BEIJING, China — Luke Winters of Gresham was one of two Oregon athletes who competed in men’s slalom on Tuesday at the Winter Olympics. He is the only American who raced in the event.
He skied out during his first run, meaning he missed a gate and failed to qualify for the a chance to medal in the second run.
While the night didn't go as hoped for Winters, friends and family members were still excited to cheer him on from their home in Gresham.
“We're just super proud of him and thank everybody for supporting him,” said Luke’s mother, Marcie Winters. “You know a whole lot of people were rooting for him.”
Despite the disappointment, Luke's parents pointed out that his season is far from over. Up next he'll finish the World Cup circuit with back-to-back races in Germany.
“You know this is just part of a long journey for him,” said Luke’s father, John Winters. “We're proud of him for getting there… it's unfortunate but we're just happy that he got there and we're just enjoying the day and we're enjoying the moment.”
Prior to Tuesday's race, Winters said he felt honored to represent his hometown of Gresham and the Pacific Northeast.
“I’m super excited for it. Not a lot of people or athletes in general have the honor to compete on the world’s stage like this with the Olympic Games,” he said.
The 24-year-old made his Olympic debut during giant slalom in Beijing over the weekend. He skied out on his first run and did not advance to the second run. Despite his performance, Winters is coming off his best career result. About a month ago, he cracked into the top ten in a World Cup slalom race in Adelboden, Switzerland.
Winters is one of only six men who made Team USA’s alpine team, which is the smallest team since 1984.
“I was confident that I was going to be able to make the team, but [it] did kind of come up to the end,” Winters said. “I scored World Cup points early on in the season, but it wasn’t until the second to last qualifier where I got a top ten and that really secured my spot.”
His love for the sport began at a young age when he learned how to ski on Mt. Hood.
"I was 2 years old when my dad took us up to Mt. Hood," he said. "I have a twin brother so we went up there and started on weekends and then started racing when we were [age] five. Just kind of never stopped.”
His journey to the Olympics has been challenging, but Winters said he is enjoying every minute of the experience.
“I love it. There’s not a lot of people that get to travel the world and do what they love and see places and meet people that you would never meet otherwise.”