COLORADO SPRINGS — Dozens of athletes with ties to Colorado will bring their all at The Winter Olympics this year.
With our state's mountain geography, it's no surprise that some of the specialties include skiing and snowboarding, but there are also a number of other winter sports Coloradans are planning to compete in.
Colorado was also the third state with the most Olympic athletes this year, it also is the state with the most Olympians per capita with 5.9 athletes per million population.
Throughout the games, we will track how many medals Colorado athletes won at this Olympic Games.
Learn more about the winners below:
Brandon Frazier | Figure skating| Colorado Springs
Frazier, along with his pair Alexa Knierim, are favorites among the figure skating pairs. The two train in California and Frazier’s hometown is Colorado Springs.
The road to the Olympics was bumpy for the couple — he tested positive for COVID-19 and they had to withdraw from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and petition for a spot at the Winter Games.
“I never imagined it like it actually went down last night,” Frazier told the Associated Press four days after testing positive.
That petition was granted, and Frazier said he “hugged the crap” out of a pillow in his hotel room.
Frazier took home a silver medal in the Figure Skating Team Event.
Jaelin Kauf | Freestyle skiing | Vail
Kauf, who was born in Vail and now calls Wyoming home, competed in her first Olympic Games in 2018 in PyeongChang, where she placed seventh, according to Team USA.
The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club member is an expert in moguls and comes from a family that knows the terrain well. Both her parents were previously on the pro mogul tour.
In 2016, she was named the rookie of the year during the 2016 World Cup tour.
Kauf finished second Sunday in freestyle moguls and will bring home a silver medal.
Julia Marino | Snowboarding | Breckenridge
Julia Marino was the first person from Team USA to medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, earning a silver medal.
Originally, from the east coast, Marino now calls Breckenridge home.
She has medaled seven times in the X-Games. She also was part of the 2018 team at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics but placed 11th in the Slopestyle event.
Nicole Hensley | Hockey | Lakewood
This 27-year-old from Lakewood started playing hockey when she was 7 years old after seeing her neighbor play in the street. Now, she’s returning for her second Olympics with the USA Hockey Team after winning gold in 2018.
In the 2018 final against Canada, the U.S. women won 3-2 in a shootout.
Hensley started as a player and after a few times trying goalie, realized she loved that position the most, according to Team USA.
She said she loves competing against the best players in the world and keeping the puck out of her net.
Hensley was born in Littleton.
U.S. women lost to Canada in the gold medal match. They will bring home the silver medal.
Alex Ferreira | Freestyle skiing (halfpipe) | Aspen
He collected a pair of world cup podium finishes in Alberta in early January, securing his spot at the Winter Olympics. He was the 2018 Olympic silver medalist in PyeongChang.
According to Team USA, the 27-year-old won the U.S. Grand Prix and then the Dew Tour, both at Copper Mountain.
He is a member of the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club and Ski & Snowboard Club in Vail.
Ferreira finished 3rd in the men's freestyle halfpipe.
Sylvia Hoffman | Bobsled | Colorado Springs
During the Winter Games Sylvia won Silver during the bobsled event along with her partner Elana Meyers-Taylor.
Originally from Texas, Hoffman now calls Colorado Springs home where she trains alongside numerous summer and winter Olympic athletes.
This was Hoffman's first Olympic Games, and first medal.
