Jonna Mendes

{{short description|American alpine skier}}

{{Distinguish|Jonna Mendez}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2014}}

{{Infobox alpine ski racer

|name = Jonna Mendes

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|disciplines = Downhill, super-G

|club = Heavenly Ski &
Snowboard Fnd

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|3|21}}

|birth_place = Santa Cruz, California

|height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}

|wcdebut = March 7, 1997 (age 17)

|retired = May 2006 (age 27){{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K8E8AAAAIBAJ&sjid=FC4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4542%2C589234 |newspaper=Bangor Daily News |location=Maine |title=U.S. skier Jonna Mendes retires |date=May 3, 2006 |page=C5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.skiracing.com/stories/world-championships-medalist-jonna-mendes-retires-after-10-seasons|publisher=Ski Racing.com|title=World Championships medalist Jonna Mendes retires after 10 seasons|date=May 2, 2006|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}

|website =

|olympicteams = 2 – (1998, 2002)

|olympicmedals = 0

|olympicgolds =

|worldsteams = 4 – (1999–2005)

|worldsmedals = 1

|worldsgolds = 0

|wcseasons = 9 – (1998–2006)

|wcwins =

|wcpodiums = 0

|wcoveralls = 0 – (25th in 2003)

|wctitles = 0 – (13th in SG, 2003)

|medals =

{{MedalSport | Women's alpine skiing}}

{{MedalCountry | the {{nowrap|United States}} }}

{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}

{{MedalBronze|2003 St. Moritz|Super G}}

{{MedalCompetition|Junior World Ski Championships}}

{{MedalSilver| {{nowrap|1999 Pra-Loup}} |{{nowrap|Downhill}}}}

{{MedalSilver| {{nowrap|1998 Megève}} |{{nowrap|Downhill}}}}

|show-medals = yes

}}

Jonna Mendes (born March 31, 1979) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. She specialized in the speed events and raced for nine seasons on the World Cup circuit. Mendes competed in two Winter Olympics and four World Championships. She was the bronze medalist in the Super G at the 2003 World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.{{cite web|url=http://www.mountainzone.com/2003/alpine/story/st_moritz/html/wsg.html |publisher=MountainZone.com|agency=(U.S. Ski Team)|title=Clark, Mendes medal in Super-G| date=February 3, 2003|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}

Born in Santa Cruz on the California coast, Mendes began skiing at age four when her family moved to the Lake Tahoe area in the Sierra Nevada mountains. She made her World Cup debut in March 1997 and retired from international competition in May 2006.

Mendes won four U.S. titles: two in giant slalom (2001, 2002) and two in downhill (2004, 2005). The first came at The Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h6lJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SQ4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6065%2C3847923 |newspaper=Bangor Daily News |location=Maine |agency=Associated Press |last=Corte |first=Tim |title=GS victory surprises Mendes |date=March 28, 2001 |page=C4 }} but was followed by a broken foot the next day, incurred in a crash near the end of her second run in the slalom.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E0IgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eH8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5051%2C3615894 |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |location=Florida |title=Mendes crashes, needs surgery |date=March 29, 2001 |page=3C }} She repeated the next year at Squaw Valley,.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RG05AAAAIBAJ&sjid=eykMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3007%2C17754036 |newspaper=Fayetteville Observer |location=North Carolina |agency=wire services |title=Mendes wins Giant Slalom title |date=March 19, 2002 |page=6C}} She won her first downhill title at Alyeska in Alaska, and won again at Mammoth, in California, the following year.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GwtPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3R8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2629%2C818600 |newspaper=Star-News |location=Wilmington, North Carolina |title=Freidmann captures downhill title |date=March 20, 2004 |page=3C }}{{cite news|url=https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/sports/the-winner-and-still-u-s-downhill-champion-tahoes-jonna-mendes/|newspaper=Tahoe Daily Tribune|location=South Lake Tahoe|title=The winner and still U.S. downhill champion: Tahoe's Jonna Mendes|date=April 3, 2005|accessdate=April 17, 2024}}