Taiwan’s Olympic Closing Ceremony Flag Bearer, Sophia Tsu Velicer, Soaks Up the World Cup Finale in Lake Placid

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Taiwanese-American skier Sophia Tsu Velicer on racing in the U.S., representing Taiwan, and her mission to open doors for the next generation.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Sophia Tsu Velicer didn’t mince words when FasterSkier caught up with her in the mixed zone after Sunday’s 20-kilometer mass start freestyle at the Stifel Lake Placid Finals.

“It was kind of brutal,” she said, still catching her breath, “but kind of super duper fun.”

That pretty much captures Velicer’s entire approach to cross-country skiing: an honest acknowledgment of how hard it is, paired with an irrepressible love for it. The 26-year-old, who represents Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), finished 52nd in the 20 k Freestyle Mass Start in 52:50, four and a half minutes behind the winner. She’d posted a nearly identical placement in Friday’s 10-kilometer classic interval start, crossing in 33:19 for 52nd. But for Velicer, the weekend was never really about the result sheet.

“Hang on and soak up the crowd”

Her strategy for the final race of the season was refreshingly uncomplicated.

“My strategy was kind of to just hang on as long as I could and try to find a group and really just soak up the crowd and enjoy this,” she said. “It’s the last race of a long season. So I think that was our strategy.”

And what a season it’s been. Velicer arrived in Lake Placid fresh off her first Olympic Games, where she became the first woman ever to represent Taiwan in Olympic cross-country skiing. She placed 52nd in the Skiathlon and then turned heads with a 22nd-place finish in the 50-kilometer classical, the best result by any athlete from an Asian country in that event. At the closing ceremony, she carried the Taiwanese flag.

A homecoming – in the loosest sense

Velicer was born in Michigan and grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, before eventually basing herself in Europe to train and compete. So when asked whether racing at Mt. Van Hoevenberg felt like a home World Cup, she laughed.

“Yeah, kind of in the loosest sense of the term,” she said. “I lived in the States when I was a kid. I was born in Michigan, and then I lived in southern Indiana. So not really close to here, but the U.S. does feel very, very homey.”

She paused, and her voice picked up.

“It’s just so exciting to be back and to be surrounded by all these people who are just stoked to be here and love the sport,” she said. “You don’t really get this in the same way in Europe, and it’s really special.”

Anyone who was at Mt. Van Hoevenberg over the weekend, the thousands who braved wet snow and packed every corner of the course, would be hard-pressed to argue with that.

Opening doors for the next generation

Velicer’s path to the highest levels of the sport was not a straightforward one. Representing a nation with essentially no cross-country skiing infrastructure meant navigating bureaucratic and logistical hurdles that most European or North American skiers never have to think about. Now, she wants to make sure those who follow her don’t face the same barriers.

“My general goal is to just improve as much as I can and have fun,” she said of next season. “I do want to try to make it easier for younger Taiwanese skiers to enter the highest level of sport, if they’re able to, if they have the level for it, because it was really difficult for me to get here. So to make that easier for them.”

At the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Velicer placed 38th in the 10-kilometer individual. She has her sights set higher for the 2027 edition.

“I would love, love, love to get a top 30 result at World Champs next year,” she said.

Given the trajectory of her career, from a kid racing the North American Vasa in Traverse City to Olympic flag bearer for Taiwan in the span of 15 years, it would be unwise to bet against her.

FasterSkier’s Luke Dykowski reported from the mixed zone throughout the Stifel Lake Placid Finals at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.

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