Starting Thursday, hundreds of athletes will get a chance to do something many only dreamed of: represent Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics that take place once every four years.
With competitions in various sports like bobsledding, hockey and speedskating, nine athletes in Beijing this year have ties to the state of Florida and have a chance to bring home the gold medal.
They may not be a large group, but each of the athletes from the Sunshine State have a mission this year and quite the story about going from sunshine and sand to ice and glory.
Here’s a look at the athletes from Florida representing Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympics:
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Frank Del Duca, Bobsled (Hometown: Fort Lauderdale)
Del Duca was born and spent part of his youth in South Florida before moving to South Carolina and later Maine, where he eventually got involved with bobsledding. He had placed in several World Championship events, including fourth place in Lake Placid in December 2017, to help qualify for his first Olympics.
Steven Kampfer, Men’s Ice Hockey (Hometown: Hollywood)
While he may not be a South Florida native after living most of his life in the state of Michigan, the Hollywood resident brings some hardware with him for his first Olympics. In 2011, he spent his rookie season in the NHL helping the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup while also bringing home two NCAA championships from his time at the University of Michigan.
Nick Page, Freestyle Skiing (Hometown: Hollywood)
The 19-year-old was born in the Broward County city before eventually working his way out west, residing in Salt Lake City to prepare for his first Olympics. He is the first American to attempt a cork 1440 in World Cup competition and the second to do so in International Ski Federation competition. Page is the youngest man to ever win a moguls NorAm event.
2022 Winter Olympics
Brittany Bowe, Speedskating Long Track (Hometown: Ocala)
After a youth career that included soccer, basketball and inline skating before playing college basketball at Florida Atlantic, Bowe returned to the world of speed skating and won the bronze medal in the 1000 meters distance in the 2013 World Single Distance Championship.
She won the gold medal in the 2015 championship, but the highlight would be her time in the 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeonchang Olympics where she competed in the 500 meters, 1000 meters and 1500 meters.
Erin Jackson, Speedskating Long Track (Hometown: Ocala)
The University of Florida graduate spent time competing in both inline skating and roller derby before moving into the world of speedskating in time for the 2018 Pyeonchang Olympics for Team USA.
Jackson will have a chance to be in Beijing thanks to Bowe’s decision to step down from competing in the 500 meters event, allowing Jackson to take part in representing Team USA.
Mia Manganello Kilburg, Speedskating Long Track (Hometown: Crestview)
The daughter of Italian restaurant owners in Florida’s panhandle, Kilburg moved to Salt Lake City as a teenager and blossomed as an athlete. After spending five years as a professional cyclist, she returned to speedskating in 2016 and medaled in several World Championships. This will be her second Olympics after being a part of Team USA for the 2018 Pyeonchang Olympics.
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Joe Mantia, Speedskating Long Track (Hometown: Ocala)
Much like both Bowe and Jackson, the Ocala native had a career in inline skating before turning to the ice and medaling in several World Cup events and World Single Distance Championships. Beijing will be the third Olympics for Mantia, who competed in three events in Sochi and finished 4th place in the 1000 meters in Pyeonchang.
Nathan Smith, Men’s Ice Hockey (Hometown: Hudson)
Smith went from watching the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup as a young child to winning two straight NCAA championships. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets and will be competing in his first Olympics this year.
Joshua Williamson, Bobsled (Hometown: Lake Mary)
The Florida State University student transferred to the school after a lacrosse career at Mercer University and started competing in bobsled in 2017. He has taken part in both the four-man North American Cup and World Cup as well as the two-man event ahead of his first Olympics this year
