US Olympic ski jumper from Illinois dead at 24
BULL VALLEY, Ill. - Olympic ski jumper Patrick Gasienica, who competed for the United States last year in the Beijing Games, has died. He was 24.
Gasienica died after being involved in a motorcycle accident on Monday night in the village of Bull Valley, located in Chicago’s far northwestern suburbs, according to the Bull Valley Police Department.
"Patrick was an incredible competitor, teammate and friend," USA Nordic posted on Twitter.
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Gasienica finished 49th and 53rd in individual events at the Beijing Olympics, and was 10th in a team competition with Casey Larson, Kevin Bickner and Decker Dean.
Patrick Gasienica of the United States jumps during the first round of the ski jumping competition at the U.S. Nordic Combined & Ski Jump Olympic Trials on December 25, 2021 in Lake Placid, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
"We don’t really have a lot of jumpers, but it’s getting better," Gasienica said last year in China. "Especially since the pandemic, a lot of different kids are joining the different clubs around America. Hopefully in a couple of years — five, 10, maybe — we’ll have a really, really great team."
Gasienica, who was born in Oak Park, developed as a young ski jumper at the Norge Ski Club about 40 miles northwest of Chicago.
According to an obituary, Gasienica is survived by his parents, Jolanta and Wojciech, and his two sisters, Megan and Sabina.