U.S. Ski Team
Mahre earned a spot on the U.S. Ski Team in early 1973 at age 15. He was selected to the "A" team following the 1975 season and made his World Cup debut in December 1975 at Val d'Isère, France. Two months later he competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, taking fifth in the giant slalom at age 18. He made his first podium in March with a second in a giant slalom at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and finished the 1976 World Cup season in 14th place in the overall standings. He won his first World Cup race the next season, a giant slalom at Val d'Isère in December 1976. He followed it up with a slalom win in March at Sun Valley, defeating the man who would become his fiercest rival, the legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark, with brother Steve taking third. Phil finished ninth in the overall standings for 1977.
The following season would establish Phil Mahre as one of the best ski racers in the world. In 1978 he placed second in the overall standings, followed by third in 1979. At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, he took the silver in the slalom behind Stenmark, along with the unofficial Olympic combined title (official as a concurrent World Championship title). He would once again finish third in the overall World Cup standings for 1980, while winning the first of four consecutive discipline titles in the combined.
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