Jimmie Heuga

James Frederic Heuga was an American alpine ski racer who became one of the first two members of the U.S. men's team to win an Olympic Games|Olympic] medal in his sport. After multiple sclerosis prematurely ended his athletic career, he became an advocate of exercise and activity to combat the disease.
Born in San Francisco, California, Heuga grew up in Squaw Valley, [Placer County, California|Squaw Valley], California, where his father Pascal, a Basque immigrant from southwestern France, opened a grocery store in 1945 in Lake Forest and later operated the resort's cable car.
Heuga was on skis at age two and began to compete in the sport at age five; he appeared in a Warren Miller ski film at age nine. Heuga was named to the U.S. Ski Team in 1958, becoming the youngest man ever to make the squad as a fifteen-year-old.
He went to the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he was coached by Bob Beattie. A three-time letterman, Heuga won the NCAA championship in the slalom in 1963. With Beattie also leading the U.S. Ski Team, Heuga, along with fellow Buffaloes Buddy Werner and Bill Marolt, formed the squad's nucleus for the 1964 Winter Olympics. Both Kidd and Heuga became the first American men to win Olympic medals in Alpine skiing, respectively capturing silver and bronze in the 1964 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom|slalom].

finished sixth in the slalom and fourth in the combined at the FIS [Alpine World Ski Championships 1966|1966 World Championships] at Portillo, Chile
joined the pro racing tour following the 1968 Winter Olympics where he was 7th in the slalom and 10th in the giant slalom.
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1970 [Alpine Skiing World Cup|1970], which derailed his ski racing career at age 27.
founded Can Do Multiple Sclerosis, formerly The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis.
the first NASTAR National Pacesetter

Heuga died on February 8, 2010, at Boulder Community Hospital in Boulder, due to complications from multiple sclerosis, exactly 46 years after he won his Olympic medal. The gold medalist in that slalom race, Pepi Stiegler, was also diagnosed with MS in 1993, as was Egon Zimmermann, the gold medalist in the Winter Olympics – Men's downhill|downhill].

World Championship results

From 1948 Winter Olympics|1948] through 1980 Winter Olympics|1980], the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events.