Team USA will have two Arizona-born athletes in 2018 Winter Olympics

PHOENIX — Just two of more than 240 athletes heading to South Korea to represent the United States in the Winter Olympics were born in Arizona.

A glance at the U.S. Olympic Team roster showed not one of the 244 athletes headed to Pyeongchang listed anywhere in Arizona as a hometown, but two were born here.

Figure skater Christopher Knierim was born in Tucson and hockey player Broc Little was born in Phoenix.

Kneirim, 30, will compete alongside his wife, 26-year-old Alexa Scimeca Knierim, in the pairs competition.

Little, 29, will be the first native Arizonan to compete for the men’s national hockey team at the Olympic level.

Arizona will also have a few non-natives representing the state. Numerous Olympic athletes — both American and international — either call the state home or train here.

One of those athletes, Wisconsin native Matt Antoine, will be looking for his second medal in the skeleton. He won a bronze medal at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

“A lot of people are looking at me and thinking I’m not a medal contender,” he told the Arizona Republic. “I truly think I am. I’m where I want to be with the equipment set-up, knowledge of the track and physical training. Heading into the peaking phase, my speed is going to start to be exposed.”

Antoine trains with Altis, a professional track training program, near 32nd Street and Union Hills Drive in Phoenix.

The skeleton event will begin Feb. 12 and end five days later.

The Games will officially begin Friday with the opening ceremony, though some events will start Wednesday.

This year’s Winter Olympics were scheduled to end Feb. 25.

Editor’s note: The original version of this story said there were no native Arizonans going to the Olympics based on the Team USA roster’s hometown list. That was incorrect.

Related

What’s on your ballot: Prop 320 would force certain schools to spend more in classroomsWhat’s beneath your feet? A crash course in carpetAmish Shah says he would find ways to work with Trump administration if electedNorthbound Loop 101 Pima Freeway reopens near Tempe-Scottsdale border after crash‘Really hypocritical’: Jay Feely hits Amish Shah on data centers but agrees on water policyPinal County Sheriff’s Office investigating death of 19-year-old man