Teenage triplets Helaina, Henniyah, and Henri IV Rivers all represent Jamaica in ski racing. This winter, the siblings pursued a long-held family dream—initially inspired by their father’s early encounter with skis—to qualify for the Olympics and motivate other Black athletes in the largely white sport of ski racing.
Despite racing more than 20 times since November, the sisters, Helaina and Henniyah, ultimately missed earning an Olympic spot over the weekend. Although their personal quest to race alongside their brother at the Milan Cortina Olympics is over, their support for Henri IV remains strong.
Next month, the entire “Team Rivers” will still travel to Bormio, Italy, where Henri IV is set to compete in the slalom, with his sisters present in the stands to cheer him on.
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Their father, Henri, said in a phone interview with the Associated Press, “I just told them how proud I was of everything that they’ve done up to this point. 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.”
Born only minutes apart in Brooklyn, the 18-year-old triplets have been racing internationally in lower-level competitions. Their goal is to qualify for the technical skiing events, such as slalom and giant slalom.
The triplets failed to qualify for Cortina, the location of the women’s races that will include Mikaela Shiffrin and 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn.
Their last chance came during a slalom race held over the weekend at New Hampshire’s Proctor Ski Area. Henniyah finished 55th, and while Helaina advanced to the second run, she did not complete it. They also could not sufficiently lower their ranking to earn a spot.
“They look at it like, ‘Oh, I didn’t make it,’” their father revealed. “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.”
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The family will travel to Italy in two weeks to support Henri IV. They will be there to watch him participate in the opening ceremony, sporting his new Team Jamaica attire, and later to cheer him on during his slalom competition on February 16.
“No way we wouldn’t be there for that,” the father said.
After the Olympics, the triplets will focus on the World Alpine Junior Ski Championships, scheduled to be held in Norway from March 5 -15. Their long-term goal is to train for the 2030 Winter Games, which will take place in the French Alps.
Their father, who is the president of the National Brotherhood of Snowsports (NBS)—an organization supporting athletes of color in winter sports—expressed confidence in the future.
“They can see what’s going to happen,” he stated. “So 2030, they’re going to all represent. They’ll all make it.”
“They’ve got several more opportunities ahead of them.”
