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“I’m a representation of my entire family,” Cochran-Siegle said. “My mom had her success with her Olympics and her ski career, and I feel very fortunate that I was able to continue our spirit and love for skiing.”
BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Ryan Cochran-Siegle’s latest Olympic silver medal was inspired by his mother and powered by maple syrup.
It all traces back to his roots in Vermont.
The 33-year-old American ski racer captured his second straight Olympic super-G silver medal Wednesday when he finished 0.13 seconds behind winner Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland at the Milan Cortina Games.
Before the race, a little fuel of maple syrup, which, like ski racing, has become the family business (Cochran’s Slopeside Syrup). In the stands to cheer him on was his mother, Barbara, who captured Olympic gold in the slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games.
“There must be something in the water back home in Vermont,” cracked Cochran-Siegle, who’s a Vermonter through and through, growing up in Starksboro, skiing at Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond and racing at Mt. Mansfield Academy in Stowe. “It’s crazy we’re sitting here with another successful Olympics.”
Cochran-Siegle was somewhat of a surprise silver medalist at the 2022 Beijing Games. He wasn’t as big of a surprise this time to anyone but maybe himself.
Only because he was getting over a stomach bug.
Just before the downhill race Saturday, Cochran-Siegle couldn’t hold anything down, even throwing up while riding in the gondola. It contributed to his 18th-place finish.
“When I’m coming off a tough race, sometimes it takes a little bit to kind of reset,” explained Cochran-Siegle, who didn’t have any top-three World Cup super-G finishes in between his Olympic silver medals. “I just had to move on. Sometimes it’s good to be a goldfish.”
Steadily, he got his feet back under him. What he needed, though, was a dose of inspiration.
That’s what he got from watching fellow Vermont racer Ben Ogden take home silver in the cross-country sprint. And also by seeing Paula Moltzan and Jacqueline Wiles pair up to take bronze in the women’s team combined.
“There’s a lot of pride to that,” Cochran-Siegle said. “Seeing their success, seeing their joy. … I think seeing their performances, it re-instilled the belief in myself and that inspiration was really key.”
Same with his mom and family rooting him on from the stands. He comes from a long line of skiers, with several of his cousins former U.S. ski team members.
“I’m a representation of my entire family,” Cochran-Siegle said. “My mom had her success with her Olympics and her ski career, and I feel very fortunate that I was able to continue our spirit and love for skiing.”
Back in Stowe, Vermont, the ski academy where he competed celebrated his achievement. He remains a role model.
“We have kids following in his footsteps today, progressing along the same development pathway Ryan was on fifteen years ago,” Lorant Gudasz, a coach at the school and who instructed Cochran-Siegle, said in a statement. “I am just so excited for him.”
Cochran-Siegle, the third racer on the course, turned in a fast time in the warming conditions. He was knocked down a spot four racers later by von Allmen, who would earn his third Olympic gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games. Marco Odermatt made a run, but wound up third.
“(The course) got more chewed up and slowed down,” Cochran-Siegle said. ” All that’s out of your control. You can only go with the bib that you’re given, but three was a good number today.
“Definitely unexpected. I’m happy. A little overwhelmed.”
It’s got to be the maple syrup, right? After all, he had a maple syrup-mix with his water during warmups and syrup on his pancakes at breakfast.
“Maybe,” Cochran-Siegle smiled, “that was the secret.”
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