Household and Buddies Have a good time Bronze Medals for Macuga and Vickhoff Lie
Profitable a World Championship medal is unbelievable, and sharing the rostrum with good ski buddies is even higher. Prime this off by celebrating the consequence with individuals near you. You could have the recipe for Thursday’s fantastic experiences for Lauren Macuga and Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, bronze medalists within the girls’s 2025 World Championship super-G competitors.
The Good Stage
The setting might hardly have been higher. Nice snow, very good racing situations, blue skies, and a beaming solar over the race enviornment on the Zwölferkogel mountain in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. Nineteen nations competed within the Feb. 6 girls’s super-G race, with 14,500 followers cheering within the end space.
4 nations collected the primary particular person medals of the two-week occasion: gold medalist and World Champion Stephanie Venier of Austria, silver medalist Federica Brignone of Italy, and the 2 bronze medalists, Macuga (USA) and Vickhoff Lie (Norway).
What You Work For
“It feels unbelievable,” Vickhoff Lie advised Ski Racing Media after the race. “This season didn’t begin in addition to I needed it to, and I’ve been actually struggling to get the arrogance again.”
Conversations inside her workforce helped outline what she wanted to concentrate on to regain confidence.
“These final couple of weeks have been tremendous necessary for me. Now, I really feel like I belief the workforce, and I belief myself much more every single day. That is what you’re employed for—to be at your finest on a big day like this,” Vickhoff Lie stated.
Sharing Is Caring
On the 2023 World Championships in Courchevel Méribel, France, Vickhoff Lie additionally tied for the bronze medal within the super-G. That point, she shared third place with Austria’s Cornelia “Conny” Hütter, behind winner Marta Bassino (Italy) and silver medalist Mikaela Shiffrin (USA).
“Sharing is caring,” Vickhoff Lie stated with a smile about one other championship tie. “I like sharing the rostrum. It’s higher than ending fourth by 1/100 of a second. I’m joyful to share it with Macuga. We have now a collaboration with the U.S. workforce, so it appears like a workforce win at the moment.”
Mother’s Good Luck Streak
Vickhoff Lie’s dad and mom and some shut buddies have been within the stands for the super-G. Having them there made the second much more particular.
“It’s completely unbelievable. My mother has a streak—I virtually all the time earn a podium when she is there. So, she simply must hold coming,” the 26-year-old stated with a chuckle.
Helena Vickhoff, Kajsa’s mom, calculated the stats: “She’s had eight podiums, and I’ve been there for 4 or 5 of them. Right now is one other one.”
The Magic Message
On Thursday morning, earlier than the race, Helena despatched a uncommon message to her daughter: “I’m ready for you within the end, regardless of the consequence,” including three hearts.
She often doesn’t ship messages like that, however she remembered her daughter telling her final season on the World Cup Finals in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, “Mother is right here, then the race will go effectively.” That day, Vickhoff Lie completed third.
Vickhoff Lie’s mom didn’t count on her to earn a podium on this 12 months’s super-G championship. “I believed a top-six end can be nice. However when she skied so effectively, particularly in direction of the underside, I believed, ‘this may work out.”
Nevertheless, the wait was nerve-wracking. “The wait earlier than Kajsa raced, and the wait afterward, was horrible. And you then turn into extremely joyful, proud, and relieved. Completely unbelievable! I hadn’t thought she would depart right here with a bronze medal,” Helena Vickhoff stated, describing the feelings of the race.
“One would possibly assume she was near a silver. However I’m pondering she was very near ending fourth. And third is so significantly better,” she added.
“I despatched a message to work at the moment and wrote, ‘I’m quitting. I’m happening tour,’” Vickhoff stated jokingly, referencing her fortunate streak of attending podium-worthy races.
Emotional Victory
Kajsa’s father, Per Ivar Lie, described watching his daughter earn one other World Championship medal as “unbelievable.” He was not current for her 2023 bronze and felt fortunate to expertise this second.
