Anna Gibson, Cam Smith Reach The Semifinals In Skimo’s Olympic Debut

Gibson and Smith became the first American athletes to compete in ski mountaineering at the Olympics on Thursday.

Anna Gibson and Cam Smith made history on Thursday, becoming the first Americans to compete in ski mountaineering at the Olympic Winter Games.

The sport made its Olympic debut today on a snowy afternoon at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy, where 18 men and 18 women competed in their respective sprint events. Both Gibson and Smith advanced to the semifinals.

In each event, the athletes competed in three heats of six, with the top three athletes from each heat qualifying for the semifinal. The next three fastest times from the entire field also moved on as lucky losers.

Gibson, a 26-year-old from Jackson, Wyoming, started things off for Team USA. She crossed the finish line in 3 minutes, 17.44 seconds, putting her in fifth place in her heat. She eventually got through to the semis as a lucky loser.

Gibson — who began competing in skimo last summer — entered the competition as the lowest-ranked sprinter in the field, having only raced in mixed relay events on the world cup circuit before today.

“Waking up the morning of the Olympics, I was absolutely buzzing. It just feels so good to be here,” Gibson said after the quarterfinals. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations on the day. … If I improved by one spot and I came in 17th, that would have been great.”

Smith finished fourth in his quarterfinal heat with a time of 2:47.59. Like Gibson, the 30-year-old qualified for the semifinals as a lucky loser.

“So many people worked so hard to make this happen, and so many friends and family are here to cheer, and it’s just such a special moment to be able to share with the people on the ground here, watching on TV and following it from home,” said Smith, who grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and now lives in Crested Butte, Colorado. “When I think about all that effort so many people have put in, I want to give them something to cheer for and have some fun while we’re here.”

A steady snow fell on Bormio throughout the competition. Gibson estimated the course accumulated around six inches of powder between the start of the competition and the semifinals.

“I absolutely love the snow,” she said. “It just takes you back to you know why we’re all here in the first place, just loving being out in the crazy weather and climbing up mountains.”

She improved her time to 3:15.69 in the semifinals and once again finished fifth in her heat. With only two automatic qualifiers per heat and two lucky losers overall, Gibson’s day came to an end.

Smith was slightly slower in his semifinal heat, finishing in sixth with a time of 2:50.74. Even so, he saw today as a resounding success for himself and his American teammate.

“(I’m) so thrilled with how the sprint went today,” he said. “It’s a historic day for me, historic day for Anna, for our team and it’s really special to have raced twice.”

Gibson and Smith’s Olympics will continue Saturday when they compete in the mixed relay event. The duo earned a quota spot to the Games by winning the mixed relay race at a world cup event in Utah back in December, which pushed them ahead of Canada as the top-ranked North American mixed relay team.

Luke Hanlon is a sportswriter and editor based in Minneapolis. He is a freelance contributor to teamusa.com courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.