Curlers Vicky Persinger and Colin Hufman of Fairbanks are co-winners of our Alaska Athlete of the Week award after becoming the first Alaskans to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Both will be first-time Olympians.
Persinger, 29, earned a berth in mixed doubles at a qualifying curling event in the Netherlands, in a tense showdown against Russian opponents.
Hufman, 37, is going to the games as an alternate on the U.S. Men’s Team.
Persinger won bronze in the 2019 U.S. National Championships, one of many career highlights to date.
Hufman, who now resides in St. Paul, Minnesota, won silver last year in the Men’s National Championships, among numerous other highlights.
The Olympians played together in the Fairbanks Curling Club, the oldest organized sports group in Alaska, established in 1905.
The Alaska Athlete of the Week is selected by a panel each Monday.
Have a candidate in mind? Email us your nomination: info@alaskasportshall.org