Gus Schumacher

August "Gus" Schumacher (born July 25, 2000) is an American cross-country skier. He competed in the 30 kilometre skiathlon at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Schumacher won the Men's 10 km freestyle race at the 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis on February 18, 2024. His win marked the first time an American male skier had won an individual distance event since Bill Koch in 1983. At the 2026 Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the men's team sprint with teammate Ben Ogden.

Early life Schumacher was born in Madison, Wisconsin and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He learned to ski as soon as he could walk, using strap-on skis in his backyard. By the time he reached middle school, Schumacher had begun to show an interest in competitive racing. After moving through the ranks with the Anchorage Junior Nordic League, he joined the Alaska Winter Stars program. He graduated from Service High School in 2018 and enrolled as a part-time student at the University of Alaska Anchorage in pursuit of a Civil Engineering degree.

Athletic career

High school and juniors As a high school student, Schumacher trained with the Alaska Winter Stars. He swept both individual races at the Alaska state high school championships to claim the title of Skimeister, awarded to the skier with the best combined times, in both 2017 and 2018.

From 2015 to 2019, Schumacher competed at the Cross Country Junior National Championships with the Alaskan divisional team.

World Cup As a 23-year old, Schumacher won the men's 10 kilometer final at the 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis. He became the youngest American to win a World Cup cross-country skiing race, the first American man to win any World Cup race since Simi Hamilton in 2013, and the first American man to win a distance race since Bill Koch in 1983.

Advocacy In 2022, Schumacher lobbied Congress as a member of the Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance. On March 20, 2024, Schumacher testified at a U.S. Senate Budget Committee hearing titled “Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs” where he shared firsthand experiences of climate change throughout his skiing career.

Cross-country skiing results All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games Year Age Individual Skiathlon Mass start Sprint Relay Team sprint 2022 21 48 39 — — 9 —202625392413316 Distance reduced to 30 km due to weather conditions.

World Championships Year Age individual skiathlon 50 km mass start Sprint 4 × 10 km relay Team sprint 2021 20 51 — 29 — 8 14 2023 22 19 38 28 — 7 — 2025 24 13 9 26 27 6

World Cup Season standings Season Age Discipline standingsSki Tour standingsOverallDistanceSprintU23NordicOpeningTour deSkiWorld CupFinal 2019 18 — —52 2021 20 30 25 65 3218 2022 21 79 45 13 2023 22 62 43 9 35 2024 23 15 16 27 2025 24 14 14 30 2026 25 7 12 16 7

Individual podiums 2 victories – (1 , 1 ) 4 podiums – (3 , 1 )

Team podiums 1 podium – (1 WC)