OLYMPICS: Alpine-Last feels better than gold for record-breaker Schleper

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – Sarah Schleper finished 26th in Thursday’s women’s Olympic super-G, but the 46-year-old American-Mexican skier said she felt like a gold medallist—or maybe even better.

Schleper, who races for Mexico through her marriage, became the oldest Alpine skier to compete at the Olympics and the first to appear at seven Games. Yet what truly made the moment special was that her 18-year-old son, Lasse Gaxiola, is also competing this year in the men’s events in Bormio. The pair are the first mother and son to compete at the same Olympic Games.

“I must be like the gold medallist here,” Schleper told reporters. “Racing with your son, I guess that’s better than a gold medal.”

Four Games with the U.S. Team

Schleper, a former member of the U.S. ski team who competed at four Games, called herself a late bloomer in the sport. She said she never planned to race alongside her son, but the timing just worked out.

“I think the universe lines up to make your life and your path, if you have a lot of passion, more spectacular than you can ever imagine,” she said.

Though Schleper always loved ski racing, she acknowledged it has been a different experience for her son. Lasse often skied with American peers who were faster but unlikely to qualify for the Olympics, which sometimes intimidated him.

“He thinks that he’s not worthy,” she explained. “He’s like, ‘maybe they’re never going to get to go to the Olympics and I have to race [Swiss World Cup leader Marco] Odermatt and I’m probably going to be 10 seconds behind him.’”

Supporting Her Son

After her giant slalom on Sunday, Schleper plans to drive five hours to Bormio to watch her son compete in slalom on Monday. She admitted she can be embarrassing for him at times.

“I just annoy the hell out of him,” she said. “He’s like, ‘Mom, no, no, no.’ He’s embarrassed about everything. I was the same with my parents.”

Looking Ahead

Schleper hasn’t ruled out continuing to compete.

“I think my body could manage it,” she said about a possible eighth Olympic Games. “The super-G is actually, besides the fear factor, one of the easier events for me … and my points are way better in giant slalom. But for me, the more important thing is to let the younger Mexicans have a shot. Even if I ski faster than them, I’m letting them go … that’s more important to me than the record. But if no one’s going to try, I will.”

-Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Alison Williams/Reuters