BEIJING, China — Alpine skier Jackie Wiles of Portland competed in women's downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics Monday evening. She is one of five athletes from Oregon at the Beijing Games. Wiles placed in 21st in downhill with a time of +2.73. It was her best finish ever in the Olympics.
The three-time Olympian was unable to compete in PyeongChang in 2018 due to a serious leg injury. She crashed at a World Cup event in Germany and went through 18 months of intense rehab.
"I was starting to get back to myself skiing well again and having confidence and then immediately, more injuries come. I'm like, 'Gosh, here we go again.' The fear of failure and the fear of reinjuring," she said.
Since the injury, the Canby High School graduate has had multiple surgeries and operations on both knees. It took a toll on her mentally and emotionally, but she never quit.
Wiles described the past four years as a "rollercoaster" of resilience, emotions and uncertainty.
"It's an incredible feeling. Now I'm proud that I stuck with it and kept pushing. I'm just so happy I got the revenge of getting back to this Olympics."
Wiles' journey to Beijing has been full of many ups and downs, but even through the challenges, her passion has not diminished. She grew up skiing on Mt. Hood and by the age of 10, she had fallen in love with skiing.
"We went to the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake and that was the exact moment where I saw ski racing on a big stage. I was like, 'Ok, this is what I'm going to do, no question,'" Wiles said.
She gained financial backing from gold medalist Lindsey Vonn during the 2015-2016 season and serves as an ambassador for Vonn's foundation, which provides scholarships and sports programs for young kids.
Wiles headed into the Winter Olympics with momentum. On Jan. 22, she recorded her best result in four years by finishing in 14th place in downhill at a race in Italy. Prior to the downhill race on Monday, Wiles said she would try her best to medal at the Games.
"If I ski at the top level that I know I'm capable of, I think I can go get a medal, but I'm still trying to build so I don't know if I have enough time to really get there. But I'm going to do my best and try to get a medal."
Wiles also said the opportunity to represent the United States and her hometown of Portland while on the slopes gives her a sense of patriotism.
"There's nothing like seeing the world come together and representing your country," she said. "I absolutely love Portland and Oregon in general... Such a joy and pleasure for me to be able to represent the community of Portland and Oregon."