U.S. cross-country skier Ben Ogden made history on Wednesday when he and Gus Schumacher secured silver in the men’s team sprint, making Ogden the most decorated American man in the Olympic sport.Earlier in the Games, he snapped a 50-year medal drought for the U.S. men in the sport when he took silver in the individual sprint competition.The last American man to place on the podium in the sport? Bill Koch, a familiar face to Ogden who earned silver in the men’s 30 km back in 1976.Ogden, in an interview with Vermont Public’s “The Sports Rapport,” recalled skiing at Koch’s home as a kid growing up in the Green Mountain State, adding that the American trailblazer in cross-country skiing showed him his silver medal and other awards he acquired during his iconic career.Koch — who transformed his Vermont backyard into a terrain park over two decades ago when his son was young — told Outside magazine that the at-home course was “skill-oriented right from the get-go,” with one slope letting skiers “fly like 35 or 40 feet in the air” and downhill landings covered in soft snow.The course helped hone the skills of Koch’s now-24-year-old son, Will, and Ogden’s NCAA champion older sister, Katharine — both of whom went on to ski on the world stage.Ben Ogden, who grew up not far from the Kochs, was a regular at the park along with his two sisters, telling the magazine that the sessions helped him to get good on his skis.Team USA's Gus Schumacher (left) celebrates securing men's team silver with Ben Ogden (right) following the free sprint competition in Tesero, Italy, on Wednesday.Kirsty Wigglesworth via Associated PressIn a 14-year-old clip shared to his Instagram page last week, Ogden highlighted “one of so many backyard jump sessions” at Koch’s home during the “good old days” as a kid in Vermont.He told Vermont Public that Koch showed him that American men are also capable of success in cross-country skiing.“This is such a Scandinavian-dominated sport, but Bill was a legend, and he taught us when we were young that, if we put our head to it, we can accomplish whatever we want, just the same way that he did,” said Ogden of the fellow Vermont native.“And I’m really honored to get to be the one to take home the first for the men since him, but there will be more coming. I’m rather confident. So, Bill’s work is only just starting to pay off.”Close
U.S. Olympian Once Skied At Trailblazer's Home. He Just Passed Him For History In Italy.
Ben Ogden, who secured his second silver on Wednesday, revealed what the U.S. cross-country skiing legend taught him when he was growing up in Vermont.
410 words~2 min read
