Vernon’s Hill and Kelowna’s Critchlow headed to South Korea

More Okanagan athletes bound for Olympics

TORONTO (CP) — Veteran Jasey-Jay Anderson was among 13 snowboarders named Thursday to Canada’s Olympic team for the Pyeongchang Games.

The 42-year-old from Mont-Tremblant, Que., will be competing in his sixth Olympics. He won gold in men’s parallel giant slalom at the Vancouver Games in 2010.

Anderson made his Olympic debut at Nagano in 1998 when snowboarding first appeared at a Winter Games. He’ll be the first Canadian to compete at six different Winter Games, the COC and Snowboard Canada said in a release.

Darren Gardner of Burlington, Ont., will also represent Canada in parallel giant slalom.

The snowboardcross roster includes Kevin Hill of Vernon and Tess Critchlow of Kelowna, plus Meryeta O’Dine of Prince George, Calgary’s Chris Robanske, Baptiste Brochu of Saguenay, Que., Carle Brenneman of Comox and Zoe Bergermann of Erin, Ont.

In halfpipe, 16-year-old Elizabeth Hosking of Longueuil, Que., was named to the team. She’ll be the youngest athlete on the entire Canadian team in Pyeongchang.

Derek Livingston of Aurora, Ont., Mercedes Nicoll of Whistler and Toronto’s Carlynn Irwin will also compete in halfpipe.

The athletes were selected based on their performances in World Cup and world championship events between July 1, 2016 and Jan. 21, 2018.

Seven other snowboarders — in slopestyle and big air — were named to the Olympic team on Jan. 9, including Olympic bronze medallist Mark McMorris of Regina.

Hill and Critchlow will be joining several other Okanagan athletes in South Korea — a list that includes Kelowna’s Kelsey Serwa (ski cross), Lake Country’s Ian Deans (ski cross, alternate), Kelowna’s Julia Ransom (biathlon) and Summerland’s Justin Kripps (bobsled).