Erik Bjornsen competes at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Italy. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Name: Erik Bjornsen

Events: Cross-Country Skiing, 15 km Skiathalon, Men's Sprint, 15 km,

Stats: 22, 6'2?, 175 pounds

Hometown: Winthrop, Wash.

Olympic Record: None

Background:

The Sochi games marks Bjornsen's debut on the Olympic stage. However, the 22-year-old will not be alone. His older sister Sadie Bjornsen is competing on the women's cross country team.

Bjornsen actually starting out downhill skiing but switched to cross-country skiing after his family found some of the best trails near their hometown in Winthrop, Wash.

When he's not in Sochi, Bjornsen is studying at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, Alaska.

"It's a beautiful place that is very peaceful," said Bjornsen of Alaska. "All my problems and worries seem to go away when I'm miles away from civilization, throwing a hook out into a stream packed with salmon."