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Olympics: Colorado-born skier Alex Ferreira has Latin roots

Latino U.S. Olympian Alex Ferreira, 27, will be competing for a second time at the 2022 Winter Olympics, this time chasing gold in Beijing.

ASPEN, Colo. — Latino skier Alex Ferreira from Colorado is hoping to clinch a gold medal in his next Olympic challenge. 

The 27-year-old skier took a silver medal in the men's halfpipe in Pyeongchang in 2018. At the 2022 Winter Olympics, he will once again compete for Team USA in the men's freeski halfpipe on Feb. 17-19.

Ferreira has sport in his blood. He is the son of former River Plate Argentine soccer player Marcelo Ferreira, and his mother, Colleen Delia, has already run 10 marathons, according to an article on Yahoo

>Video above: Dew Tour finals at Copper Mountain  

Soccer had always been a big part of his life growing up, and although his father wanted him to become a soccer player, Ferreira realized at a young age he "wasn't as good as I needed to be," he told CBS News. 

"I knew I wasn't good at skiing either, but I knew I liked it enough to want to keep getting better," he said, adding his parents were supportive of his participating in the sport. 

Ferreira began skiing at age 3 in Aspen, where he was born, and at age 5 became a member of the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club. In his early teens, the freestyle skier began skiing moguls before competing on rails and halfpipe -- an event in which competitors go down a U-shaped track, performing stunts along the way.

When Ferreira took the silver medal, an Argentinian newspaper featured him on the front page.

"My dad couldn't believe it. [He's] like, 'Oh, my God, I don't think you realize how big of a deal this is,'" he said. 

In addition to his silver medal, the Latino skier has had other notable achievements, including first place in the "superpipe" category at the 2019 and 2020 X Games. He's currently ranked No. 2 in the Ski Federation World Cup standings in the men's free skiing category, according to CBS News. 

Most recently, he won the U.S. Grand Prix, then the Dew Tour in December at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Credit: AP
Second-place finisher Alex Ferreira, celebrates on the podium following the men's U.S. Grand Prix freestyle halfpipe skiing event Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

While he has plans to return to Argentina in the spring for the first time since he was in eighth grade, he told CBS News he first wants to make his loved ones proud in Beijing. 

"I'd like to represent my heritage well and represent my family well," he said.

RELATED: Colorado-born Sarah Schleper places 37th in women’s alpine skiing

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