By Martyn Herman
BORMIO, Italy, Feb 10 (Reuters) – Mexican Alpine skier Lasse Gaxiola will have his mother for company on his Olympic debut but she will not be cheering him from the finish area in Saturday’s giant slalom in Bormio because she will be three hours away preparing her own race.
Teenager Gaxiola’s mum is 46-year-old Sarah Schleper, who will also be skiing under the Mexican flag in Cortina on Sunday, becoming the oldest female Alpine skier to compete at the Olympics and the first to appear at seven Games.
On top of that Schleper and Gaxiola, 18, will become the first mother and son to compete at the same Winter Games.
“It’s difficult because we’re in two different venues,” Colorado-born Schleper said.
“It’s difficult, but also it’s good because he can experience the Olympics as an individual instead of me telling him, ‘Oh, you’ve got to trade pins, you must do this’.
“I’m always trying to give him too much advice. You can never stop being a mum and be just a teammate, so I’m kind of excited that he’s not right next to me all the time.”
Schleper competed at her first four Olympics as an American and in the next three she has represented Mexico after marrying her Mexican husband Federico and coming out of retirement in 2015. Her best result was 10th in the slalom in 2006.
“He (Lasse) is the same age as I was at my first Olympics (in Nagano in 1998),” Schleper, who was one of Mexico’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony in Milan-Cortina, said.
“I’m just so proud of him. He’s still a little bit of a brat, but this experience is going to help him grow up and understand how important this event is.”
NOT BEING WITH MUM A MIXED BLESSING
Gaxiola trained on the Bormio slopes on Tuesday along with Jamaican entrant Henri Rivers IV and Kenyan Issa Laborde as they prepare to rub shoulders with the elite racers on the Stelvio.
He says not having his mum there was a mixed blessing.
“In some ways, I’m happy that we’re apart because (having) her around does put a little extra pressure on me,” he said. “Sometimes I wish she was here with me so we could experience everything together, but it does help calm me down a little.”
Gaxiola says he owes his skiing talent to his mum.
“It feels great to give something back to her because she’s really taught me everything I know about skiing,” he said. “She’s been there throughout my whole skiing journey.”
Schleper said she cried when she spotted Lasse on a screen during the opening ceremony and said it took her back to when she experienced her first Games in Nagano.
“My first Olympics were a blur of emotion and ignorance. It’s like this whole thing has been destiny,” she said.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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