Just one year ago, nearly to the day, Cochran-Siegle underwent neck surgery to repair a small fracture sustained during a downhill crash in January 2021. The injury cost the 29-year-old nearly a full season of action right as he was unlocking his best-ever form. This is his first podium since the injury.
“It’s special,” an emotional Cochran-Siegle said while waiting for his medal to become official. “I think as an athlete you’re always charging and always trying to get better, and I think sometimes you can use [injuries] as fuel, but just never give up on yourself.”
Mayer, meanwhile, became just the third man ever to repeat as Olympic champion in any Alpine skiing discipline. He also took bronze in the men’s downhill 24 hours earlier. His run nearly began in disaster, as the Austrian balked his start but did not make contact with the starting gate.
Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the world’s top-ranked skier in both speed disciplines entering the Winter Games, earned his first career Olympic medal, a bronze.
