Laying in bed, trying to still adjust to the 16-hour time change, Frisco resident and Team Summit athlete Walker Robinson was far from satisfied. 

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, Jan. 23, the 17-year-old ski cross racer had competed in the men’s ski cross competition at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea. The Copper Mountain athlete raced well, steadily advancing from one race to the next, but in the big final, Robinson finished one spot out of receiving a coveted medal, placing fourth.

Although Robinson had done everything in his power to ski across the line among the top three skiers, the race dug at him and kept him awake as the mixed-team ski cross race approached the next day on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

“I was laying in bed after getting fourth, and I was like I have to get a medal tomorrow because I missed the opportunity today,” Robinson said. 

With a burning desire to medal while in South Korea, Robinson and his American teammate, Morgan Shute of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, headed back to the start line after their individual performances the day prior. 

For Shute specifically, she was attempting to add another medal to her carry-on bag back to the states after winning a silver medal in the women’s ski cross race.

The American duo began its quest for a medal in the quarterfinal round, competing against teams from Canada, Australia and Switzerland. Powerful, tactical skiing led to a first-place finish for Robinson and Shute in their quarterfinal heat, successfully securing one of the two semi-final qualifying spots. 

“We were skiing really good that day, and I was like, ‘Alright, Morgan, let’s try and win this thing. I think it’s within reach for us to win it,'” Robinson recalled.

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In the semifinal round against two teams from Sweden and a team from Switzerland, a worst-case scenario for Robinson occurred when Sweden’s Maans Abersten ran into him.

“His skis got caught in between mine and right before the jump he tried to swerve out to try to pass,” Robinson said. “When he went to swerve out, his ski hit my ski and they just dug into the snow. I went off the jump basically on my back and fell right on the knuckle.”

Knowing he needed to finish the race to keep Team USA’s medal hopes alive, Robinson got up almost immediately and hightailed it to the finish line, displaying the lengths he will go to achieve his Youth Olympic dreams.

“If you don’t cross the finish line, your teammate can’t start.” Robinson said. “I got up and crossed the line with one ski, no poles and one glove. It was kind of a brutal crash.”

Once safely across the line, Robinson said he spent some time in a state of shock and pain, trying to process what had just occurred moments before.

“As soon as I crossed, I was in so much pain,” Robinson said. “I was also trying to process what had just happened because that is not really a place where you would normally crash. Normally in ski cross you crash on the turns or while going over a roller. This was like 50-yards after a turn on a straight away. Once we slowed down the video after the race I realized what had happened.”

With the Sweden 1 team being disqualified for skiing into the back of Robinson, Shute flew down the hill and successfully secured a spot in the big final by placing second overall behind the second team from Sweden.

Following Shute’s finals-clinching performance, Robinson — who was still in an immense amount of pain — was evaluated by the medical team on site. The medical team determined that the pain was most likely muscular and that he could compete in the final if he wanted to.

Barely able to walk, Robinson mustered up the strength to strap on his skis and stare down the course from the start gate one last time. Competing against other athletes from Sweden, Switzerland and Germany, Robinson skied as fast as his injured back would allow.

“I told Morgan before that I was going to pull out of the gate, ski down and cross the line,” Robinson said. “My back was pissed at me right out of the gate. It was pretty fired up.”

Robinson finished the race as one of the last male athletes across the line, but Shute made up for the two-second delay on her leg of the race. Putting her skiing skills on full display, Shute flew into third before a collision between Germany’s Romy Bovelet and Sweden’s Alexandra Nilsson allowed Shute to swing into second near the finish line, successfully giving the U.S. duo a silver medal.

“It was honestly unreal,” Robinson said. “I haven’t really felt the feeling before. The day before I got fourth place, which is the hardest place to get because everyone else in the big final gets a medal besides you. When it happened, I was just so happy and Morgan was so happy. She came down and we were just screaming, and I gave her a big hug.”

Sweden won the gold medal in the big final while Switzerland took home the bronze.

Since winning the silver medal, Robinson’s display of grit, determination and perseverance has been coined as an “Olympic spirit” moment at the Youth Olympic Games by Team USA. The interview clip which now has over 150,000 views on Instagram shows just how much the medal meant to Robinson after he injured his back and finished fourth in the individual competition.

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“When I was doing that interview, the pain was setting in more and more, but also I was so happy at the same time,” Robinson said. “When I was doing it, I was hoping that they wouldn’t post it because I was just a wreck.”

Beyond skiing and being part of history at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games, Robinson says he has enjoyed checking out the culture throughout South Korea and taking part in the opening ceremonies in Gangwon.

“It is a lot different than what I was expecting,” Robinson said. “Everyone goes out of their way to do things for you, and it is so nice. The culture here is pretty unique compared to back home.”

Robinson was originally scheduled to race again while in South Korea, but he is still recuperating after taking the shot to his back. Robinson will soon return home to Summit County for training before continuing his ski season at Gore Mountain in North Creek, New York.