’s Trampoline Team Final, and Men’s and Women’s Individual Tumbling Final
Sunday- Men’s and Women’s Synchro Final, Women’s and Men’s Individual Trampoline Final, and Team All Around
HEADED TO OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS: WOMEN’S FIELD HOCKEY
Women’s Field Hockey won 🥈and as #3 in the World Argentina beat Team USA 2-1 in the Gold Medal Game in Santiago.
Next up for The Women’s Field Hockey team will be the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi, India - January 13 to 21, 2024.
United States was placed in 8 team field with 3 top teams - Germany (#5), host India(#6) and New Zealand (#9) plus Japan (#11), Chile (#14), Italy (#19) and Czech Republic (#25). A top 3 finish would qualify Team USA for Paris but will likely require beating 3 teams ranked above them. At the PanAM Games, Team USA did beat host Chile in the PanAm Games semifinals in a shootout.
NOT QUALIFIED FOR PARIS: MEN’S HANDBALL AND MEN’S FIELD HOCKEY
A 4th place finish for both Men’s Handball and Men’s Field Hockey will leave them out of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Men’s Handball had a banner year with first two ever World Championships wins and advancing to the medal round at the World Championships at the PanAm Games for the first time in 20 years. They will be at the next two World Championships and LA28 so hopefully this qualification at these major events could lead to the recruitment of more talented dual nationals. Men’s Field Hockey also played some tough games in Santiago with 2 tough luck one goal losses to Canada that left Team USA on the outside of making the Last Chance Olympic qualifier. Team USA Men’s Field Hockey should qualify for LA28 but may need to move up their ranking a little bit to qualify as the host country.
WINTER SPORTS ATHLETES CAN WIN MEDALS IN THE SUMMER
Beijing Gold Medalist Erin Jackson won GOLD in the 500M and BRONZE in the 200m Time Trials in Inline Skating. Jackson continues a long line of US Speedskaters who have medaled in the PanAm Games and the Olympics including fellow Ocala, FL skaters Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe along with Chad Hedrick and Derek Parra Jackson actually in a 3 week span won 500M at the US Nationals in Salt Lake City in Speedskating, won 500M at the PanAm Games in Santiago, Chile in Inline Speedskating, and then placed 2nd in the 500M at World Cup in Japan back on ice.
A possible 2026 Winter Olympian Sammy Smith - an upcoming member of the US Cross Country Team went from competing in the World Cup and the Jr. Ski World Championships last March to PanAm Games from TeamUSA in soccer and wonBRONZE as well. Smith is committed to Stanford for soccer and she looks to continue both sports.