AJ Ginnis took sensational silver: That’s how his career went

The 28-year-old globetrotter was the first ski racer to win a World Cup medal for Greece. On Sunday, Ginnis wrote the preliminary climax in a ski fairy tale that was actually over.

As a globetrotter that he is, Ginnis was of course also present at the Olympics in Beijing 2022. However, not actively on the slopes, but as an analyst for the US broadcaster NBC. Once again he had destroyed his knee – for the sixth time in his career, and mentally drew a line under what was already a special sports career at the time. But the achievements under the Olympic rings inspired him. “My fire was suddenly there again.” Once again the question remained as to who should finance his comeback, because there is no de facto Greek ski association.

Silver thanks to mom and some crazy minds

Alexandros Ioannis Ginnis, whose name is Alexander John Ginnis in his US passport, went to wife Mama. “She said do it! If she had said get a job I would have quit. But she always believed in me. She’s a huge part of this,” Ginnis said, pointing to the one dangling around his neck silver medal. Second after the first round, he asked for help from above: “I pray to all twelve Greek gods,” he said in a television interview.

Money was and is always tight, some small sponsors and crazy people – “all friends”, according to Ginnis – help. His private team consists of old, ski-loving college buddies who, at least up until now, have often slept in cars instead of hotel rooms. And at the beginning of February in Chamonix, they jumped around with joy when AJ amazed the ski circus with second place in the World Cup slalom.

Ginnis comes from Vouliagmeni, a seaside resort near Athens, and that alone seems to rule out a career in skiing. But even in Greece there are quite high mountains next to the sea and sandy beaches. Even as a small boy, he buckled on the slats on the 2,455 meter high Parnassus, instructed by his father, a ski instructor and ski shop operator.

Why Ginnis knows Pinzgauer

When AJ was twelve years old, his father opened a new shop – in Kaprun. The boy went with us because of the new language, culture and – of course – skiing. “It was a different culture, I didn’t know the language, was isolated,” Ginnis said. “But I made friends while skiing.” With them he learned German in no time at all, or rather: Pinzgauer dialect.

The overjoyed man on Sunday no longer remembered that he spent three or four years in Salzburg. After that, the US-Greek dual citizen (Ginni’s mother was born in New York) went to the USA. High school, college, always with the skis. He made the leap into the US squad – and injured himself. Again and again.

“He always had the speed, but with all the hurdles he’s had in his life, he’s never really been able to make it to a great performance like this,” said Ginnis’ serviceman Gabriel Coulet. “Despite many injuries, he kept going to achieve his dream for Greece and he never gave up.” When Ginnis was asked what silver behind World Champion Henrik Kristoffersen could mean for his career, he thought for a moment and said: “A game changer.” Then he laughed.