Toby Dawson’s life story reads like a movie script – lost as a boy in a Korean market, orphaned and raised by parents in Colorado, finding an outlet in skiing. But his accomplishments in the sport were real – World Champion, Olympic medalist, and one of the great moguls skiers of his generation. Today he continues as a recognized global leader in the sport, introducing his birth nation to moguls skiing and serving a key role with the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang.

His life focused on skiing from age four – blasting around the mountain like any other youngster. By the age of 13, he found freestyle skiing as an outlet eventually moving into the thriving moguls program at Team Breckenridge and starting to weave his way to the top. He achieved his goal of making the U.S. Ski Team at age 19, but he also found obstacles to overcome. He was fifth in his first World Cup in 1999, on the podium in 2000 and a winner in 2001. Still, he narrowly missed the 2002 Olympic team.

While he came back to medal twice at the World Championships in 2003 at Deer Valley, an injury took him out the next season. Again, his Olympic opportunity was clouded.

He came back energized and focused. In 2005, Dawson became a World Champion with all the attention of the sport’s top star. But competition for 2006 Olympics spots was fierce from his own teammates, including super star Jeremy Bloom. As a selection period neared its close, he picked up a vital win in the Deer Valley World Cup to clinch a spot for Torino. He kept his focus – maintained his eye on the prize – and won the Olympic bronze medal with a stunning finals run.

Dawson retired after Torino, but continued to be very active in his sport. A search eventually led him to his Korean father. He played a vital role in the 2018 Olympic bid by PyeongChang and is now coaching moguls skiers in Korea for their Olympics in 2018, as well as consulting for 2018 Olympic organizers. He was inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2012.

Career Highlights:

1999-2006: 7-years on U.S. Freestyle Ski Team
2003: World Championship medals
2005: World Champion Dual Moguls
2006: Winter Olympic bronze medal