“Even I had teary eyes behind my sun shades,” he advised Ski Racing Media. “My abdomen harm till Lindsey Vonn raced. She was possibly the final one who might change the standings. After that, I began believing within the consequence.”
Round seven to eight members of Vickhoff Lie’s household and buddies traveled to Saalbach-Hinterglemm to observe her compete. Her closest supporters proudly wore their “Kajsa V. Lie” fan t-shirts, and now, much more individuals can be carrying them. “I’ve handed out 20 t-shirts at the moment,” her father stated, laughing.
In his eyes, his daughter’s success comes from her dedication. “It’s essential have it in you, that that is what you really need. It’s all her doing,” he stated.
click on on the pictures to enlarge
Multitudes of Followers
Whereas household and buddies are pricey followers on race day, different supporters additionally assist create a constructive race ambiance.
One in every of Vickhoff Lie’s loyal followers is Olivia Dafninger of Austria. The 17-year-old enthusiastically cheered for the Norwegian pace racer from the stands through the super-G championship and later close to the stage at Thursday night’s award ceremony.
“I really like Kajsa as a result of she is likely one of the superb racers, and he or she’s so candy and sort. She’s my idol,” Dafninger stated excitedly amid the roaring end space crowd as opponents sped down the ultimate steep pitch at round 100 km/h and crossed the end line.
Dafninger, who began a fan web page for Vickhoff Lie one 12 months in the past, can be a long-time fan of former Norwegian pace racer and four-time championship medalist Ragnhild Mowinckel. Mowinckel retired after the 2024 season.
Now, the time has come for brand new faces on the championship podiums.
Macuga expertise
A Medal or Nothing
“I knew I might do it, and I simply needed to exit and put every little thing on the market. It’s a medal or nothing,” Lauren Macuga stated with a smile after successful bronze in her first-ever main worldwide ski racing occasion.
Macuga, acknowledged for her USA-themed clothes, bucket hats, boundless enthusiasm, and infectious laughter—alongside together with her spectacular snowboarding—believes in exhibiting the enjoyable facet of the game.
“Rising up, it’s laborious whenever you’re on the market within the freezing chilly in your spandex go well with, or it might be raining,” she stated. “It’s such a loopy sport, and it’s a loopy world we stay in. I feel everybody must see the enjoyable facet of it. To have the ability to have the chance to return out right here, you’ve simply received to be smiling by it.”
Going with the Stream
Macuga shared what labored effectively for her in Thursday’s super-G:
“I attempted to be clear, belief the road, and go edge to edge. I’m a tense skier, however I’ve move. It might look inflexible, however I’m going flip to show and carry pace effectively. That labored for me at the moment.”
Busy Week for the Macugas
Whereas Lauren Macuga has made headlines together with her snowboarding success this winter, the complete Macuga household is navigating a packed schedule of winter sports activities competitions.
This previous week was particularly hectic. Amy Macuga traveled to the World Championships to cheer for Lauren (22), whereas her husband, Dan Macuga, stayed in Utah to assist their daughter Alli (21), who competed in a World Cup moguls occasion in Deer Valley. In the meantime, their oldest daughter, Sam (23), was in Lake Placid, New York, competing in a World Cup ski leaping occasion. On the similar time, their son Daniel (19) raced in a Nor-Am alpine snowboarding pace occasion.
“He’s following in Lauren’s footsteps,” Amy says, pleased with the household’s deep ties to aggressive snowboarding.
Balancing the calls for of elite-level competitors throughout a number of disciplines isn’t any small feat, however the Macugas have made it a lifestyle.
The Love of Snowboarding
Amy and Dan Macuga met by snowboarding, and their shared ardour formed their household’s way of life. “After we have been in a position to transfer to Utah and stay in a ski city, it was like a dream come true for me,” Amy says. She made it a precedence to get their 4 kids on the mountain as usually as potential, even when these early days have been chaotic.
