Marco Sullivan American skier Date of Birth: 27.04. Country: USA

Biography of Marco Sullivan

Marco Sullivan, an American alpine skier, was born on April 27, 1980, in Truckee, California, USA. Growing up near Lake Tahoe, he started skiing at a very young age, riding down snow-covered hills from his backyard made of gravel at the age of three. He quickly learned to ski on the slopes of Squaw Valley and showed promise as a future participant in all four types of ski races.

In 2000, Sullivan won a bronze medal in slalom at the Youth World Championships before focusing solely on alpine skiing. He became the overall champion of the NorAm circuit in 2001, winning the downhill and super-G championships, until he claimed his victory in the World Cup in 2008. Sullivan finished third in the famous Lauberhorn downhill race in Wengen, Switzerland in 2009, the longest race in the World Cup season.

Some of Sullivan's other notable performances in the season included a fourth-place finish in the classic Saslong downhill in Val Gardena, which placed him among the top 10 performances in American history achieved in a single day. He also improved his results in the super-G, finishing fifth in Lake Louise and Val Gardena. Sullivan's gaze was now focused on Vancouver as he prepared for the upcoming Winter Olympics in 2010.

As a member of the American Olympic team, Sullivan had more reasons than others to keep his eyes on Vancouver. The fan club 'Marco Rocks' saved some of their funds as club members chose to forgo their annual trip to Kitzbühel to support Sullivan in Whistler. Becoming a symbol of hope for the American ski team, Marco made it to the list of participants in the upcoming Olympics and even had the opportunity to test his skills on the Olympic slope, albeit not fully.

Starting skiing in his backyard at the age of three, Marco was already competing at the age of seven. He then joined the Mighty Mite program at Squaw Valley. When Sullivan established himself in downhill racing, earning a bronze medal at the 1999 National Championships and winning the British downhill and super-G championships, his coaches felt that their talented pupil was ready to compete for the national team.

Participating in all four types of ski races early in his career, Marco won a bronze medal in slalom at the Youth World Championships in 2000 before starting alpine racing from scratch in the 2001 season. He made his first World Cup appearance in 2001 in Val d'Isère, France (DNF super-G). At international competitions in 2009, he finished 25th in downhill and DNF in super-G, and in 2007, he came in 28th in downhill. In 2006, he did not compete in the Olympic Games, and in 2005 international games, he finished 28th in downhill. Prior to that, in 2003, Sullivan placed 17th in super-G and 24th in alpine racing. At the 2002 Olympics, he achieved a 9th place finish in downhill and DNF in super-G.

In terms of injuries, Sullivan missed the 2005 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, which he sustained during training for the VISA Birds of Prey race, the second alpine skiing event of the season. In 2000, he suffered a knee injury to his left knee during a giant slalom race on the last day of the youth international competitions but was able to return to racing in 2001 with three NorAm titles. Marco Sullivan's nickname is 'Sully'.