The games just got real for several Bay Area star athletes as Team USA left Los Angeles Thursday and are now on their way to this year’s winter Olympics.
Nearly 100 athletes took off Thursday morning after an official sendoff. It was a sendoff like no other, which included a red carpet at LAX.
The athletes said it’s like one big family trip they’ve been looking forward to.
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“I’m so grateful to represent California,” said Jamie Anderson, who will compete in the snowboarding competitions.
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing features several elite athletes from the golden state, including three figure skaters from the Bay Area and a few snowboarders from Northern and Southern California.
All of them are ready to get out of the bubble they’ve been living in just to get a shot at the gold.
“Life has just been so strict lately, definitely makes going to the Olympics not as enjoyable,” Anderson said.
These athletes face several challenges as they head to the games, including human rights conflicts in china, cybersecurity threats and COVID-19.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, family and friends had to stay behind this year, so players turned to alternative ways of finding support and comfort.
“My parents actually made me a video and it was a tearjerker for me,” said snowboarder Hailey Langland.
Competition begins in just a week and you catch watch coverage across our NBC platforms.
