After a brutal crash in training sidelined him for the 2022 Olympics, American Kyle Negomir fought for years to get to the Top 10 in Bormio.
BORMIO Italy – Atop the mountain, perched above the crowds and cameras, the mood among Olympic downhill skiers – as Kyle Negomir described it – increasingly feels “like a funeral.”
They watch others before them. They see the times.
“You have an Olympic gold medal on the line,” Negomir said, “and you realize, 'Oh (expletive), I'm gonna have to risk my life today.' That's a lot to take in. ... Obviously, you're nervous about being slow, but you're nervous about making it down in one piece.”
As much as anyone in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic men’s downhill on Feb. 7 at Stelvio Ski Centre, Negomir has reason for that nervousness.
The 27-year-old American is competing in his first Olympics in part because he wasn’t healthy enough in 2022. While finishing a downhill training run in Val d’Isere in late 2020 in the French Alps, Negomir had a brutal crash that sidelined him for roughly two years.
Negomir tore multiple ligaments in his knee while also hurting his shoulder and breaking his right hand. To illustrate the dangers of skiing at speeds of 70 mph or more, he pointed to scars and different areas of his hand, counting the number of bones he broke. He stopped at eight.
“There’s definitely a couple of years there where I didn’t quite know if I was ever (going to) feel healthy enough to race again, let alone compete at this level,” Negomir said.
The latest chapter of Negomir's story, in Bormio, was gratification more than a fairy tale. He didn’t win a gold medal – or a medal at all. The Colorado native finished 10th out of 36 skiers. That he was the best of four Americans, though, demonstrated how much context can matter in moments like these.
His U.S. teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the top American hopeful entering this event, was disappointed to finish 18th, only 0.43 seconds behind Negomir.
Negomir, however, overachieved. He was an underdog. You could tell by the fact he had to wait so long atop that steep hill. Negomir was No. 27 in the order. Skiers' bib numbers have meaning in world-class events. The top-ranked contestants typically draw numbers between six and 15.
The day’s gold medalist – Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen – wore bib No. 8. The other medalists, Italians Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris, went back-to-back at No. 11 and No. 12.
By the time the first 20 had traveled the hill in Bormio, those left were outside the top 20.
“That was my first-ever top 10,” Negomir said, “and to do it on an international stage like this was really special.”
Among the Americans, Negomir (1:53.20) outperformed Bryce Bennett (13th place, 1:53.45), Cochran-Siegle (1:53.63) and Sam Morse (19th, 1:53.68).
“That was an incredible performance (by Negomir) today,” Morse said. “He's super humble and does not like to push his own story, but that was impressive. First Olympic run to throw down like that? And he's been through a lot.”
Negomir, who joked that a turning point in his recovery was spending the 2022 Olympics drinking beers on the beach, has long been fighting to get back his form in addition to his health. He eventually returned during the 2022-23 season, but it has been a slow process.
“Especially in the U.S.,” he said, “there's really this medal-or-bust culture, where we're so used to having superstars from a really young age that are going out and putting on medal performances. There's a lot of guys who you work your whole career and are like ‘Step by step.’ …
“As long as I can go out and do something I'm really proud of and feel like I don't have any regrets about the way I approached it, that ends up being a success in my book, no matter if it's third, 10th or 20th.”
For Negomir, the downhill run in Bormio felt like a beginning. He’s the youngest of the four Americans in the downhill, and he said he is looking forward to competing in Bormio in the Super-G (on Feb. 11) and giant slalom (on Feb. 14).
“I've skied, historically, a lot better in the Super-G than the downhill here,” Negomir said. “I really like this track, and I think it suits younger guys who are good, technical skiers and come from a slalom background like I do. I hoping this gives me the extra little bit of confidence to come in and really be able to fight for medals.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: US skier Kyle Negomir's long injury recovery leads to Olympics Top 10
Category: General Sports
