LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — John Daly is a step closer to another Olympic berth.
The two-time Olympian is back on the USA Skeleton national team, after finishing off a sweep of the team selection races Saturday at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Daly and Austin Florian were picked as the qualifiers for World Cup spots on the men’s national team, though it remains unclear if the U.S. will slide internationally this winter because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“My goal is to get to the Games, win a medal, and continue working full time,” Daly said. “It’s a lofty goal, but I think I can do it. I have a lot of work to do, a lot to improve on. I’ll need to be efficient every day. But the passion is gone when there’s no racing. Moments go by so quick, and I want to stay with the moment one more time.”
Daly works for the medical sales company Bardy Diagnostics in New York and competed this weekend after having only five training runs on the Lake Placid track. Before that, his last international competition was the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
Megan Henry won the women’s team selection race Saturday to finish off a two-day sweep. She was a lock for the national team, earning a World Cup spot along with four-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender and 2018 Olympian Kendall Wesenberg.
“Anyone can win once, so to do it twice was important to me,” Henry said. “Consistency will be a huge goal for me this season.”
Savannah Graybill will lead the U.S. women on the Intercontinental Cup team, alongside Sara Roderick and Kelly Curtis. The U.S. men selected for the Intercontinenal Cup races were Austin McCrary, Alex Ivanov and Steve Garbett.
McCrary will have a World Cup spot until Daly meets international qualifying standards. He isn’t eligible to compete in World Cup races yet because of his time away from the sport and needs to compete in five races on three different tracks before he can join the top circuit.
