Three more Tahoe athletes – A.J. Hurt, Maureen “Mo” Lebel and Alix Wilkinson – have been named to Team USA to compete in the XXIV Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Hurt, Lebel and Wilkinson join nine other Tahoe athletes profiled in the last edition of Tahoe Weekly (available at TheTahoeWeekly.com): Jamie Anderson, Bryce Bennett, Keely Cashman, Travis Ganong, Hannah Halvorsen, Nina O’Brien, JC Schoonmaker, Luke Winters and David Wise.
For details on the Olympics and the athletes, visit olympic.org or teamusa.org. The Winter Games will be aired on NBC, with coverage also available on the Olympic Channel at olympicchannel.com.
A.J. Hurt
Age: 21
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Event/Discipline: Slalom | Giant Slalom | Downhill
Hometown: Carnelian Bay
Home Mountain/Team: Team Palisades Tahoe
Olympic Experience: Olympic debut
About: Hurt is a two-time National Alpine Champion. Her father was a ski patroller for Squaw Valley Ski Resort, where she learned to ski. She joined Squaw Valley Ski Team at age 4 and fell in love with skiing. In her free time Hurt loves free skiing, spending time outdoors and hanging out at the beach.
Maureen “Mo” Lebel
Age: 23
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Event/Discipline: Downhill
Hometown: Truckee
Home Mountain/Team: Sugar Bowl Ski Team/Mammoth Mountain Ski Team
Olympic Experience: Olympic debut
About: Lebel grew up skiing on the Sugar Bowl Ski Team and later made the move to Mammoth Mountain Ski Team. She was crowned 2018 U.S. National Downhill Champion. “I had skis below my feet at the age of 2 and started racing at age 5. Chasing down my three older siblings on skis was what excited me about skiing. I had to keep up with them in everything we did and when it came to skiing, I actually could keep up,” she says. Off the hill, you can find Lebel mountain biking, surfing (either behind a boat or in the ocean) and golfing.
Alix Wilkinson
Age: 22
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Event/Discipline: Downhill | Slalom | Giant Slalom
Hometown: Mammoth Lakes
Home Mountain/Team: Team Palisades Tahoe
Olympic Experience: Olympic debut
About: Wilkinson placed 1st in NAC Downhill and 2nd in NAC Super G in Lake Louise, Canada in 2019. When she isn’t skiing, she’s loves mountain biking, hiking and paddling.
Note: Information on athlete bios was provided by Team USA.
