Former U.S. ski team member TJ Lanning has died, the team confirmed on Tuesday, July 7. He was 41.
No reason for death has been released as of publication.
“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of TJ Lanning, a former U.S. Ski Team alpine skier and coach whose impact on our sport went far beyond his years of competition. 🤍,” the U.S. ski team wrote via Instagram. “Our thoughts are together with his family, friends and youngsters during this difficult time.”
A Helena, Montana native, Lanning specialized in downhill, super-G and combined racing, based on Ski Racing Media, which also called him, ”some of the promising American speed skiers of his generation.”
“Lanning’s profession was defined not only by talent but in addition by toughness,” the outlet wrote. “He raced with a willingness to push the limit, and that approach made him exciting to observe. It also got here with a heavy physical cost. His profession included repeated injuries, including crashes that interrupted several seasons and kept him from realizing the complete potential many saw in him.”
Considered one of the highlights of Lanning’s profession got here in 2008 when he became the U.S. downhill champion and qualified for the World Cup Finals in downhill. He finished twenty fifth overall within the grueling discipline and placed thirty third in super-G.
Lanning retired a yr later after a daunting accident during a race when a crash resulted in him dislocating his left knee and fracturing the C5 vertebra in his neck. Unable to return to competition, he transitioned to coaching, assisting the U.S. Ski Team.
“Lanning’s life in ski racing was marked by promise, pain, persistence and impact,” Ski Racing Media wrote. “He brought the game moments of real excitement and, later, gave back through coaching. His death at such a young age is a profound loss for the American ski racing community.”
Friends and fans shared their tributes to Lanning within the comments of the U.S. ski team’s post.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have known TJ through ski racing,” Ski Racing Media content director Katie Twible wrote. “His smile lit up every ski hill he was on, and he brought a lot energy to the people around him. Today our ski community has lost someone special. My heart is together with his family, his children, and everybody who loved him. 💔.”
“What an amazing loss for the ski world,” former Swiss alpine ski racer Carlo Janka added. “He was an incredible athlete and an excellent more wonderful human being. My thoughts are together with his family, friends and everybody who knew him. 🙏😢.”