The teenage triplets who represent Jamaica in ski racing will be heading to the Milan Cortina Olympics — one to race and two to cheer him on from the stands.
The bid of Helaina and Henniyah Rivers to earn a spot with their brother, Henri IV, came to a close over the weekend as they fell just short. But Team Rivers will still all be heading to Bormio, Italy, next month to watch Henri IV compete in the slalom.
The triplets were on a quest this winter
to represent their mother’s country of Jamaica at the Olympics and fulfill a family dream that started when their father found a pair of skis and boots in an attic as a kid. They want to be a catalyst to inspire other Black ski racers in what is a predominantly white sport.
Sure, the sisters were disappointed. Since November, they've each competed more than 20 times at races all over in an effort to earn a spot. But it's turned into nothing but support and happiness for their brother.
“I just told them how proud I was of everything that they’ve done up to this point,” their father, Henri, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “It doesn’t matter if you qualify or not, you attempted to and you did your best. You left it out on the slope and that’s it. You do your best every time and wherever the results are, that’s what they are.”
The 18-year-olds born minutes apart in Brooklyn have been all over the globe competing in lower-tier races in an effort to qualify for the technical events, slalom and giant slalom. Their last chance was over the weekend at the Proctor Ski Area in New Hampshire, in a slalom race. Henniyah was 55th while Helaina made it to the second run but didn't finish. They simply ran out of time to lower their ranking enough to earn a place in Cortina, the site of the women's races that will feature Mikaela Shiffrin and 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn.
“They look at it like, ‘Oh, I didn’t make it,’" their father said. “It has nothing to do with that. They persevered. We’ve just been on the road for the last eight weeks and they just stuck it out and they did what they had to do. They came up a little short. That’s OK.”
In two weeks, the family leaves for Italy. They will watch Henri IV walk in the opening ceremony, in his new Team Jamaica gear, and later root for him when he competes Feb. 16 in the slalom.
“No way we wouldn't be there for that,” the father said.
Following the Olympics, the triplets will set their sights on the world Alpine junior ski championships that take place in Norway from March 5-15.
Then, it's training with an eye toward the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.
“They can see what’s going to happen,” said their father, who is the president of the National Brotherhood of Snowsports (NBS), an organization that assists athletes of color in winter sports. “So 2030, they’re going to all represent. They’ll all make it.
"They’ve got several more opportunities ahead of them."
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
