For the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, For The Win is helping you get to know some of the star Olympians competing on the world’s biggest stage. Leading up to the Opening Ceremony, we’re highlighting 15 Team USA athletes we think you should get to know. Up next is alpine skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle.
Vermont native Ryan Cochran-Siegle made his Olympic debut in 2018 debut at the Pyeongchang Games, finishing outside the top 10 in the giant slalom, super-G and downhill events.
Since then, he won his first World Cup race in the super-G back in December of 2020 and has had some noteworthy performances in the past few months on the slopes.
So ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, here are some things to know about the 29-year-old skier.
Barbara Cochran is a member of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. In fact, her family became known as the “Skiing Cochrans” given their prowess on the slopes. She won gold at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo.
Slopeside Syrup is run by the Cochran family, and when Ryan isn’t skiing, he’s working on his cousin’s maple syrup farm. From an interview with NBC:
Depending on the time of year it typically involves either boiling maple syrup or pulling taps from trees once the sap run has finished. For me it’s less of a job and more of a way to come home and help out with my cousin’s family business. It’s also a great way to be productive while spending time outside in the woods with family, exploring our Cochran family land.
A fracture of his seventh cervical vertebra in his spine wasn’t healing right after a crash in Austria, so he underwent fusion in February 2021 and returned to the slopes that May, per ABC News, adding:
“The only holding back is more just like mental, it’s not about injury, it’s about wanting to perform well,” Cochran-Siegle said. “I have to address that in order to overcome that, trusting the healing. I am healthy and I know that.”
He switched from Rossignol to HEAD skis, which means he’s had to adjust. From SkiRacing.com:
In the spring he made the switch from long-time ski sponsor Rossignol to HEAD, landing none other than Heinz Hämmerle – famous for servicing many winning skis for Lindsey Vonn – as his technician. Adjusting to all new gear takes time, though. U.S. Men’s Head Coach Forest Carey equates it to a racecar switching to all-new tires.
“Ryan is such a hard worker, such a disciplined guy and an amazing skier,” Carey said before Saturday’s race. “[He] is skiing well and adjusting to his new gear well. We are focusing on good skiing, and results will come.”
Names like Marco Odermatt from Switzerland and Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde are among the favorites, but Cochran-Siegle could find himself competing for a spot on the podium.
Men’s alpine skiing events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics start on Feb. 6.
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