 As Americans battle for inclusion on the U.S. Olympic Team, at least a Colorado athlete has already secured a berth in the PyeongChang Winter Games writes Jason Blevins of the Denver Post.
Vail Valley mogul skier Matt Leseur on December 9th finished 29th in a World Cup contest in Iceland, qualifying him to ski for Bermuda, where his father was born.
“I’m trying to keep the best of both worlds,” said Leseur earlier this week from his home in Vail. “I’m proud to be a Bermudian. We have a home there and I try to go back and forth but I’ve been so hard-wired on getting this qualification, I haven’t been able to go back as much as I want.”
Leseur, a graduate of the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, skied well in Iceland, besting five of six U.S. men with his 29th place finish. A top 30 finish qualifies skiers for national teams. Leseur won’t be confirmed until the final quota allocation in January, when Bermuda learns if it secures one of 30 Mogul skiing slots in the Olympics. The country has fielded only one Winter Olympic athlete – in luge, skeleton and cross country – at every Winter Games since 1992.
Leseur’s older brother Christopher, another product of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, was a member of the Bermuda Freestyle Ski Team. His younger brother John, a sophomore at Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, is climbing the ranks of mogul skiing.
“I’ve been chasing snow all over the world trying to get the job done,” he said. “I definitely have a little piece of mind after Ruka, but I’m still out there competing. It’s not a done deal yet.”
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