Phil Mahre facts for kids
| Alpine skier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Disciplines | Downhill, giant slalom, slalom, combined | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | White Pass | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 10, 1957 Yakima, Washington, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | December 5, 1975 (age 18) |
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| Retired | March 1984 (age 26) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | mahretrainingcenter.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 – (1976, 1980, 1984) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 2 (1 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 – (1976–82) includes two Olympics |
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| Medals | 2 (1 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 9 – (1976–84) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 27 – (7 GS, 9 SL, 11 K) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 3 – (1981, 1982, 1983) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 7 – (2 GS, 1 SL, 4 K) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Phillip Ferdinand Mahre (born May 10, 1957) is a famous American alpine ski racer. Many people think he is one of the greatest American skiers ever. Mahre competed in the World Cup from 1976 to 1984.
From 1978 onwards, Mahre was always in the top three overall World Cup standings. He won the overall title three times in a row: in 1981, 1982, and 1983. He won 27 World Cup races in total. This makes him one of the top American skiers with the most wins. Only Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, and Bode Miller have more wins.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Phil Mahre was born in Yakima, Washington. He has a fraternal twin brother named Steve, who is four minutes younger. Phil, Steve, and their seven other brothers and sisters grew up near a ski area.
In 1964, their dad, Dave "Spike" Mahre, became the manager of the White Pass ski area. The family moved into a house right near the ski lifts. This meant the Mahre kids could ski all the time!
By the time they were 12, Phil and Steve were already amazing skiers. Ski companies started sending them free skis. The next year, a company called Rossignol wanted to sign them to a long-term contract. But their dad said no. Later, they used skis made by an American company called K2. The Mahre twins worked closely with K2 to create special race skis just for them.
Phil Mahre went to Naches High School. He also played football for his school team. He was a blocking back and a linebacker.
Joining the U.S. Ski Team
Phil Mahre joined the U.S. Ski Team in early 1973 when he was just 15 years old. After the 1975 season, he was chosen for the "A" team. He made his first World Cup appearance in December 1975 in France.
Two months later, he competed in the 1976 Winter Olympics in Austria. At only 18, he finished fifth in the giant slalom. In March, he got his first World Cup podium, finishing second in a giant slalom race in Colorado. He ended the 1976 World Cup season in 14th place overall.
He won his first World Cup race in December 1976 in France. It was a giant slalom. He then won a slalom race in March 1977 in Idaho. In that race, he beat Ingemar Stenmark from Sweden, who was his main rival. His twin brother Steve finished third. Phil ended the 1977 season in ninth place overall.
In 1978, Phil finished second in the overall World Cup standings. In 1979, he was third, even though he broke his lower left leg in March. At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, he won a silver medal in the slalom. He finished behind Stenmark. He also won a combined title. This was not an Olympic medal in 1980, but it counted as a World Championship title. He finished third in the overall World Cup standings for 1980. He also won the first of his four combined discipline titles.
Becoming a World Cup Champion
Phil Mahre's best years were from 1981 to 1983. He barely beat Ingemar Stenmark by 6 points to win his first World Cup title in 1981. Stenmark had won three titles before this. Mahre won because he was good at downhill and combined events, which Stenmark did not like as much.
In 1982, Mahre won the overall World Cup title again. He also won the titles for giant slalom, slalom, and combined races. He had eight wins and finished on the podium 20 times that season. He had 309 points, much more than Stenmark's 211 points. In 1983, Mahre won the overall title for the third time. He also won his second straight giant slalom title.
1984 Winter Olympics Success
At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Phil Mahre won another medal in the slalom. This time, he won the gold medal! His brother Steve won the silver medal, making it a 1-2 finish for the Mahre twins.
Steve had been leading after the first run. Phil skied a great second run to take the lead. Steve then skied last, needing a good run to win gold. But he made some mistakes and ended up in second place. Phil became the Olympic champion!
During the race, Phil's wife Holly gave birth to their second child, a son, in Arizona. Phil did not know about it until after the race, during a TV interview.
The Mahre twins won two of the five alpine skiing medals for the U.S. that year. All the American medalists were from the Northwest. Bill Johnson from Portland won gold in downhill. Debbie Armstrong from Seattle also won gold. Christin Cooper from Sun Valley won silver in the women's giant slalom.
The Mahre twins raced a limited World Cup schedule in 1984. They retired from ski racing in early March, at age 26. Phil ended his career with 27 World Cup race victories. At that time, only Stenmark had more wins among men's racers. Steve finished his career with 9 wins.
Life After Ski Racing
In 1985, Phil and Steve wrote a book called No Hill Too Fast. It tells the story of their childhood and their World Cup careers. It also has tips on "How to Ski the Mahre Way."
That same year, the twins started the Mahre Training Center in Keystone, Colorado. They still run it today in Deer Valley, Utah. In 1988, Phil joined the World Pro Ski Tour and won the slalom title in 1989. Both he and Steve raced on this tour.
The twins also learned to race cars. They went to the Bob Bondurant School of Driving in 1988. They later competed in the Grand American Road Racing Association Koni Challenge series.
On February 9, 2010, Phil Mahre carried the 2010 Vancouver Olympic torch. He carried it across the border between the U.S. and Canada.
Comeback Attempt
In 2006, at 49 years old, Phil Mahre decided to try skiing competitively again. He wanted to qualify for the U.S. Nationals by the time he was 50. He almost qualified in 2008, but a knee injury cut his 2008–09 season short.
Phil had raced on K2 skis during his World Cup career. For his comeback, he tried using Volant and then Head skis.
Images for kids
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Phil Mahre in 1979
See also
In Spanish: Phil Mahre para niños
- World Fit
- List of Olympic medalist families
