ASPEN, Colo. (KOAA) — Olympic gold medalist Alex Ferreira says discipline, nutrition and the companionship of his dog helped power his journey to the top of the podium after more than a decade chasing Olympic gold.
The Aspen native recently reflected on his preparation and the moment of bringing a gold medal home to Colorado, calling the achievement the culmination of a 16-year goal. He claimed the top spot in the men's freeski halfpipe event.
“It is very, very huge,” Ferreira said with a smile. “I had this goal to win gold at the Olympics for the past 16 years... as soon as our sport was inducted into the Olympics.”
Ferreira, who now owns a complete Olympic medal set — bronze, silver and gold — said the accomplishment carries special meaning because of where he grew up.
“Being able to not only represent my town of Aspen, but my state of Colorado and of course my country of the United States of America, it is a huge, huge honor and to be able to come out on top and actually set out and do the thing that I wanted to do,” he explained. “And to have so many people support me along the way. It really does take a village. It was extremely special.”
Ferreira said preparation for the Olympics extended beyond training and included careful attention to diet and recovery.
“I mean, nutrition, you are what you eat. It's really that simple,” he stated. “You are what you sleep, you are what you see, you are what you hear, you are what you read, you are what you ingest. So I'm just trying to ingest the best things possible.”
He partnered with Nulo's "Fuel Incredible" campaign to bring attention to his nutrition and the nutrition of his dog, Brandy. He said that philosophy extends to Brandy, who frequently accompanies him to workouts.
“Being an athlete, naturally, I'm prioritizing my diet, and to have my dog be eating the highest level quality of food with me and training with me alongside me is the best thing ever,” Ferreira said. “I bring her always to the gym and to the fields that I usually do my sprints and stuff on, so we have a wonderful time together.”
The skier said Brandy also provides emotional support regardless of results.
“The best thing about having a pet, especially a dog, is the fact that you can come home with a gold medal or you can come home in 50th place,” Ferreira added. “They don't care. Certainly, Brandy did not care at all. She's jumping around just super, super excited.”
He added that the unconditional companionship offers a unique perspective.
“So that companionship and just having the, it's almost like having your biggest supporter that can't talk to you. It's the, it's really a cool thing,” he said.
When asked what advice he would give to young athletes in Colorado hoping to follow a similar path, Ferreira emphasized the importance of having fun first.
“Certainly, I would say to young athletes is number one, free play,” he said. “Have as much free play as you possibly can and always have fun. If you're not having fun doing it, switch to something else and have fun in that.”
“If you are having a good time, working extremely hard at that thing that you love,” he added, “then, of course, discipline and consistency come from there.”
After reaching the sport’s highest milestone, Ferreira said the immediate future remains open.
“I'm not sure,” he said when asked what comes next. “I worked the last 16 years to enjoy these next few months, so we'll see what happens. But I do, I definitely still have some competitive fire in me, and I love to win, so we'll see.”
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