Mount Hood-trained 15-year-old alpine racer Michel Macedo topped the podium in both slalom and the combined at the USSA Western Region Championships in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Macedo, a Brazilian citizen who trains year-round with Cascade Winter Sports Club, beat out 90 top junior racers from 11 Western states to win the overall championship by taking first in slalom, second in giant slalom and fifth and 12th in his two Super-G races.

CWSC head coach Paul Tollefson says Macedo “brings a tremendous amount of focus to his training. He trains at 100 percent all the time. That focus is what sets him apart.”

“The other thing about Michel is, he loves skiing. He is an awesome freeskier and he just loves it.”

Here is a photo of Macedo hucking a cliff into the fresh powder in Jackson Hole in between race training runs last week (photo courtesy of Cascade Winter Sports Club):

Macedo’s convincing win in Jackson distinguishes him as a legitimate candidate for the Winter Olympics of 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and/or the Olympics of 2022. He is currently ranked ninth in the nation for his age group, but he beat four racers ranked ahead of him last week so his standing should improve.

Macedo’s regional win qualified him for the U.S. nationals, but he has opted instead to travel to British Columbia to compete in the Whistler Cup. The Whistler Cup is a large international race for junior racers from Canada, Europe and all over the world, but the U.S. does not send athletes there. Macedo will compete in Whistler for Brazil.

As a Brazilian citizen, Macedo could face strong competition to make the Olympics from a number of Brazilian alpine racers from expat families around the world, most notably his older brother, Tobias. Tobias Macedo also trains year-round with CWSC and came close to qualifying for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Brazil is a non-alpine country and is only allowed to send one racer to the games, unless others manage to qualify at a World Cup level.

Another top junior racer for CWSC, Cole Sher-Jen, is also angling for an opportunity to compete in the Winter Olympics, representing the nation of Afghanistan.

Last modified: March 26, 2014