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Hill heading to Olympics

Vernon’s Kevin Hill returning to Winter Olympics in snowboardcross
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Vernon’s Kevin Hill has been named to Canada’s Olympic snowboardcross team that will compete in South Korea next month. (Canadian Olympic Committee photo)

Kevin Hill is returning to the Olympics.

Vernon’s Hill is among the 13 athletes and seven coaches nominated to represent Team Canada in snowboardcross, halfpipe and parallel giant slalom at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea next month.

“I honestly don’t put much pressure on myself going into the Games but I have one thing on my mind and that’s getting on the podium,” said Hill, who was eighth in snowboardcross in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

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“For that to happen it has to be my day where everything lines up in place just like X Games 2015 (won gold medal): you wake up, you feel good, your starts are perfect and you ride like no one can touch you all day. I know that the entire team is going to shine and make Canada proud.”

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Joining Hill on Team Canada in snowboardcross in Korea will be fellow B.C. athletes Tess Critchlow (Kelowna) and Carle Brenneman (Comox).

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canada Snowboard officially announced the team Thursday morning. They join the seven athletes previously nominated to compete in Slopestyle and Big Air.

The athletes were selected based on their performances in FIS World Cup and World Championship events between July 1, 2016 and January 21, 2018.

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Champion Jasey-Jay Anderson will be the first Canadian to compete at six Olympic Winter Games, having been a member of every team since snowboard was introduced at Nagano 1998.

Before departing for PyeongChang, the snowboardcross athletes will compete in Bansko, Bulgaria and in Feldberg, Germany. The parallel giant slalom athletes will also compete in Bansko while the halfpipe team will be training in Calgary.

With seven medals in only five Olympic Games, Canada is one of the top snowboarding nations in the world. Canada has won at least one Olympic medal in every snowboard discipline except halfpipe and Big Air, which will debut in PyeongChang.

Snowboard halfpipe, snowboardcross, and parallel giant slalom will take place at Phoenix Snow Park. Parallel giant slalom will take place Feb. 10-12 (Days 1-3), Halfpipe Feb. 12-14 (Days 3-5), and snowboardcross Feb. 15-16 (Days 6-7).