Jessie Diggins Objective 25-26 Overall World Cup Leader
Julia Kern Objective 21st 25-26 Sprint World Cup
Rosie Brennan Discretion 15th Ruka Sprint C, 24th Ruka 10 km C
Luci Anderson Discretion 25th Davos 10 km F
Alayna Sonnesyn Discretion 27th Ruka 20 km F, 27th Davos Sprint F
Ben Ogden (USA) during the Tour de Ski 20k in Toblach (ITA) in 2024. (Photo: Vanzetta/NordicFocus)
The Working Group decided not to nominate additional athletes to the Tour de Ski due to the logistical, support demand, and health concerns surrounding the Tour, as well as to create a balanced and fair selection platform at the U.S. Nationals, where athletes currently performing at comparable levels can demonstrate their abilities. The ski service demands of the Tour alone are massive, with each athlete competing 6 times in 8 days and requiring world-class skis each day to compete for podiums. The Working Group views the Tour de Ski as a platform for elite performance and not a primary development opportunity. Individual World Cups are much better designed for developing athletes, and we intend to populate starts much more generously in the remainder of the World Cup season.
The above discretionary selections were nominated by a 15-person working group that included:
James Southam Athlete Rep
Ida Sargent Athlete Rep
Perry Thomas Mansfield Pro Nordic Team
Chad Salmela Team Birkie
Andy Newell Bridger Ski Foundation
Erik Flora Alaska Pacific University
Pepa Miloucheva Craftsbury GRP
Colin Rodgers SMS T2
Peter Holmes SVSEF Gold Team
Sophie Caldwell Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club
Eliška Albrigtsen Denver University
Chris Grover USST
Matt Whitcomb USST
Jason Cork USST
Kristen Bourne USST
The nominations were then approved by a discretionary selection review group comprised of:
Tyler Kornfield U.S. Ski & Snowboard Athlete Rep
Anouk Patty U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport
Bryan Fish U.S. Ski & Snowboard Development Director
The above discretionary selection process will be repeated for each period of World Cup this coming season. As always, if you have questions or concerns about this process, feel free to contact me directly.
