22
Ketchum, ID
Growing up, Ryder Sarchett played multiple sports including soccer, baseball and hockey, helping him to develop a competitive spirit. With family roots in skiing, he began skiing at the age of two and discovered ski racing at age 10.
Ryder Sarchett secured his first Olympic berth with a remarkable 10th-place finish at the world cup giant slalom in Val d'Isère, France, in December 2025—a result that came just weeks after earning his first world cup points. Sitting in 23rd place after the first run, Sarchett charged up 13 positions in his second run to claim a top 10 result at one of the world cup circuit's most demanding venues.
Sarchett's rapid ascent on the international stage began in earnest during the 2023-24 season when he captured gold in the men's giant slalom at the 2024 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships in Portes du Soleil, France. Sarchett became the first American to win the junior world championships giant slalom title since River Radamus claimed gold in 2019, joining an illustrious list of U.S. junior world champions that includes Olympic medalists Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Paula Moltzan.
The junior world championship victory came during Sarchett's lone season skiing for the University of Colorado Boulder, where he made an immediate impact on the program. Competing for the Buffaloes in 2024, he won the men's giant slalom at the Utah Invitational in just his fourth career collegiate race. At the NCAA championships, Sarchett placed eighth in slalom despite a DNF in giant slalom, providing crucial points that helped Colorado pull off the second-largest final-day comeback in NCAA history to win the team title by just two points.
Sarchett's path to elite skiing was not without obstacles. He overcame a torn ACL injury to return with what would become the best FIS points in the nation for his age group in both giant slalom and slalom. His resilience and determination paid dividends as he earned a spot on the U.S. Ski Team Development squad in 2022-23 before transitioning to collegiate competition and ultimately rejoining the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team C squad for the 2024-25 Olympic qualifying season.
Growing up in Sun Valley, Idaho, Sarchett developed his skills with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, the same program that has produced numerous elite American skiers. His early promise was evident when, as a first-year U16 athlete in 2018, he won the giant slalom and placed second in super-G at the prestigious Whistler Cup, helping Team USA claim gold in the mixed-gender team event. He also earned the Whistler Cup Champion title, demonstrating his ability to compete against the world's best junior skiers from a young age.
Alpine skiing made its Olympic debut at the 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Olympic Winter Games. Both men and women competed in slalom and downhill, but the only medals awarded were for the downhill and slalom combined. When the Olympic Winter Games resum...
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