Sparta native and alpine skier competes in Winter Olympics

Sarah Escobar, who attended Sparta High School and is now a freshman at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, competed Monday in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

The 20-year-old alpine skier and Sparta native competed in the giant slalom event on Feb. 7 for Ecuador, the home country of her parents, Fabian and Elena. Escobar has dual citizenship.

Ecuador’s team consisted of one female athlete competing in alpine skiing. As the country’s only athlete, Escobar was the nation’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony.

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Escobar began skiing at age 3 in Stowe, Vermont. She is joined on the trip by Saint Michael’s alpine assistant coach Nick Stagers.

According to information provided by the Winter Olympics 2022, Escobar competed in four events at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne. In 2021, she scored three top-10 finishes in Federation of International Skiing-level races in the United States. Attended Sparta High School, continued at Waterville Valley Academy, and is presently studying psychology at Saint Michael’s. She says her brother Ethan Escobar, a competitive alpine skier and tennis player, is a major influence on her.

“It’s my responsibility and my duty to represent my parents’ country, and it’s an opportunity to be a voice for women my age and a voice for the new generation to reach out and tell them everything is possible if you follow your dreams,” Escobar told the NCAA.

Monday’s women’s giant slalom saw the following placements: Sweden, first; Netherlands, second; China and Germany tied for third; and Norway, fifth.