Ski Jumper Anna Hoffman Added To U.S. Olympic Team

Anna Hoffman poses on the podium after winning the ski jumping competition at the U.S. Nordic Combined & Ski Jump Olympic Trials on Dec. 25, 2021 in Lake Placid, N.Y. 

Following an idyllic Christmas Day of ski jumping in Lake Placid, New York, Kevin Bickner had his ticket to Beijing while Anna Hoffman had to wait.

Both won their respective events at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, though at the time only the U.S. men had earned a quota spot for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Even on Monday, when the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced the official 222-member U.S. Olympic Team, the U.S. women remained without a quota.
The wait is officially over.
Hoffman, a 21-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, was officially added to Team USA later on Monday following the reallocation of quota spots by the International Ski Federation. In simpler terms, when one country wasn’t able to fill its quota spot, it went to Team USA.
“This nomination for Anna is a testament to her work ethic and commitment to the sport,” Blake Hughes, USA Nordic’s women’s ski jump team director, said in a press release. “Anna has become a true leader for her team and it has been a privilege to watch her progress over the past few years as she has become an elite athlete.”
According to a bio on the USA Nordic website, Hoffman began ski jumping at 2 years old and came up through the Blackhawk Ski Club in Madison. She has skied at the junior world championships four times, placing 51st in the individual event in 2020.
At the Christmas Day competition in the Adirondacks, Hoffman held off Logan Sankey to ensure she got the Olympic nod if one came available.
“I’m so honored to be able to have this opportunity to represent the USA at the 2022 Olympics,” she told USA Nordic on Monday. “This has been a lifelong endeavor and I could not be happier. It is so surreal to finally be able to achieve this dream. I’m so excited to be a part of Team USA! Thank you to my mom, dad, and all my coaches who have gotten me this far.”
Women’s ski jumping has been part of the Olympic Winter Games since 2014, and with Hoffman’s inclusion the U.S. will now have been represented in all three. Several of the top U.S. women — including some instrumental in getting the sport added to the Olympics — have retired in recent years, giving way to a new generation led by Hoffman.
Hoffman will compete Feb. 5 in the individual normal hill competition, which remains the lone women’s event in the sport.