BULL VALLEY, Ill. – Patrick Gasienica, a ski jumper who competed for the U.S. in last year’s Olympics in Beijing, died in a motorcycle crash on Monday. He was 24.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that Gasienica died while returning to his Illinois home from work, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The crash occurred in Bull Valley, according to the newspaper. He was taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from blunt force trauma, the McHenry County coroner’s office stated.
Gasienica was one of three Norge ski jumpers who represented the U.S. at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He finished 49th on the normal hill competition and 53rd on the large hill, according to the Daily Herald. Team USA finished 10th overall in Beijing.
“Patrick was an incredible competitor, teammate and friend,” the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team posted on Twitter.
Gasienica, who was born in Oak Park, Illinois, developed as a young ski jumper at the Norge Ski Club, located about 40 miles northwest of Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
He began ski jumping when he was 4, in Park City, Utah, according to the Tribune. His family moved to the Chicago suburb of Spring Grove when he was 13, the newspaper reported.
According to a news release from USA Nordic, Gasienica made his FIS Ski Jumping debut in 2015. He represented the U.S. at two FIS World Ski Jumping Championships in 2016 and 2017. Three years later he competed in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, according to the organization.
