BEIJING, China — Several athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, as well as a trainer and a physician for the U.S. women's hockey team, are from Maine or have strong Maine ties. Here's who they are and when they're competing:
Two-man and four-man bobsled
Del Duca, a 30-year-old Bethel native, is a graduate of Telstar High School and the University of Maine.
At Telstar, he played a number of sports and specialized in track. At UMaine, he became a conference champion in the long jump. According to Team USA, Del Duca graduated from UMaine with a degree in kinesiology and physical education.
Del Duca is scheduled to compete in the two-man bobsled on Feb. 14 and 15. He is scheduled to compete in the four-man bobsled on Feb. 19 and 20.
Two-man and four-man bobsled
Born in Indiana and raised in Germany, Reed has a degree in exercise science from the University of Maine, where he was a member of the track and field team.
Reed, 30, is scheduled to compete in the two-man bobsled on Feb. 14 and 15. He is scheduled to compete in the four-man bobsled on Feb. 19 and 20.
Luge
Sweeney, 28, was born in Portland and lived in Windham and Falmouth before moving to Connecticut at age 10. She said her sister, Megan, also a Team USA Olympic luger, got her into the sport. In 2010, Emily lost the final Vancouver Olympic team berth to sister Megan in a special race-off.
Sweeney competed in her first Olympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, crashing during her final run.
Biathlon
Egan, 34, graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School in 2006 before attending Wellesley College and the University of New Hampshire.
Egan could potentially compete in the following biathlon events:
- Mixed relay, Feb. 5
- 15K individual, Feb. 7
- 7.5K sprint, Feb. 11
- 10K pursuit, Feb. 13
- 4x6 relay, Feb. 16
- 12.5K mass start, Feb. 19
Nordic skiing
Laukli, 21, graduated from Yarmouth High School in 2018. Here are six things to know about her.
She is scheduled to compete in the 30K Nordic ski event on Feb. 20.
Defenseman Amalie Andersen and forward Rahel Enzler, both current University of Maine women's hockey players, are playing for Denmark and Switzerland, respectively.
“It was always my childhood dream to play once at the Olympics," Enzler told NEWS CENTER Maine. "You can say it’s a dream that comes true, and I’m pretty excited about that.”
“It was something I would dream of, but I think it was a little bit unrealistic, so I always had it as a dream, but I never thought it would be achievable," Andersen added.
Tereza Vanisova, Vendula Pribylova, and Michelle Weis
Vanisova and Pribylova are on the Czech Republic women's hockey team and Weis plays for Denmark.
All three are former members of the UMaine women's hockey team.
Holesinsky played hockey for UMaine from 2017 to 2020. He is a member of Team Slovakia at the Winter Olympics.
Two Maine sports medicine professionals are treating the U.S. women’s hockey team in Beijing.
Dr. Allyson Howe is the team physician. She works at InterMed in South Portland as a family and sports medicine doctor. This is her third trip to the Olympics. Her first was to Sochi in 2014 with the Olympic Committee. In 2018, she traveled with the U.S. women’s hockey team to Pyeongchang as the team physician, a role she is taking on again in Beijing.
Wayne Lamarre is the director of the University of New England’s athletic training program and a clinical professor. He also worked with the U.S. Women’s National Team at the USA Hockey Women’s Winter Training Camp in Blaine, Minnesota, in December 2015, and has more than 30 years of sports medicine experience. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be Lamarre’s first Olympic experience.
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