Sarah Schleper[1] (born February 19, 1979), also known as Sarah Schleper de Gaxiola,[1] is an alpine skier whose career started in 1995. She competed for the United States in four Winter Olympics from 1998-2010, and later competed for Mexico at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022.
Schleper also competed in four Winter Olympics for USA,[1] earning her best finish of tenth in the slalom event at Turin in 2006. Schleper was named to the US team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in late 2009. Schleper announced her retirement shortly before competing in her last world cup slalom on December 29, 2011, in Lienz, Austria.[3] In her career spanning a total of 15 years, she took part in 186 World Cup races and achieved four podium finishes and one victory.
As has become traditional—a skier in her retirement race can wear any apparel she desires—Schleper wore a thin brown summer dress, bare-armed and bare-legged, and stopped halfway down the course to pick up her 4-year-old son. She then skied the rest of the course with the boy in her arms, to the enjoyment of the crowd and fellow skiers. Lindsey Vonn gave Schleper a long hug in the finish area, and race organizers presented her with a huge bouquet of roses.[citation needed]
After acquiring Mexican citizenship in April 2014, she came out of retirement in June to represent Mexico.[4] She raced for Mexico in the women's giant slalom at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2015.[5] When she joined the Mexican ski team, she doubled the size of the team, serving alongside Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a long time sole representative for Mexico at the world circuit.[1]
Sarah's father is Buzz Schleper, who owns a ski shop in Vail, Colorado.[12] She is married to Federico Gaxiola and acquired Mexican citizenship via her spouse in April 2014. As of 2014, she lived in both Vail and Mexico.[4]
