Mexican Alpine skier Lasse Gaxiola will have his mother for company on his Olympic debut but she will not be cheering him from the finish area in Saturday's giant slalom in Bormio because she will be three hours away preparing her own race.
Teenager Gaxiola's mother is 46-year-old Sarah Schleper, who will also be skiing under the Mexican flag in Cortina on Sunday, becoming the oldest female Alpine skier to compete at the Olympics and the first to appear at seven Games.
On top of that Schleper and Gaxiola, 18, will become the first mother and son to compete at the same Winter Games.
"It's difficult because we're in two different venues," Colorado-born Schleper said.
"but also it's good because he can experience the Olympics as an individual instead of me telling him, 'Oh, you've got to trade pins, you must do this,'" she said.
"I'm always trying to give him too much advice. You can never stop being a mum and be just a teammate, so I'm kind of excited that he's not right next to me all the time."
Schleper competed at her first four Olympics as an American and in the next three she has represented Mexico after marrying her Mexican husband Federico and coming out of retirement in 2015. Her best result was 10th in the slalom in 2006.
"He (Lasse) is the same age as I was at my first Olympics (in Nagano in 1998)," Schleper said. She was one of Mexico's flagbearer at the opening ceremony in Milan-Cortina, said.
"I'm just so proud of him. He's still a little bit of a brat, but this experience is going to help him grow up and understand how important this event is."
Gaxiola trained on the Bormio slopes on Tuesday along with Jamaican entrant Henri Rivers IV and Kenyan Issa Laborde as they prepare to rub shoulders with the elite racers on the Stelvio.
He says not having his mother there was a mixed blessing.
"In some ways, I'm happy that we're apart because (having) her around does put a little extra pressure on me," he said.
"Sometimes I wish she was here with me so we could experience everything together, but it does help calm me down a little," he added.
Gaxiola says he owes his skiing talent to his mother.
"It feels great to give something back to her because she's really taught me everything I know about skiing," he said.
"She's been there throughout my whole skiing journey," he said.
Schleper said she cried when she spotted Lasse on a screen during the opening ceremony and said it took her back to when she experienced her first Games in Nagano.
"My first Olympics were a blur of emotion and ignorance. It's like this whole thing has been destiny," she said.
A new artificial intelligence data centre in Armenia could be used for Western intelligence purposes, including against Russia, according to Russia...
Syria is carefully considering providing...
Scientists, astronauts and space industry leaders gathered in Antalya, Türkiye, on Thursday for the fourth day of the 77th International ...
Russia struck Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest attacks of the conflict, killing at least 19 people, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Around 70 missiles were fired at Ukraine during the attack, as well as drones, the Ministry said.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has carried out a series of military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks on two Saudi airports left three people dead and dozens injured.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
An investigation into August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), has no connection to Azerbaijan, informed sources have told AnewZ.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
A new artificial intelligence data centre in Armenia could be used for Western intelligence purposes, including against Russia, according to Russia's Security Council.
Scientists, astronauts and space industry leaders gathered in Antalya, Türkiye, on Thursday for the fourth day of the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). Designated as “Science and Academy Day,” discussions focused on the challenges of expanding human activities beyond Earth.
Spanish politicians traded blame on Thursday after the death of an 87-year-old woman who was evicted from her Madrid home exacerbated heated debates over housing ahead of an early election next month, as protests raged on across the country.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2026 will be announced on Friday, 9 October, bringing one of the world's most closely watched awards back into focus.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday 8 October, that Yerevan will discuss the possible construction of railway connections with the Turkish city of Kars and the Azerbaijani city of Nakhchivan with Russian officials next week, according to local media.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment