SUN VALLEY, Idaho – Snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington was honored in Sun Valley for her Olympic gold medal win in women’s halfpipe at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. In Sun Valley’s Festival Meadows, a bronze statue of Farrington now sits among three other local Olympic and Paralympic legends.
According to KTVB7, the bronze sculpture was created by Ben Victor as a part of a project to honor past Olympians of the Sun Valley community in addition to inspiring future athletes from the area, Farrington trained with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation throughout her youth, where program director Andy Gilbert acted as one of her coaches.
“It just excitement about winter sports and this culture up here – and what a kid from Bellevue, Idaho can do. I felt like it put us on equal footing. I feel like it recognizes the discipline, it recognizes how hard it is to do what these athletes do. And for the local snowboard community, it’s really special.“
Snowboarding was added to the Olympics in 1998, and since then, a Sun Valley athlete has appeared on every Team USA snowboarding squad. Farrington shared the post to her Instagram, thanking the artist, Ben Victor, and those who made the statue happen.
“What an unforgettable moment! A huge thank you to everyone who made this project possible. Benjamin Victor’s incredible craftsmanship has truly brought these statues to life, and I can’t wait to see Picabo and Susan join us in bronze at Festival Meadows in Sun Valley!”