History of the Winter Olympics: Mother and son will compete in Milan-Cortina 2026
Sarah Schlepper and her son Lasse Gasiola will make history as the first mother-son duo to compete in alpine skiing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
On Monday, February 16, at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the depth of defeat was on display in a heart-wrenching way.
Atre Lee McGrath, a Vermont-born ski racer competing on behalf of Norway, held a 0.59-second lead in the men’s slalom before starting the second-to-last run of the alpine ski competition.
Shortly after, he missed a gate on the course, leading to a surprising disqualification.
McGrath, 25, threw his ski pole. He put on his ski boots, stepped to the side of the runway, and collapsed onto the snow. He then got up and began marching across the snow to an unknown destination, the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio.
It turned out that McGrath had already suffered heavy losses.
His grandfather suffered from dementia and passed away on the night of the opening ceremony.
After finishing fifth in the giant slalom on Feb. 14, he said, “With all the stress leading up to this championship and losing my grandpa and everything else, I never thought I’d be in the starting spot.” “This was some of the best skiing I’ve ever done, especially the second one today, considering how I felt so far.” …This was one of the toughest weeks of my life. And it’s really hard to suddenly be like, “When I go skiing between the plastic gates going down the mountain and I lose someone I love so much, I’m trying to make it seem like it matters.” It was very difficult to find that balance, but I’m very proud that I was able to do it today. ”
McGrath’s father, Felix, skied for the United States in the 1980s, but McGrath chose to represent Norway (her mother is Norwegian). “For me, I love being Norwegian, even if I’m half American. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said on February 14.
Two days later, he was in a position to win an Olympic medal, perhaps a gold medal, while perhaps remembering his grandfather’s death.
Then he was suddenly disqualified and had to walk a very long distance away from the medal podium.
