Olympic Skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle Won Silver Exactly 54 Years After Mom’s Gold—All About His Family’s Long Legacy on the Slopes
The athlete is a third-generation member of the family known as the 'Skiing Cochrans'—and they've made a major impact on the sport
Athleticism is often passed down through generations, and few families illustrate this better than the Cochrans, a family known as the “Skiing Cochrans” thanks to their decades-long tradition of dominance in winter sports. One of the family’s younger members, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, 33, just made headlines for winning the silver medal in the super-G, a high-speed alpine skiing event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy on February 11, 2026—54 years to the day after his mom, Barbara Cochran, won the gold medal in slalom at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
With his recent medal, Cochran-Siegle has powerfully carried on a family legacy and overcome hardship, and his achievement has made for one of the sweetest stories of this year’s Olympics so far. Here’s the inspiring story of the Skiing Cochrans and what Ryan has shared about his deeply meaningful victory.
The skiing Cochrans: A snowy 65-year legacy
The Cochran family’s remarkable journey began 65 years ago in 1961, when Mickey and Ginny Cochran built a ski course on their hillside property in Vermont. Mickey, a World War II veteran with a passion for skiing, combined his engineering knowledge with his love of the sport to develop innovative ski techniques. Together with his wife Ginny, he poured his heart into teaching at their facility for decades, creating a multigenerational skiing empire.
Mickey and Ginny Cochran had four children—Marilyn, Barbara, Bob and Lindy—all of whom were trained by their parents and went on to join the U.S. Ski Team as teenagers in the late ’60s and compete in the Winter Olympics in the ’70s, with Barbara bringing home gold in 1972.
Though Mickey and Ginny have passed away, their spirit lives on through the Skiing Cochrans tradition, as Cochran’s Ski Area is still going strong in Vermont, and their grandchildren have followed in their footsteps by hitting the slopes.
Barbara’s son, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, just made his family proud with his silver medal at the Olympics, while his cousin, Jimmy Cochran (son of Robert), competed at the Winter Olympics in 2006 and 2010. Ryan’s other cousins, Roger Brown (son of Marilyn) and Jessica, Tim and Robby Kelley (children of Lindy) are also gifted athletes who have been members of the U.S. Ski Team and competed at the World Championships and other prestigious events.
In addition to all their skiing accomplishments, the Cochran grandchildren have also stayed true to their Vermont roots by operating their own maple syrup farm, fittingly named Slopeside Syrup, since 2010.
Overcoming hardship in 2022 and carrying on the family tradition in 2026
Ryan Cochran-Siegle was skiing nearly as soon as he could walk, as his Olympian mom, Barbara, introduced him to the sport when he was just 2. Barbara’s dedication and guidance helped shape Ryan into a champion, and after winning two gold medals in the 2012 World Junior Championships and competing in various World Championships and World Cups, he made his Olympics debut in 2018.
In 2022, Cochran-Siegle won his first Olympic medal, earning silver at the Winter Games in Beijing, China. The skier was just a fraction of a second away from winning gold, and he overcame great odds to get to the podium, as he’d broken his neck during a crash in a competition the year before.
Four years later, Cochran-Siegle has once again overcome adversity to win big, as he earned his second Olympic medal mere days after suffering from food poisoning. The skier wasn’t expecting to win, and the fact that this victory took place on the 54th anniversary of his mom’s win made his 2026 Olympics experience all the sweeter.
What Ryan Cochran-Siegle has said about his silver medal: ‘It’s super emotional’
Standing on the podium with his hard-earned silver medal, Ryan shared his emotions with NBC, saying, “I was just happy to ski how I wanted to ski today. I mean, it’s super emotional. It’s great.” The skier’s mom and fiancée were both there to cheer him on, and immediately after his win, he said, “I was selfish and I wasn’t sure if I wanted my mom to come here, just because it is such a big event. She was a little sick the last few days too, so I got to see her from a balcony yesterday, but I haven’t actually seen her in person, [that’ll] be nice. And then obviously, Jessie [Cochran-Siegle’s fiancée], too. She’s a huge part of my life. Sharing this moment with them is cool. I did not expect this, but obviously it’s nice to bring home some hardware.”
In a TODAY show interview, Cochran-Siegle admitted that he didn’t initially realize he won on the anniversary of his mom’s win 54 years earlier, and said, “I had no idea. It’s awesome. It’s so much a part of our story . . . February 11 is a good day in our family.” Still processing the magnitude of his achievement, he told U.S. Ski & Snowboard that he “skied with a lot of heart” and felt like the full weight of his accomplishment hadn’t quite sunk in.
Clearly, the Cochran family has much to celebrate, and the parallel mother-son wins are the stuff that Olympic dreams are made of.
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