Sarah Schleper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarah Schleper |
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American alpine skier Sarah Schleper after the first run of the giant slalom in Semmering (Austria) on 28 December 2010.
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| Country |  United States Mexico |
| Full name | Sarah Schleper de Gaxiola |
| Born | February 19, 1979 Glenwood Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Federico Gaxiola |
| World Cup career | |
| Seasons | 1995- |
| Individual wins | 1 |
Sarah Schleper (born February 19, 1979) is a famous alpine skier. She is also known as Sarah Schleper de Gaxiola. Her skiing career began in 1995. Sarah first competed for the United States in four Winter Olympics from 1998 to 2010. Later, she represented Mexico at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022.
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Sarah's Skiing Journey
Sarah Schleper had a great career in alpine skiing. She won one World Cup race, which was a slalom event in Switzerland in 2005. A slalom race involves skiing downhill through a course marked by poles or gates, which skiers must pass between.
Her best result at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships was finishing seventh in the slalom in 2005. These championships are big international competitions for alpine skiing.
Olympic Appearances
Sarah competed in four Winter Olympics for the USA. Her best Olympic finish was tenth place in the slalom event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. She was chosen for the US team for the 2010 Winter Olympics as well.
Sarah announced she would retire from skiing shortly before her last World Cup slalom race on December 29, 2011. This race took place in Lienz, Austria. Over her 15-year career, she took part in 186 World Cup races. She finished in the top three four times and won one race.
A Special Retirement Race
For her last race, Sarah did something very memorable. Skiers often wear special outfits for their retirement races. Sarah wore a light summer dress and stopped halfway down the course to pick up her 4-year-old son. She then skied the rest of the way with him in her arms! The crowd and other skiers loved it. Another famous skier, Lindsey Vonn, gave Sarah a big hug at the finish line. The race organizers also gave her a huge bouquet of roses.
Representing Mexico
In April 2014, Sarah became a citizen of Mexico. In June of that year, she decided to come out of retirement to ski for Mexico. She raced for Mexico in the women's giant slalom at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2015. A giant slalom is another type of alpine skiing race, similar to slalom but with wider turns and fewer gates.
When Sarah joined the Mexican ski team, she actually doubled its size! Before her, Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was the only person representing Mexico in international skiing for a long time.
Sarah competed for Mexico at the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics. She had to pay for her own Olympic efforts. She is one of two alpine skiers for Mexico, along with Rodolfo Dickson. She qualified for the 2018 Olympics with Rodolfo Dickson, as well as freestyler Roberto Franco and cross-country skier German Madrazo.
About Sarah's Life
Sarah's father, Buzz Schleper, owns a ski shop in Vail, Colorado. Sarah is married to Federico Gaxiola. She became a Mexican citizen through her marriage in April 2014. As of 2014, she lived in both Vail, Colorado, and Mexico.
Sarah's World Cup Podiums
Sarah had one win and four podium finishes (top three results) in World Cup races:
- 2001: Second place in Slalom in Sestriere, Italy.
- 2001: Third place in Giant Slalom in Semmering, Austria.
- 2004: Second place in Slalom in Sestriere, Italy.
- 2005: First place in Slalom in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
Olympic Results
Sarah Schleper competed in six Winter Olympics, representing both the USA and Mexico. Here are some of her results:
- 1998 Winter Olympics (USA): 22nd in Slalom.
- 2002 Winter Olympics (USA): 21st in Giant Slalom.
- 2006 Winter Olympics (USA): 10th in Slalom (her best Olympic finish).
- 2010 Winter Olympics (USA): 14th in Giant Slalom, 16th in Slalom.
- 2018 Winter Olympics (Mexico): 41st in Super-G.
- 2022 Winter Olympics (Mexico): 35th in Super-G, 37th in Giant Slalom.
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See also
In Spanish: Sarah Schleper para niños
