Top figure skater, bobsledders among D.C.-area natives headed to Milan Olympics with Team USA

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced its complete 232-person roster for the upcoming Winter Games in Milan, with a handful of D.C.-area natives leading the charge. 

Figure skater Ilia Malinin, a 21-year-old from Vienna, Virginia, who attends George Mason University, is the region’s biggest star. He’s a gold-medal favorite in one of the Games’ most prestigious events. 

The Fairfax, Virginia, native has gone viral for incorporating quad axels and backflips into his routine —- Malinin is the only skater in the world to land both maneuvers in competition. He has won gold medals in 14 consecutive events. Olympic gold is next in his path. 

He’s joined by five other skaters and sledders from the District, Maryland and Virginia. 

Bryan Sosoo and Carten Vissering of Laurel and Bethesda, Maryland, respectively, will represent Team USA in the bobsled competition. Brandon Kim of Fairfax will race in the short-track speedskating, while the District’s Conor McDermott-Mostowy hunts for gold in the long-track. 

Skeleton racer Mystique Ro — a former collegiate track athlete from Nokesville, Virginia — rounds out the Capital Region’s Olympic contingent for Team USA. 

The American roster also features Lindsey Vonn and bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor, who are among the seven Americans making their fifth trip to the games.

Other five-timers are hockey player Hilary Knight, figure skater Evan Bates and snowboarders Faye Thelen and Nick Baumgartner.

Meyers Taylor leads a group of 33 returning medalists. She has won three silver medals and two bronze, while Humphries has taken three gold. Skier Mikaela Shiffrin and snowboarder Chloe Kim have two golds each.

The team consists of 117 men and 115 women ranging in age from 15 (freeskier Abby Winterberger) to 54 (curler Rich Ruohonen).

“While we honor their individual excellence, and the undeniable strength of the full team, we also recognize that no athlete reaches this moment without the support of a broad community that supported and believed in them, both on and off the field of play,” Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said in a statement.

The opening ceremony is set for Feb. 6 in Milan, with some competition beginning Feb. 4.

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.