David Wise Wiki: 5 Facts To Know About 2018 Olympics Gold Medalist Skier

David Wise is a freestyle skier who managed to beat all his opponents in the Free Ski Half Pipe in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. He won a gold medal and then went on celebrate his victory with his family. He and his wife, Alexandra, have two children, one each, a boy and a girl. David wise has won many other medals and he's both his made his country and his church proud. But what is it about Wise that makes him such a great athlete, husband, and father? 27-year-old Wise was born in Reno, Nevada and he has been a local since then. By now, he has won X Games gold medal four times and also the Olympic gold medal twice. The skier won his third gold at X Games in Aspen before he went to Sochi in 2014 for the Olympics where he became the first gold medalist in the newly introduced Men’s Freeski Halfpipe that had been held for the first time in that event. By 2018, he was struggling professionally and personally since his Olympic win in 2014, and he won a gold medal again at the X Games just before he packed and traveled to South Korea with his family to defend his Olympic title. Growing up in Reno, David Wise started skiing when he was three and he used to go to Sky Tavern which was a few minutes-drive from Reno. Wise grew perfected his freestyle skiing career while growing up and he used to ski with his two sisters, Christy and Jessica who are also talented skiers, as well as his dad, Thomas. However, Wise never joined any ski team until 2011 when he got a chance to be in a freestyle skiing team. In the early years of freestyle skiers, Wise competed in the moguls, big air, aerials, and slopestyle under the instructions of Clay Beck but he decided to concentrate on the halfpipe which was one of the few “new school” events he saw on TV happening at X Games. He married his wife, Alexandra Wise in 2011 and they have two kids, a daughter Nayeli and a son, Malachi. Wise, his wife, Alexandra Wise and their two kids attend church in Reno, Nevada.

As mentioned above, Mike Wise started training alongside his family at sky Tavern and after he felt good enough to compete, he moved to Mt. Rose for ski racing. He got into trouble repeatedly for skiing the terrain park during race practice and he even broke his expensive race skis on jumps. He nagged his parents constantly asking them to allow him to try freestyle skiing and eventually they caved and allowed him to do so. He grew up around Lake Tahoe and it was an advantage for him as he could practice without any pressure from anyone other than himself. He would cliff jumping, bouncing on the trampoline and then grab a bike and ride for the better part of summers. When snow would hit the slopes, he would do world-class skiing and all of that helped him develop into one of the best half pipe athletes in the United States. He balances time to be with his family and he loves to spend his evenings reading and hanging out with them. Wise and his wife manage the youth group at their church and during the summer, he loves to play volleyball on the beaches of Lake Tahoe. He and has friends, have a “men’s league” softball team that helps him get his body busy and while staying active. He also checks his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram frequently.

Not even faulty equipment kept Wise from defending his title at the recent 2018 Winter Olympic Games. His run in the men’s ski half pipe race and the excitement about the race was all over Twitter and Facebook. The American skier overcame falls on his two starts due to issues with his skis but he still managed to bring home the highest score of 97.20 winning a gold medal for the United States. The silver medal went to another US athlete, Alex Ferreira and New Zealand’s Nico Porteous settled for bronze. After his win, David Wise stated that he wanted to land a run and that he walked out of his skis twice. The skier added that it was not a mistake but just misfortune and so on the third run, he decided to pull it off. Wise also stated that he was in disbelief after winning because it could have been much worse, he could have lost, but he didn't. He landed that run in a moment when he needed to, which meant he was lucky enough to win. He landed double corks in all four directions on the run and repeated history by winning an Olympic gold medal for the second time in four trying years. First he and his family dealt with the challenge of three concussions all within two years, and the death of his wife's father AND the death of his grandmother. His final clutch run helped him nudge Ferreira out of gold. Porteous who won bronze was the third youngest man to win an individual Olympic Winter Medal after US’s Scott Allen and Japan’s Ayumu Hirano. He said that he was vomiting in the middle of the course and ahead of his second run, he consulted his sports psychologist who he described as an absolute legend. Porteous was not even the first 16-year-old to win a medal in the recent 2018 Winter Olympic Games because earlier in the games, New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski won bronze. Wise’s win marked the seventh gold medal for the US in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the fifth gold medal at the Phoenix Snow Park, with the other gold medals in the freestyle skiing being won by Shaun White, Chloe Kim, Jamie Anderson, and Red Gerard in different races.

David Wise has it all, two Olympic medals and an adorable family. After taking the top honor in the recently concluded Olympics, he stood on the podium. With him was his son Malachi and before that he was joined by his wife and daughter for photographs. In one memorable shot, children seemed to be cheering while Nayeli threw her hands in the air. Wise held Malachi while his wife displayed the American flag. The pictures made rounds on social media including Twitter and Facebook. In a segment of 'Celeb Parents Get Real' in PEOPLE, Wise spoke about his family and revealed that his son was exactly like how he was when he was young. He added that he nicknamed him bruiser because he usually throws things that get into his hands. Wise said that his son would take something nice, and he would say “Wow! Look at this” and throw it on the ground. It’s possible that Malachi learned somethings from his sister. They both love jumping off things, doing flips and break things. Both Nayeli and Malachi are fearless on skis, but Wise’s proudest moments as a dad has nothing to do with their skiing abilities. David Wise loves to see their unique personalities reveal themselves as his children grow up.

Wise live through perhaps his worst nightmare in 2016 while taking part in the Oslo X Games in the capital, Norway. The skier got a call from his wife who told him that Malachi, at just 18 months wasn’t breathing. He was also convulsing and turning blue. After he was checked into a hospital, it was discovered that Wise’s son had a sudden spike in his body temperature. After the seizure, he didn’t have any lingering issues, but the ordeal inspired Wise to succeed whenever he was away from home. In an interview, David wise said that it was super difficult for them and they were going through a lot of loss. The skier took the problems and used them as an inspiration to motivate himself. It helped to make him a better athlete and all the adversity just made his family tighter. He said that he and his wife are way stronger than they ever were before.

Wise received a text message in April 2015 that his sister, Christy Wise was involved in a boating accident in Florida. She was paddle boating when another boat crashed into her and caught her leg on the propeller before fleeing the scene. A nearby fishing boat got Christy out of the water, but the damage was already done. Christy Wise survived, but she will live the rest of her life with only one leg. Christy Wise was an Air Force pilot who controlled an HC-130 search and rescue plane and according to Wise, she remained active in the following years despite the accident that didn't knock her off course. That inspired wise as well and whenever he won any contest, he would donate ten percent of his winnings to Christy Wise’s charity “One Leg Upon Life.” The organization was founded by Christy and her sister Jessica and they provide prosthetics to children around the globe.

David Wise’s net worth is still under the carpet, but he probably has a food net worth that he has earned from his competitions like the X Games and the Olympics. The freestyle skiing champion also has sponsors who pay him for endorsements and increase his net worth.

Despite all the incidents that happened to Wise throughout the past years, he was determined to win and prove to his fans that he was strong despite the loses. That should inspire others as well. You can follow Wise on Facebook and Twitter for more inspiration.