Thomas Walsh: Top five things to know about the alpine skiing Paralympian

Para Alpine skier Thomas Walsh previously told Olympics.com he had never truly been a “results oriented individual.”

And he was indeed philosophical about missing out on the podium at the Para Snow Sports World Championships Lillehammer 2021 (which in fact took place in January 2022). The American finished fourth in the men’s category of the super combined.

“It was going to be either hit or miss for me," Walsh said to Paralympics.org.

"Coming off an injury from last season, I’m quite happy that I’m still up there and know that I have the potential to push when it comes to the [Paralympic] Games in March.

"I know I can ski with these guys. I just didn’t turn on the slalom today.”

Walsh already has a high standard to emulate at PyeongChang 2018, where he finished 5th in slalom, 7th in giant slalom and 13th in super G.

But the 27-year-old you'll see at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will be a different man and a different skier.

“I showed up and made some waves [at PyeongChang]," he continued.

“It was interesting. Bright-eyed rookie, young kid, loud, American.

“I’ve definitely settled in since. I see the maturity in not only in how I carry myself on the circuit, but also in my skiing.”

So what have the formative factors been in Walsh’s journey to sporting maturity?

1 - Skiing saved Walsh's life

“I love the sport so much and I still love it and I will never, ever take a day of skiing for granted,” said Walsh.

“It truly saved my life… it's what I was born to do, and it's what I'm going to continue to do for as long as I can.”

One moment in Walsh's life stands out as a lifesaver, perhaps even literally.

At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a tumour that grows in the bones or in the tissue around bones. The condition also affected his lungs.

Eight months into his treatment for stage 4 cancer, he managed to wrangle a tame but precious return to the slopes.

“That was a turning point for me mentally," he said.

“I found purpose after treatment because for so long internally you’re forcing yourself to say, ‘I want to survive, I want to be healthy, I need to do everything to get that.'

“But at the end of it, it’s hard to see what will come next and so skiing, that one day in January when I was really sick, was the turning point for me to realise that I need to live so I can ski again.”

2 - Walsh and Mikaela Shiffrin share a longstanding bond

Walsh and Winter Olympic alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin have been in each other’s orbits since they were small children, with both their families prominent in the skiing scene at Vail, Colorado.

Shiffrin called Walsh’s cancer diagnosis “the biggest whiplash, the most unexpected thing I have ever experienced second-hand”.

Shiffrin’s mother Eileen was Walsh’s first coach. Her father Jeff was one of Walsh’s anaesthetists during his cancer treatment.

“He was a very pivotal part in my treatment and ability to survive,” Walsh told Team USA.

“It was almost a miracle that he survived,” said Shiffrin.

“But, in a way, it wasn’t a miracle at all because knowing who he is, that’s the kind of thing I would expect from him.”

During Walsh’s illness, Shiffrin confessed she had never been to a high-school prom, and made Walsh promise to survive so he could take her to his, which he duly did in 2012.

Walsh subsequently watch Shiffrin compete at Sochi 2014 thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The pair's friendship continues. This past summer, they reconnected over a spot of golf.

3 - “More than just a globe”

In 2019, Walsh won the crystal globe for the slalom (SL) discipline, awarded for the most points accumulated in a world cup season.

“This is a moment I will never forget,” he wrote on his social media.

“My new Para Alpine World Cup SL globe is more than just a crystal globe.

“It is all of the blood, sweat, and tears that I have poured into this sport because I know in my heart, ski racing is what I was born to do.

“From my first steps after surgery on the cold hospital floor, to the steps I just made onto the podium, I have worked my ass off.

“This globe has made the painful and neverending recovery from cancer worth every second.

“I am so honoured to say that I truly earned this globe and know that if I keep working my ass off, nothing can stop me.”

4 - Skiing is a performing art

Walsh’s cancer was diagnosed the day before he had been due to leave for premier ski academy the Green Mountain Valley School.

The American was accepted to the academy a second time after his treatment. But his three years at Green Mountain weren’t the beginning of his career on the slopes.

“When I graduated from there, I stopped skiing because I had done it," he said.

"I proved to myself that I was able to ski again.”

So now for something completely different: a degree in performing arts at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, far from the mountains.

While Walsh ultimately admitted that the lure of skiing was irresistible, that doesn’t mean he’s not an artist at heart. He even had a stint as the graphic designer for U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing team, designing a temporary logo as a "passion project," according to Team USA.

“Creativity is a big aspect of sports,” he told NBC last year.

“When I’m skiing down a racecourse, it’s just like a brush stroke on a canvas. The expression and style of how someone creates a piece of art is just how I ski down a mountain.

“The artistry and style of dance and body spatial awareness is huge when it comes to performing on a stage, but also when I’m skiing and how I manipulate my body in order to do certain adjustments or moves on the snow.”

5 - Returning the bib

At the foot of the piste at the Birds of Prey World Cup event in Beaver Creek in December 2021, Walsh approached US ski team veteran Steve Nyman.

As the diminutive Walsh spoke, Nyman, a big bear of a man, broke down in tears.

"When I was sick in hospital, you gave me one of your Turin [2006] bibs,” said Walsh.

“This bib carried me through a lot, and I don't know if you know the impact that it had on me.

“I want to give you one of mine.

“It's not the biggest trophy in your collection but this is one of my Paralympic bibs I want to give to you."

The pair developed a friendship, with Nyman writing Walsh’s name on the back of his helmet.

“To see him with leg braces and crutches and not being able to walk at all and given less than a 10% chance of living to now being one of the best in the world…” Nyman said in 2018.

“He was told he might never be able to walk again, let alone ski.”