Schleper, the daughter of a ski-shop owner from Vail, Colo., has represented the United States at four Winter Olympic Games; a Mexican citizen by marriage, she competed for Mexico at the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, and now, once again at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

The toughest Olympic challenge in the men's Alpine skiing team combined event on Monday might not be on skis but on the mountain itself, as organisers will have only around two hours to transform the downhill run into a slalom course.

Over his career, Paris has won 24 World Cup races and a world championship in the super-G in 2019. But an Olympic medal has eluded him. His best finish in his nine previous races was fourth in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

You can hear the sound of the skis slapping into frozen bumps, the air whooshing as the racers fly past; legs screaming, heart racing, all while navigating swooping turns and a 1,023-meter vertical drop. In under two minutes, the bone-rattling ride is over. If negotiated successfully.

By Alan Baldwin CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Downhill champion Breezy Johnson was heading for a golden "double double" at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday after dominating the opening leg of the women's Alpine skiing team combined to set up U.

The whirling of helicopter rotors might be the most feared sound in ski racing. Skiers wearing little more than lightly padded bodysuits and helmets hurtling down icy snow at up to 80 mph is scary enough.