Although the Winter Olympics doesn’t officially start until Friday, Feb. 6, there are a few events that begin early to see which countries qualify for competition.

"This is the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best that we can be – together," she added.

The 24-year-old von Allmen, who is the reigning World Champion in the downhill, beat out Italy's Giovanni Franzoni by .20 for his first Olympic gold medal with a time of 1:51.61.