“I might take all 4 youngsters out snowboarding alone. It might be like a minor catastrophe with skis misplaced off the elevate, youngsters peeing of their fits, and I needed to decide up youngsters at lost-and-found,” she recollects with amusing.
Regardless of the challenges, these experiences instilled a deep love for snowboarding of their kids. “We simply had enjoyable snowboarding, and the children actually discovered to like snowboarding. Then, they took it to an unbelievable degree, clearly.”
As a mom, Amy embraces the dangers that include her kids’s high-level competitors. “I’m not involved about them getting harm,” she says, assured of their capacity to deal with the game’s calls for.
Loopy Enjoyable
“I really don’t have phrases to clarify what it was like,” Amy Macuga stated about watching Lauren ski into third place on the World Championships, ready for the ultimate consequence, after which celebrating on the Medal Plaza in Saalbach-Hinterglemm that night.
Touring to the occasion alone, Lauren’s mom discovered her manner into a major viewing spot close to the end space paddock. She ended up standing with a gaggle of Austrian lecturers and their college students from a close-by city. “We had a giant cheering part. It was so enjoyable. Unexpectedly, I had all these buddies with me,” she advised Ski Racing Media, nonetheless buzzing with pleasure.
“You don’t actually know till the top. You possibly can see the outcomes as she’s coming down, however then not understanding the ultimate place… it was virtually an excessive amount of to absorb. It was loopy.
“It’s so enjoyable to be right here—everyone seems to be so good, everyone seems to be so excited. It was loopy enjoyable,” she added.
Macugas sharing the Second
Members of the workers of the U.S. workforce managed to seek out Macuga’s mom within the stands and introduced her to satisfy Lauren within the opponents’ zone. The feelings have been robust.
“I used to be so excited to see Lauren, I actually jumped on her!” Amy Macuga shared.
“We’re doing our greatest to see all these occasions and these superb experiences with all our youngsters. I used to be very grateful to be there with Lauren. There have been so many tears between the 2 of us. It’s sort of bigger than life, actually.”
Camaraderie
Through the end space ceremony, the rostrum finishers have been awarded a giant field of sweets. Macuga gave her field to her mom. “All over the place I used to be strolling, everybody was stopping and taking footage. It was so humorous,” Amy Macuga stated cheerfully, recalling strolling round with the sweets.
“I believed it was cool to share a podium with any nation. However when it was Norway, it was particular as a result of Sam’s [ski jumping] workforce is one workforce with Norway, so it’s a pleasant connection. It’s reference to the ski jumpers there,” she added.
Through the night medal ceremony for the ladies’s super-G, the 4 medal winners confirmed deep feelings and camaraderie throughout nations.
“It was so cute on the rostrum, all of them hugging. It’s so good for the youthful skiers to see the camaraderie and the assist of each other. For the youthful youngsters to know to assist each other. It’s a person sport, however you want a workforce,” Amy Macuga identified.
A Lengthy Night time
After the night medal ceremony and post-race interviews, it was time to return to the lodge.
“I used to be so drained, however Sam was ski leaping in Lake Placid, so I used to be actually amped as much as watch her. She certified for the World Cup, which was loopy enjoyable. And Alli was competing at Deer Valley in moguls, so I stored waking as much as see how she was doing, and he or she certified for the finals. So, it was throughout a extremely nice day,” Amy Macuga stated about Thursday.
Planning for the Olympics
Amy Macuga retains a spreadsheet to trace her kids’s ski occasions, together with plans for the 2026 Winter Olympics. “With three completely different venues, it’s one thing to kind out,” she stated.
Vickhoff Lie’s mom has additionally began planning for the Olympics, making lodging and journey preparations early. Each households plan to be there to assist their champions.
Fortunately for the 2 pace athletes, their household fan golf equipment plan to be on-site for his or her future championship adventures.
