Torin Yater-Wallace

Freestyle skier Torin Yater-Wallace overcame health problems to achieve his Olympic dream. Born in Aspen, Colo., on Dec. 2, 1995, Yater-Wallace started skiing before the age of 2 on a harness with his mom. At age 7, he joined the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club, which allowed him to fulfill his urge to hit jumps. He quickly progressed and began his halfpipe career while working with the team. He became the third-youngest male competitor in Winter X Games history, earning a silver medal as a 15-year-old in 2011. Just two years later, his career accomplishments included four X Games medals, including a gold, a win on the Winter Dew Tour and multiple FIS World Cups. Yater-Wallace had also been named the overall AFP Tour winner in halfpipe. He was awarded a discretionary spot on the inaugural U.S. Olympic halfpipe team, despite missing the qualification series with an injury, but lost much of his training time during the winter after suffering a collapsed lung early in the series. He was healthier by the end of January and made his Olympic debut in February at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. He failed to medal there after falling on both of his qualifying runs, but he found success in 2015. That year, he landed a spot on the podium in four of the five contests he entered, including a third-place finish at the Jon Olsson Invitational big air event in Sweden. Yater-Wallace faced a bigger obstacle with his health that November, when he was diagnosed with Streptococcus anginosus, a life-threatening infection that affected his gall bladder, liver and lungs. He spent two weeks in the hospital, including 10 days in a medically induced coma, and lost 20 pounds, but he was back on skis in January 2016. Yater-Wallace placed fifth at X Games Aspen that month and earned gold at X Games Oslo the next month. He took the top spot at the first Olympic qualifier for the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, officially making him a two-time Olympian.