Ashley Farquharson Honored at Utah Olympic Park as Hometown Hero

Bronze medals do not gather dust in Park City. On Friday, Ashley Farquharson returned to the Utah Olympic Park - where she spent countless hours as a young slider - to add a piece of her Olympic history to the Alf Engen Ski Museum’s Hometown Heroes exhibit. The race bib from her bronze-medal run at the 2026 Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo is now on permanent display, alongside the racing gear she wore during those memorable runs.

Farquharson made history in Cortina as only the second U.S. woman - and third American singles slider - to win an Olympic luge medal. The significance of that achievement is not lost on her. “This ceremony is super cool for me and my family,” she said at the event. “I spent so much time at the track here growing up and it’s a great feeling to be able to share my accomplishments the UOP had such a big hand in.”

The road to that podium was anything but straightforward. Farquharson was stuck in fourth place in the standings for a long stretch heading into the Olympic season, testing her patience and belief in the process. “Finding the fortitude and drive to trust myself - that everything would happen at the right time - was very difficult,” she reflected.

FIL Secretary General Dwight Bell attended the ceremony and underlined the importance of community in an athlete’s development. “Family and community are huge, and where you come from, that’s your base, your kind of rock,” Bell said. “So it’s great to come here and celebrate, bring this little piece of history, the bit of her racing from the Games.”

Eyes on Winterberg - and 2034

The new season is already on her mind. Farquharson plans to compete at the first World Cup of the 2026/27 season in Winterberg on November 27. She goes in with clear priorities: “My goals this season are to really stay in the moment and lean into the challenges that I know are going to be there.”

Asked to choose between World Cup overall title and world champion, she stays true to her competitive philosophy: “I’ve always valued consistency, so if I had to pick, maybe overall winner.”

Looking further ahead, the prospect of a home Olympics at Utah 2034 clearly energizes her. “Everyone is so stoked about it already, and I think this is a great community for it. The Olympic spirit really spreads through everything, and it is something the people here are very proud of.”

The Alf Engen Ski Museum at the Utah Olympic Park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.