The Beijing Winter Olympics is right around the corner and Maine will be represented well by some of our very own champion sportsmen and women.

Earlier in the week, former UMaine Black Bears Frank Del Duca and James Reed earned a spot on the U.S. Bobsled Team for Beijing Olympics, as stated on the Black Bear’s website.

Yesterday, Sophia Laukli earned her spot on a U.S. team, as well.

The 2018 Yarmouth graduate will represent Maine and the United States on the U.S. cross-country ski team at the Beijing Winter Olympics next month.

Her career started off strong in high school when she won every race her senior year in Yarmouth, earning her the title of Varsity Maine Girls’ Skier of The Year, according to the Portland Press Herald.

The Team USA website goes into more depth on her cross-country skiing career, highlighting her time at Middlebury College in Vermont when she went abroad for the 2020 Junior World Championships and finished fifth in the 5K freestyle.

She has worked hard to earn this spot on the U.S. team and we couldn’t be more excited to have Maine represented by multiple talented athletes for the upcoming Olympics.

The 21-year-old will make her debut from Beijing in February, so get ready to cheer her on.

She’s an inspiration to all us Mainers to never stop going after what you want, believe in yourself, and work toward your dream. From one Yarmouth native to another, good luck, Laukli, we’re proud of you.

30 famous people you might not know were college athletes

Stacker dug deep to find 30 celebrities who were previously college athletes. There are musicians, politicians, actors, writers, and reality TV stars. For some, an athletic career was a real, promising possibility that ultimately faded away due to injury or an alternate calling. Others scrapped their way onto a team and simply played for fun and the love of the sport. Read on to find out if your favorite actor, singer, or politician once sported a university jersey.

 

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