Sarah Schleper (born February 19, 1979), also known as Sarah Schleper de Gaxiola, is an

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

whose career started in 1995. She competed for the United States in four

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

from 1998-2010, and later competed for Mexico at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022.

Career

Her lone World Cup victory was at a slalom event in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 2005. Her best finish at the

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). History The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. It consisted of Downhill (ski competition), ...

was seventh in the slalom event at Santa Caterina (near

Bormio Bormio (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy. The centre of the upper Valtellina valley, it is a popular winter sports resort. It was the ...

) in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. Schleper also competed in four

for USA, earning her best finish of tenth in the slalom event at

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. Schleper was named to the US team for the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

in late 2009. Schleper announced her retirement shortly before competing in her last world cup slalom on December 29, 2011, in Lienz, Austria. In her career spanning a total of 15 years, she took part in 186 World Cup races and achieved four podium finishes and one victory. As has become traditional—a skier in her retirement race can wear any apparel she desires—Schleper wore a thin brown summer dress, bare-armed and bare-legged, and stopped halfway down the course to pick up her 4-year-old son. She then skied the rest of the course with the boy in her arms, to the enjoyment of the crowd and fellow skiers. Lindsey Vonn gave Schleper a long hug in the finish area, and race organizers presented her with a huge bouquet of roses. After acquiring Mexican citizenship in April 2014, she came out of retirement in June to represent

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. She raced for Mexico in the women's giant slalom at the

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2015 The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2015 were the 43rd FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, held from 2–15 February in the United States at Vail / Beaver Creek, Colorado. Athletes from over 70 nations were expected, with a worldwide tele ...

. When she joined the Mexican ski team, she doubled the size of the team, serving alongside

Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Hubertus Rudolph Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg (born 2 February 1959; ), commonly known as Hubertus von Hohenlohe, is a Mexican Alpine skiing, alpine skier, photographer, and businessman. He was previously a pop singer using the names Andy Himalay ...

, a long time sole representative for Mexico at the world circuit. Schleper competed for Mexico at the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

. Her Olympic effort is self-funded. She represents one of two athletes for Alpine Mexico, the other being Rodolfo Dickson. She qualified for the 2018 Olympics, alongside alpinist Rodolfo Dickson, freestyler

Roberto Franco Robert "Robby" Franco (born August 23, 1993) is a Mexican-American Olympian and freestyle skier. He competed for the United States of America in the 2015 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships, and for Mexico in the 2017 championships. He repre ...

, and cross-country skier German Madrazo.

Personal life

Sarah's father is Buzz Schleper, who owns a ski shop in

Vail, Colorado Vail is a Home rule in the United States, home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the ...

. She is married to Federico Gaxiola and acquired Mexican citizenship via her spouse in April 2014. As of 2014, she lived in both Vail and Mexico.

World Cup results

Season standings

Race podiums

*1 win – (1 SL) *4 podiums – (3 SL, 1 GS)

World Championship results

Olympic results

References

External links

*
Sarah's U.S. Olympic Team bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schleper, Sarah 1979 births People from Glenwood Springs, Colorado Alpine skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 2006 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 2010 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 2018 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 2022 Winter Olympics American female alpine skiers Olympic alpine skiers for the United States Mexican female alpine skiers Olympic alpine skiers for Mexico Naturalized citizens of Mexico Living people 21st-century American sportswomen Skiers from Colorado 20th-century American sportswomen