Ashleigh McIvor

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The first-ever female skier to be awarded an Olympic gold medal in the sport of ski cross, Ashleigh McIvor’s path to success began with her entry into competitive ski racing at the age of 10 and progressed through the transition from alpine skiing to ski cross in 2003, at the age of 20, just as the sport was gaining momentum as this new, wild format for head-to-head competition.

Ashleigh won her first world championship in 2009 at Inawashiro, Japan. She competed in four Winter X-Games, with her best finish being a second place finish  in 2010. She also has 11 podium finishes on the FIS World Cup circuit to her credit, including a second place finish at the Olympic test event at Cypress Mountain in 2009, the site of the Vancouver Olympic Games. Ashleigh finished third overall in the 2008-09 FIS World Cup season, and second overall in the 2009-2010 season.

Ashleigh was the first female athlete to qualify for Canada’s freestyle ski team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics where ski cross made its Olympic debut. Ashleigh qualified for the heat racing with the second-fastest time and cruised through the preliminary rounds. In the finals, all of her hard work, talent and poise came together beautifully for the performance of a lifetime – right when it mattered the most – and the Whistler ski racer claimed that historic gold medal. 

Throughout her career, Ashleigh battled back from many injuries to become a dominant force on the World Cup circuit and at the X Games. During the 2011 season, Ashleigh suffered her second catastrophic ACL injury during a practice run at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. After a long recovery, she made the difficult decision to retire from competitive skiing in the fall of 2012 – a choice that was deeply influenced by the tragic ski crashes of Canadian ski icon Sarah Burke, and Ashleigh’s close friend and teammate, Nik Zoricic, earlier that year.

Inspired by Ashleigh’s success and strategies, teammates Marielle Thompson and Kelsey Serwa went on to win Olympic gold and silver respectively in Sochi, Russia in 2014, and the winning streak for the Canadian team continued. The charismatic champion has been able to carry her formula forward and credits this for her successful career in broadcasting, modelling and motivational speaking, and her personal favourite ‘job’ – skiing with clients all around the world.

The retired freestyle skier now resides in Whistler, B.C., where she and former World Cup soccer star Jay DeMerit are raising their son, Oakes.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Olympic gold medalist (2006) and silver medalist (2010).
• Four-time world champion.
• Five-time overall World Cup champion and multiple FIS World Cup champion. 58 FIS World Cup medals.
• Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2007 and 2011.
• Inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Co-founder of B210 helping Canadian athletes to achieve their goals.

OTHER MEDIA

Canadian Olympic Committee – Ashleigh McIvor

IMPACT Magazine – Ashleigh McIvor & Jay DeMerit 

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