Sarah Schleper got her son used to downhill skiing at an early age // Photo: gettyimages.com
Mother and son were represented at the XXV Olympic Winter Games in several alpine skiing disciplines. Sarah Schleper competed in the giant slalom, in which she failed to overcome the qualification round. The 46-year-old also took part in the Super G (super-G), finishing in last place.
Her son, 18-year-old Lasse Gahiola, competed in the slalom and giant slalom. He went off the track in the slalom and placed 53rd out of 69 competitors in the giant slalom.
Sarah Schleper also broke two records. She is the most accomplished alpine skier in the history of the Winter Games. The Italian Olympics was the seventh in her career. She is also the oldest athlete in the sport, turning 47 on February 19.
Born in the United States, Schleper represented her country at the Winter Olympics in Nagano (Japan), Salt Lake City (USA), Turin (Italy) and Vancouver (Canada). In 2011, she announced the end of her professional career. She ran her farewell race in a summer dress, with bare arms and legs, and in the middle of the course picked up her four-year-old son Lasse and held him in her arms until she finished.
In the summer of 2014, she announced her return to the sport, but as a member of the Mexican national team. She qualified for the Pyeongchang (South Korea), Beijing (China) and Italian Games.
The highest achievements in her career were the victory at the World Cup slalom stage in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) and prizes at three stages.
