NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Wednesday marks six months until the beginning of 2026 winter -ol in Milan Cortina. Team USA will renew its winter rival with Canada in the first Olympics in a new geopolitical landscape in North America.
American men’s skiing medal Alex Ferreira, who went into his third winter matches, told Pakinomist Digital that he has always seen Canada as one of his country’s biggest rivals in his sport with New Zealand.
“New Zealand and Canada are the two biggest rivals,” Ferreira said, pointing to Canadian Brendan Mackay as one of his top individual rivals.
“Some of the most intense competitions I’ve had with some of the Canadians were in 2023, Bakuriani, Georgia, World Cup with Brendan Mackay and myself. Brendan ended up winning … Brendan Skied really well there.”
CLICK HERE for more sports cover at Foxnews.com
But by 2026, Ferreira believes that the rivalry “probably” is burning even warmer and refers to the tensions created by the recent US tariffs imposed on Canadian goods earlier this year.
“Probably, for what [President Donald] Trump says about the tariffs and all, I’m sure there’s a bit of rivalry going on there. But definitely Canadians, like Brendan, get better every single day. Even I train every single day. So I think we both just really want to win, ”said Ferreira.
“You just want to represent your country as best as possible and be American, of course, I will, of course, win. They are our neighbors north and they are big people. But I will beat them.”
Alex Ferreira from the United States won the bronze medal under Fis Snowboard, Freestyle and Freki World Cups 30 March 2025 in Engadin, Switzerland. (Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
Ferreira is familiar with the Canadian slopes that his rivals use to train. He has competed in Windsport Park in Calgary every year in recent years for competitions and the famous ski slopes in Whistler.
But Ferreira thinks the slopes in Colorado are “more intense” and will give him and the other Americans an advantage when it’s time to compete in Milan Cortina. The gentlemen’s skiing competitions take place in Livigno, which Ferreira claims, resembles more colorado than Canada.
“Yes, determined [Colorado slopes] is a little more intense, no question. What I want to say is more intense in Canada is definitely the cold. It’s definitely nipy up there. It’s freezing, “said Ferreira.” It can certainly give an advantage because it looks more like what is being held in Milan Cortina, especially in Livigno, where our venue will be held. It certainly looks more like Colorado than it is for Canada. ”
Ferreira says he has invited Canadian rivals, including Mackay, to Colorado to train together, and they have invited him to Canada to do the same, but none of the pages have ever agreed to meet to do so.
“I get it. Everyone is in a hurry. They got their own things going and it’s just easier when you train in your own country. So I understand it completely. So they’ve never taken me up on it and I’ve never actually taken them up to go up there,” Ferreira said.
Trump signs the executive order of establishing Taskforce for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles
Competition in Italy as a Catholic American is of particular importance to Ferreira in 2026
As a Catholic American, Ferreira is proud to have seen the first American-born pope ever.
“It’s spectacular. It’s never been done before, so it’s definitely a special time,” said Ferreira.
Ferreira’s devotion to Catholisism goes back to his childhood, and he credits his faith in helping him achieve success in his skiing career.
“I grew up as a Catholic. I was at the first night verb and had confirmation,” he said. “I’m religious in the way of believing in the universe and doing everything you can to put yourself in Luck’s way and be a good person and ultimately follow the golden rule, ‘do against others how you will be treated.’
“It benefits my skiing performance because you are able to put your head on the pillow every night and fall asleep. You have to be able to be a good person and live with yourself every day because it is the one person you can’t get away from. So if you are a good person and you are doing all the right things and you stretch your way, then it is easier to work out. For them to do what is to do what is to do what I am doing it, I ”. ”
This Olympic cycle marks a return to meat eating to Ferreira
Just after completing his last Olympic performance in Beijing in 2022, Ferreira ended his long break from eating meat as he took a bite in a classic American cheeseburger.
“I had a cheeseburger after a year and a half or two years [away from meat]And that was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. And since then I just feel a little stronger, “he said.” I don’t know if I thought it was better for my body. It was just my palate was like, ‘it was delicious and we’re not leaving it again.’
“I may feel a touch stronger in some ways. I want to have more weight on my body in some ways.”
Ferreira ate meat throughout his life, including during his training until Pyeongchang -Vinter -Ol 2018. But he experimented with going meatless and adopting a vegetarian/pescatarian diet in the years leading up to Beijing.
Bronze medal Alex Ferreira from the United States, with its national flag on the podium after freestyle -skiing, constitutes the Freeski Halvpipe last race during Beijing 2022 Winter -Olympic Games at Genting Snow Park H&S Stadium in Zhangjiakou February 19, 2022. (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)
“The thought process of originally cutting it out was, ‘OK, let’s give this a chance. I’ve heard of some other athletes trying it, like Novak Djokovic and some others.’ And I figured, ‘Okay, why not?
“I was definitely lighter weight-wise.”
Still, Ferreira is aiming for eating a lighter diet in general and his breakfast is still completely plant -based.
“For breakfast it is always oatmeal, 10 blueberries, goji berries, cocoa nibs, cashew butter, honey and tea. So any kind of ginger-touring tea with honey too. It’s pretty standard. It’s five to seven days a week.”
And while Ferreira has left Djokovic’s example of avoiding meat, he still follows another global sports legend, football star Cristiano Ronaldo, to avoid alcohol completely.
Winter -ol and Paralympics begin in February 2026. More information about the athletes can be found on teamusa.com.
