US moguls skier Kai Owens ready for return to China, where she was abandoned as infant

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Kai Owens will represent the U.S. at the Beijing Winter Olympics next week as a moguls skier, returning to the country where she was born.

Owens, 17, was abandoned at a town square in a Chinese province as an infant. She was taken to an orphanage and adopted by a Colorado couple when she was 16 months old. She told TMZ Sports earlier this week she was solely focused on the Games but was going to try and take in as much as she can.

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The United States' Kai Owens reacts after a run in the finals of a World Cup freestyle moguls competition at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

"I'm just trying to explore everything I can and enjoy the moment," she said.

She said she and her family will try to get back to the Chinese province where she was abandoned once the coronavirus pandemic dies down.

"Right now, I'm mainly focused on competing, but my family and I have plans to return to China once COVID allows us to, to kind of go back to the province that I was born in and maybe do some birth parents research," she told TMZ Sports. "My primary goal for this trip is the Olympic games, but I'm definitely hoping to do a cultural experience later this year."

United States' Kai Owens watches scores after competing in the finals of a World Cup freestyle moguls competition at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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She told the Associated Press everything will become "full circle" for her once she steps off the plane in Beijing.

"It becomes full circle when I step off that plane in China. When my skis touch the snow in China, it’s going to be a really special moment for me because I get to ski in the Olympic Games in my birth country. It’s crazy how life works," she said.

United States' Kai Owens holds her skis after competing in the finals of a World Cup freestyle moguls competition at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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Owens has been a rising star in the skiing ranks. She was the youngest American to win a North American moguls competition, doing it at 14 years old. She was the Rookie of the Year in 2021.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.