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Chris Mazdzer

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Chris Mazdzer
Mazdzer in 2018
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Mazdzer
Born (1988-06-26) June 26, 1988 (age 36)
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.[1]
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight190 lb (86 kg)
Spouse
Mara Marian
​
(m. 2020)​
Children2
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportLuge
EventDoubles
Medal record
Men's luge
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang Singles
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Sochi Mixed team

Christopher Mazdzer (/ˈmæzdər/; born June 26, 1988) is a retired American luger. He competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, finishing 13th on both occasions.[1][2] At the 2018 Winter Olympics Mazdzer won the silver medal in the Men's Single Luge, becoming the first U.S. men's singles luge medalist and the first and currently only non-European to win a medal in that event. Mazdzer announced his retirement from luge on December 4, 2023 on Instagram.

Career

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Luge

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On December 4, 2015, Mazdzer won the 2015–16 Luge World Cup Men's singles event at Lake Placid in the first-ever one-two finish for the United States in a men's singles luge World Cup event, with the 2014–15 winner and track record holder, Tucker West, coming in second.[3] Until his 2015 win, Mazdzer's best finish at the FIL World Luge Championships was sixth in the singles at Whistler, British Columbia, in 2013. His best World Cup season finish was 13th in 2012–13. In December 2014, he won the men's singles event in the luge sprint in the second ever to be held and to be competed in event at the World Cup level in the discipline. Mazdzer was therein victorious at the FIL "Sprint" World Cup event at the Calgary track.[4]

On February 11, 2018, Mazdzer won a silver medal in men's singles at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.[5]

Mazdzer finished 8th in men's singles at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[6]

Mazdzer announced his retirement from luge in December 2023, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his family.[7]

Dancing with the Stars

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In April 2018, Mazdzer was announced as one of the celebrities for season 26 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Witney Carson.[8] He was eliminated in the third week of the four-week season, placing fourth in the competition.[9]

American Ninja Warrior

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Mazdzer competed on American Ninja Warrior season 16. He appeared in the 4th episode and fell on the second obstacle of the qualifiers, eliminating him from the competition.[10]

The episode aired July 8, 2024. During the episode the announcers claimed that Mazdzer intended on competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics but this was outdated information as the episode was filmed in March 2023, before Mazdzer announced his retirement.[11]

Personal life

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Mazdzer's hometown is Saranac Lake, New York.[12] Mazdzer met his Romanian-born wife, Mara, in the summer of 2017 and they became engaged in October 2019; they were married in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 19, 2020.[13][14] They have two children together Nico (born 2021) and Aleksander (born 2024)[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Chris Mazdzer". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Chris Mazdzer". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  3. ^ Kekis, John (December 4, 2015). "Mazdzer, West of US finish 1–2 in World Cup luge". Yahoo News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 6, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2018 – via Yahoo! News.
  4. ^ "Alex Gough, Chris Mazdzer and Wendl-Arlt win second FIL Sprint World Cup". Federation internationale de luge de course. December 14, 2014. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  5. ^ Janes, Chelsea (February 11, 2018). "Chris Mazdzer grabs silver, becomes first U.S. man to win singles luge medal". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "After a Tough Season, Olympic Medalist Chris Mazdzer is Happy With Eighth in Men's Luge". Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  7. ^ "Olympic silver medalist Chris Mazdzer sets luge retirement". NBC Sports. December 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Thorbecke, Catherine (April 13, 2018). "Adam Rippon, Tonya Harding and more superstar athletes to face-off in Dancing With the Stars season 26". ABC News.
  9. ^ Stone, Natalie (May 14, 2018). "Triple Elimination! 'Dancing with the Stars: Athletes' Says Goodbye to 3 Contestants in Semifinals". People. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  10. ^ "Mazdzer's ANJ run 18:00". peacocktv.com. Peacock/NBC. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "Mazdzer falls short in American Ninja Warrior run". Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Evans, Brad (February 11, 2018). "Saranac Lake's Chris Mazdzer wins first ever men's luge singles medal". WPTZ.
  13. ^ "Meet the Hottest Team USA Olympic Athletes". February 8, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  14. ^ McDougall, Chrös (May 19, 2020). "Olympic Medalist Chris Mazdzer, Mara Marian wed in Salt Lake City". Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  15. ^ "Chris Mazdzer 2nd child". Instagram.
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