She was abandoned as a baby in China and adopted by an American couple at around 16 months. Her official FIS profile does not even have an exact birth date, just “2004”. Her Wikipedia page says she may be 17 or 18 years old. Now, Kai Owens hopes to return to the country of her birth as an Olympian representing the United States of America. Owens was abandoned by her birth parents in a town square and was sent to an orphanage in Anhui province. She was adopted on October 10, 2005, by Amy and John Owens, a date they call “Gotcha Day”. She grew up in Vail, Colorado and said she would spend time connecting with her Chinese heritage. Owens is now in the mix to return to China in February as part of the US moguls ski team for the Beijing Olympics, possibly to be discovered again. “I learned some Mandarin,” she told People magazine. “It’s always been an important part of myself for me. And being able to go back [for the Olympics] would be just incredible.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kai (@_kaiowens) For decades from the 1980s, China limited most couples to one child – which the Owens family says is as good a guess as any as to why their daughter was left in the town square. Figures from China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs show that in 2012 some 570,000 children, mostly girls, were abandoned. At around 14, Owens became the youngest American to win a NorAm moguls competition and was named the women’s 2021 moguls rookie of the year as part of the Freeski World Cup Awards. She said it was a special time in her life, especially because it came with a new addition to the family. “That day was also very special for my family and I because we welcomed a new puppy into our family. He is a lilac French bulldog named Mochi. I woke up that morning of the competition and had already won because I got a puppy,” Owens said in an interview with governing body FIS. With the Beijing Games now just three weeks away, Owens admitted to a mix of excitement and emotion on what a return to China would mean. “I would love the opportunity to compete in China, which is my birth country. And I would also really like to compete in France. So fingers crossed that I will make it to both,” she said. “That would just mean the world to me. I think it would just be a reflection of my hard work and my stars aligning. And I think it would just be a huge deal and so special for me and my community. I think it would reinforce how lucky I am and that I get to do what I love and be good at it.” Kai Owens put the world on notice this season on the @FISfreestyle World Cup tour to earn Rookie of the Year! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DinjF06nAk — U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) April 2, 2021 To this day, Owens says she knows nothing about why she was left, but would like to know the reason and the circumstances surrounding her abandonment. “I think it would be definitely emotional – emotional and tough for me to kind of face them. But I would,” she said in a November interview. “I would definitely tell them, ‘yeah, I’m all right’.”