Obie Goes for Gold in Milano Cortina
Freestyle skier and incoming first-year student Liz Lemley represents Team USA in her first Olympic Games.
February 6, 2026
Danielle Frezza
Liz Lemley (far left) with her teammates.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Liz Lemley
Two years ago, Liz Lemley suffered a season-ending injury. Today, she’s headed to the XXV Olympic Winter Games.
A Vail, Colorado, native, Lemley was barely a toddler when she started skiing. She made her debut in the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup at just 15, among the youngest on the circuit. At the 2022 Junior World Championships, she captured gold in moguls and silver in dual moguls. Two years later, she won the gold in dual moguls at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea.
After that victory, Lemley tore her ACL, forcing her to spend the remainder of the 2024–25 season recovering.
Just weeks ago, she completed a remarkable comeback, qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The milestone marks her Olympic debut and the first Games to feature dual moguls as an official event. In dual moguls, two freestyle skiers race side by side down a bumpy course, performing aerial tricks off two jumps.
Lemley was admitted to Oberlin’s Class of 2029, but deferred her enrollment until next fall. And even with her focus on the Olympics, she’s eager to begin her college career.
“I think for most of us, going to college means meeting new people, and that’s no different for me,” she says. “I’m really excited to step outside my bubble and get to know all the different personalities and characters that will be at Oberlin alongside me.”
Lemley’s Oberlin roots run deep. Her father, Wayne Lemley ’76, is a proud alumnus who studied math and physics.
Cheer on Liz as the women’s dual moguls competition kicks off Tuesday, February 10.
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