PARK CITY, UT (NEXSTAR) – Winter Vinecki is one of the most driven people you’ll ever meet.
Lately, you can find the 26-year-old Olympic aerial skier practicing her triple backflip ahead of the 2026 Olympics, a trick only a few in the world can do.
It’s the latest in a lifetime of challenges that Vinecki has taken head-on. From an early age, she’s always been determined to take on the impossible.
“She was sitting on the couch in our home here in Michigan and she was looking through the Guinness Book of World Records,” shared Vinecki’s mother, Dawn. “She pointed to a world record that was set by a 25-year-old at the time, who had run a marathon on every continent. And I literally remember her pointing at the picture saying, ‘I want this record.'”
At 14 years old, Vinecki would not only go on to set the record for the youngest person to run a marathon on all seven continents, but she would also set another record along the way with her mom, becoming the first mother-daughter duo ever to run a marathon on every continent.
“There were so many cool experiences from getting to learn about preserving the environment in Antarctica to helping educate girls in Kenya, there are so many opportunities I will hold onto for the rest of my life. And it was really cool to say I got that record for my dad,” said Vinecki.
Vinecki says that’s why she ran, for her dad, who she lost when she was nine years old to prostate cancer.
“I remember he was just a big kid at heart. He loved to have fun and always was pushing us to be kind to others and do things that we love,” Vinecki shared.
The day he was diagnosed in 2008, Vinecki, at nine years old, started a non-profit.
“I knew I wanted to use my athletic platform as a way to help others,” said Vinecki, “I actually was originally gonna form Team Winter for childhood obesity. So even before my dad was diagnosed, I started planning for forming this team.”
As her platform grew, Vinecki would eventually go on to meet a woman who would change her life forever, Olympic aerial skier Emily Cook.
“I met her at an event in New York City for the Women’s Sports Foundation. She was like, ‘hey, you’re pretty tiny to be a ski racer, why don’t you come try my sport of aerials?’ I had no acrobatic experience, I could barely do a flip on my backyard trampoline with my mom holding the back of my shirt,” said Vinecki.
Since that day in 2011, Vinecki hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve got a bunch of these panda bears are from when I won the China World Cups two winters ago. I got a first place trophy from the Deer Valley World Cup. Bunch of other trophies that I’ve gotten. This really cool one here was my first win in Moscow.”
During all this time, Vinecki started writing a book about her quest to cope with the loss of her father, which took her to every corner of the world and led to her dreams of becoming an Olympian.
“I went to a lot of different publishers and all of them kind of said the same thing. Even after I’d done the marathons, they’re like ‘oh, well wait ’til you’re an Olympian to write this book,” shared Vinecki.
After graduating from the University of Utah in 2021, Vinecki did just that and made her Olympic debut in 2022 in Moscow, and released her book titled “Winter’s Rise.”
Now, as Vinecki trains for the next Olympics in Italy, she’s currently pursuing her next big challenge, finishing law school.
“I always had a little bit of interest in going to law school, but I didn’t think I’d be possible with being a skier and still competing around the world,” Vinecki shared. “Randomly, one day, my mom sent me a link to one of the first-ever online law schools in the country. And this was St. Mary’s University in Texas. Applied to the program, got in. And have been going to law school online now for the last two years.”
What Vinecki could possibly do next after graduating law school and competing in her second Olympic Games is still a ways away, but knowing Vinecki, her incredible story will be far from over.
“You know, I just want to take advantage of every opportunity that I have because there are so many cool things to do in this life,” Vinecki reflected. “I’m here, I’m mostly healthy and able to go out there and chase my dream. So why would I not?”
