The wait finally ended over for Madison, Wisconsin, native Anna Hoffmann when she was officially added to Team USA. After the U.S. women’s team failed to earn enough points in qualifying competitions to send their athletes to the 2022 Winter Olympics, two nations returned a quota spot and four of the top five alternate nations declined spots, according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, allowing “Squirt” Hoffmann to be the lone female ski jumper to punch her ticket to the Games.
The 21-year-old has been on skis since she was two years old at the Blackhawk Ski Club in the town of Middleton, Wisconsin, and has made four appearances at the Junior World Championships. She placed 51st in the individual event in 2020.
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Hoffmann will be the only woman competing for Team USA in ski jumping when she makes her Olympic ski jumping debut in Beijing. Originally the sixth alternate, Hoffmann joined the Olympic team as a late entry, securing her berth by holding off fellow U.S. ski jumping teammate Logan Sankey at Trials on the women’s normal hill competition. With a jump of 90.5 meters earning 113 points, Hoffmann posted the longest jump in the competition by 2 meters.
View social media post: https://twitter.com/usanordic/status/1486024175995146240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E148602417599514624
To Hoffmann, the highlight of joining Team USA as a nomination from USA Nordic Sport was telling her mom the exciting news. Turning this special moment into a viral hit, Hoffmann posted the phone call with her mom to her TikTok account which got over one million views.
View social media post: https://www.tiktok.com/@hoffmann__anna/video/7057206765477219631?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en
Women’s ski jumping joined the Winter Olympic sports roster in 2014. And with Hoffmann’s inclusion as the only woman competing for Team USA in the women’s individual normal hill, she continues the United States’ stretch of being represented in all three Games.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, three female ski jumpers made up the U.S. squad. It was two of the women’s first time competing at the Olympic level. In a statement, Hoffmann told the Wisconsin State Journal she hopes future qualifications for athletes in ski jumping won't be as “difficult” as she experienced.
“More qualifying spots and more women’s events would help the cause for everyone,” Hoffmann said.
Now, the umbrella of USA Nordic Sport is in a period of rebuilding and growth after several top U.S. female ski jumpers recently retired. Making way for new faces to break U.S. records on the ramp, Hoffmann has quickly emerged as an up-and-coming athlete to look out for during these Games and she has been competing as a full-time athlete for just three years. Things are just starting to heat up.
Don't miss Hoffman compete on Feb. 5 at 4:45 a.m. EST in the individual normal hill competition, which remains the lone women’s event in the sport.