August "Gus" Schumacher (born July 25, 2000) is an American cross-country skier.[2] In 2020, Schumacher became the first American to win a gold medal in an individual race at the Junior World Ski Championships.[3] He competed in the 30 kilometre skiathlon at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[4] Schumacher won the Men's 10 km freestyle race at the 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis on February 18, 2024.[5] His win marked the first time an American male skier had won an individual distance event since Bill Koch in 1983.[6]
| Gus Schumacher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Schumacher in 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 25, 2000 Madison, Wisconsin, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ski club | Alaska Winter Stars[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 4 – (2019, 2021–present) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Starts | 71 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (15th in 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated on 18 February 2024. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
editSchumacher was born in Madison, Wisconsin and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska.[7] He learned to ski as soon as he could walk, using strap-on skis in his backyard.[8] By the time he reached middle school, Schumacher had begun to show an interest in competitive racing.[9] After moving through the ranks with the Anchorage Junior Nordic League, he joined the Alaska Winter Stars program.[10] He graduated from Service High School in 2018 and is currently enrolled as a part-time student at the University of Alaska Anchorage in pursuit of a Civil Engineering degree.[11][9]
Athletic career
editHigh school and juniors
editAs a high school student, Schumacher trained with the Alaska Winter Stars. He swept both individual races at the Alaska state high school championships to claim the title of Skimeister, awarded to the skier with the best combined times, in both 2017 and 2018.[12][13]
From 2015 to 2019, Schumacher competed at the Cross Country Junior National Championships with the Alaskan divisional team.
World Cup
editAs a 23-year old, Schumacker won the men's 10 kilometer final at the 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis. He became the youngest American to win a World Cup cross-country skiing race, the first American man to win any World Cup race since Simi Hamilton in 2013, and the first American man to win a distance race since Bill Koch in 1983.[14][15][6]
While on break from the World Cup ski tour, Schumacher competed in the American Birkebeiner in Wisconsin, and won the men's 50 km freestyle race on February 24, 2024.[16]
Cross-country skiing results
editAll results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[2]
Olympic Games
edit| Year | Age | 15 km individual |
30 km skiathlon |
50 km mass start |
Sprint | 4 × 10 km relay |
Team sprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 21 | 48 | 39 | —[a] | — | 9 | — |
a Distance reduced to 30 km due to weather conditions.
World Championships
edit| Year | Age | 15 km individual |
30 km skiathlon |
50 km mass start |
Sprint | 4 × 10 km relay |
Team sprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | 51 | — | 29 | — | 8 | 14 |
| 2023 | 22 | 19 | 38 | 28 | — | 7 | — |
World Cup
editSeason standings
edit| Season | Age | Discipline standings | Ski Tour standings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Distance | Sprint | U23 | Nordic Opening |
Tour de Ski |
World Cup Final | ||
| 2019 | 18 | NC | NC | NC | NC | — | — | 52 |
| 2021 | 20 | 30 | 25 | 65 |  |
32 | 18 | — |
| 2022 | 21 | 79 | 45 | NC | 13 | — | DNF | — |
| 2023 | 22 | 62 | 43 | NC | 9 | — | 35 | — |
| 2024 | 23 | 15 | 16 | 27 | — | — | DNF | — |
Individual podiums
edit- 1 victory – (1 WC)
- 1 podium – (1 WC)
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Race | Level | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023–24 | 18 February 2024 |  Minneapolis, USA - Stifel Loppet Cup |
10 km Individual F | World Cup | 1st |
Political activity
editOn March 20, 2024, Schumacher testified at a U.S. Senate hearing of the Committee on the Budget on the topic of "Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs."[17] In 2022 he lobbied Congress as a member of Protect Our Winters' Athlete Alliance.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Gus Schumacher". usskiandsnowboard.org. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ a b "SCHUMACHER Gus". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Bragg, Beth (March 5, 2020). "Anchorage's Gus Schumacher skis to historic gold medal at World Junior Championships". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ "Gus Schumacher". Olympics.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "2023–24 FIS Cross-Country World Cup", Wikipedia, 2024-02-19, retrieved 2024-02-21
- ^ a b "Gus Schumacher Rides the Minneapolis Wave—American Wins on American Soil! – FasterSkier.com". fasterskier.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Under 23 Questions: Gus Schumacher – FasterSkier.com". fasterskier.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ Sjong, Austin (2 February 2022). "Athlete of the Week: Team USA's Gus Schumacher". alaskasnewssource.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ a b "About". Gus Schumacher. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ "The Phenom Next Door: Gus Schumacher Looks to Lahti – Nordic Insights". nordicinsights.news. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
- ^ "Gus Schumacher". Team USA. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022.
- ^ "Nordic Ski Records — Alaska School Activities Association". asaa.org. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Tunseth, Matt (February 23, 2020). "West Valley, Service skiers earn one of Alaska's most coveted titles: Skimeister". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Harkins, Courtney (February 18, 2024). "Magic in Minneapolis: Schumacher Wins, Diggins Third". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "Gus Schumacher makes U.S. cross-country skiing history in Minneapolis". NBC Sports. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Kentch, Gavin (February 24, 2024). "Jessie Diggins, Gus Schumacher Win 50th American Birkebeiner". Nordic Insights. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ He was embarrassed beyond belief by Senator Kennedy. "Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs | U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget". www.budget.senate.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
- ^ Sullivan, Stacie (2022-05-19). "Olympians Hit the Nation's Capitol for Lobby Day". Protect Our Winters. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
External links
edit- Gus Schumacher at FIS (cross-country)
- Gus Schumacher at Olympedia
- Gus Schumacher at U.S. Ski and Snowboard
