The first tranche of athletes named to the New Zealand team for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games includes four from Wānaka.

They are reigning 2023 Snowboard Slopestyle Junior World Champion Lucia Georgalli (16), snowboarder Campbell Melville Ives (17), and freeskiers Luke Harrold (15) and Fin Melville Ives (17).

“Finding out I was selected for the Youth Olympic Team made me feel really stoked," Lucia said.

"I am excited to experience the Olympic village and meet other athletes from all around the world. Winning Junior World Champs earlier this year was an important moment in my career and gives me a lot of confidence going into the Youth Olympic Games.”

The full tranche includes snowboarders Txema Mazet-Brown (17), Ava Beer (15), Joshua Li (13 - the youngest snow sports athlete on the team and one of the youngest athletes at the Games); freeskiers Mischa Thomas (15), Fergus McArthur (17), Madeleine Disbrowe (15), and Liam Richards (15); and Ski Cross athlete Campbell Appel (17).

This group of athletes has recorded a slew of incredible results over the past year. In addition to the 2023 Junior World Championship podiums, Fin Melville Ives has achieved two sixth place finishes at World Cup level, Luke Harrold has claimed numerous European and North American Cup podiums and Ava Beer rode her way to a second-place finish at the World Rookie Tour Finals.

“We’re really pleased to have begun naming our team for Gangwon and are excited at the potential of these young athletes,” NZ Olympic Committee CEO Nicki Nicol said.

“I had the pleasure of seeing many of them in action at Winter Games NZ earlier this year and I’m looking forward to seeing them show the world what they can do early next year.”

Snow Sports NZ CEO Nic Cavanagh also congratulated the athletes, saying: “These athletes represent the future of our sport, and we wish them all the best as they continue to grow New Zealand’s reputation as a dominant force in the disciplines of freestyle skiing and snowboarding”.

"Following multiple podium success at this year’s FIS Junior World Championships, these athletes are ranked amongst the best age group athletes for their chosen disciplines. We look forward to them wearing the fern and representing New Zealand with pride when they compete in South Korea.”

The freestyle ski and snowboard selections are conditional on receiving an official FIS (International Ski Federation) quota place for the games. If the quotas are received and the event entries are not exceeded, the following athletes will be able to start in the following events: Cam Melville Ives ( Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air), Fin Melville Ives (Men’s Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air), Luke Harrold (Men’s Freeski Halfpipe) and Ava Beer (Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe.

Further Gangwon 2024 selections will take place ahead of the Games with alpine, ice figure skating, luge, and curling athletes working towards the team.

The Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place in Gangwon, South Korea from January 19 – February 1, 2024.

PHOTO: Supplied