NORTHERN ITALY — It’s the final three days of the Milan and Cortina Winter Olympics and a local Olympian is taking to the slopes and the air on Friday.
Pittsford native and gold medalist Chris Lillis is competing now in the men’s aerial freestyle skiing qualifiers. The event was postponed twice because of heavy snow in Livigno, but it finally got underway on Friday. Live coverage started at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Peacock. After that, the finals round for the top 12 athletes is expected to begin around 7:30 a.m.
Lillis, 27, is competing in his second Olympics. In Beijing, he won gold in the aerial freestyle skiing team event. He’s currently among the top-ranked aerial freestyle skiers in the world. On the World Cup circuit, he’s been on the podium at least 12 times, winning three, according to his Team USA bio.
Unlike Beijing, Lillis will get to compete in front of fans this year and interact with other athletes without worrying about the COVID-19 pandemic. News10NBC spoke with Lillis about how he got into aerial skiing and how he’s preparing to compete. We also spoke with Lillis’ parents about how their children got into aerial skiing and their support for Lillis.
Watch party at Bristol Mountain
Bristol Mountain, where Lillis began his career as a freestyle team member, is hosting a watch party to cheer him on. Doors will open at 7 a.m. at Bristol’s Rocket Lodge, ahead of the finals round that starts at 7:30 a.m. Admission is free and food and drinks will be available to buy.
In a statement, Dan Fuller, President of Bristol Mountain, said: “We are incredibly proud to see Chris Lillis competing at the Winter Olympics. His hard work and perseverance embody the very best of Aerial Freestyle and our community.”
How does the aerial freestyle event work?
The qualifying round consists of two jumps, according to NBC. At the end of the first jump, the top six skiers advance directly to the final. All remaining skiers take a second jump but are not allowed to repeat the same maneuver they did in the first jump.
At the end of the second jump, six more skiers advance to the final. Skiers can advance based on either their first- or second-jump score, whichever is higher. Scores don’t carry over to the final rounds.
Webster’s Haley Winn and other BK grads are gold medalists
Webster native defender Haley Winn and four other Bishop Kearney graduates are now gold medalists after Team USA’s thrilling overtime victory against Canada on Thursday in women’s hockey. The game was 1-1 after the end of regulation, before Megan Keller scored and secured the victory.
Team USA has finished the tournament undefeated, shutting out Italy in the quarterfinals, Sweden in the semifinals, and winning all of its group stage games. Winn scored her first Olympic goal against Switzerland in the group stages and later scored an assist against Canada.
Bishop Kearney brought the Rochester community together to cheer on its graduates with a watch party at Barry’s Pub in Fairport. For Team USA, Winn, Caroline Harvey (defender) of New Hampshire, Laila Edwards (forward) of Ohio, Kirsten Simms (forward) of Michigan, and Ava McNaughton (goalie) of Pennsylvania all graduated from Bishop Kearney. In addition, goalie Michaela Hesová, who competes for Czechia, and Nina Christof and Jule Schiefer, who both compete for Germany, graduated from Bishop Kearney.
Bishop Kearney has been a longtime powerhouse in girls’ hockey, attracting talent from across the world. At a watch party last week, News10NBC spoke with some of the student-athletes at Bishop Kearney about what the school’s Olympic success means to them.
When you watched the gold medal game, you may have seen three people dressed in matching Team USA-themed outfits and cheering in unison. Those are Winn’s brothers, who have turned into a viral sensation. News10NBC spoke with them about their support for their sister, how they got into hockey, and where they get their outfits.
How did Ontario County’s Dylan Walczyk do?
Dylan Walczyk, a former Bristol Mountain athlete who also competed in Beijing, finished 13th in the finals of men’s moguls last week and made it to the quarterfinals of the dual moguls on Sunday.
For moguls, a skier will get a score of up to 100 points, which is based 60% on turns, 20% on air, and 20% on speed. Walczyk earned a score of 77.62 in the moguls finals on Thursday, Feb. 12, but fell short of making it to the second round, reserved for only the top eight finishers. Australia’s Cooper Woods took the gold medal for moguls, followed by Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury with silver, and Japan’s Ikuma Horishima with bronze.
In dual moguls, which made its Olympic debut this year, skiers compete side-by-side on the course and only one moves on. Walczyk beat South Korea’s Yoonseung Lee, then Australia’s George Murphy, but lost to Horishima, who went on win silver and add another medal to his collection. Kingsbury won gold after defeating Horishima in the finals, giving him his fifth Olympic medal. Australia’s Matt Graham won bronze.
Other local connections to the Olympics
There are other Rochester connections to the Winter Olympics. Emily Renna, a Fairport native, was chosen as an alternate athlete for women’s bobsled for Team USA. She finished fourth at the 2025 World Championships for the two-woman bobsleigh.
In addition, Erin Zach, a 2014 graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, is serving as a linesperson for women’s hockey during the Olympics. She played hockey for RIT.
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