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Lewis Irving is a Canadian freestyle skier and Olympic Bronze Medalist known for his historic achievement in the inaugural Mixed Team Aerials event at the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Overcoming a torn MCL just eight weeks before the competition, Irving secured Canada’s first Olympic medal in any aerials event in 20 years and the first Olympic games where the Stoko Supportive Tights made it onto an Olympic podium.
Lewis’ medical staff wanted him to wear a custom brace leading into the Olympics because of his torn MCL. After jumping with the brace for three days, he couldn’t do it — he ditched the brace and only wore his Stoko Supportive Tights.
The Stoko team caught up with Lewis over the phone in October 2023, while he was home in Quebec just about to leave for a training camp in Finland. Below are a few key questions and answers from the interview.
Stoko:
We watched your bronze medal performance in Beijing recently. Can you take us back to that moment? How wild was that experience?
Lewis Irving:
Oh, for sure. It was just crazy. But what made it even crazier was I had blown my MCL 8 weeks before [the Olympics], so I hadn’t jumped that much all winter. Even at the games, I did the math, and I think I had 17 days jumping on snow, counting the Olympic competitions. So I just remember being up there and being like, alright, well, I’m here — 8 weeks ago, I couldn’t even walk, I couldn’t walk alone, I had crutches, and now I get a shot at fighting for a medal here, so that was absolutely crazy!
Stoko:
What a comeback! Were you wearing your Stoko Supportive Tights during the Olympic Bronze medal run in Beijing?
Lewis Irving:
Oh yeah, for sure! At the Olympics, I had this custom-made brace they [the medical staff] wanted me to wear because I had no MCL. I jumped with them for three days, and I couldn’t wear it at all…it hurt, it pushed into my thigh, I couldn’t stand up, and it wasn’t letting me lock out properly. It felt terrible, and they [the medical staff] didn’t have time to make me two custom braces on short notice, so I felt uneven, only having one on my leg. It felt terrible, I was like, just let me wear my Stokos, and yeah, it worked.
Stoko:
How often do you wear your Stoko Supportive Tights? Do you wear them during competition as a base layer?
Lewis Irving:
Yeah, I wear them every day I train. From the slope to the trampoline and in the gym. It’s made such a difference. I love the product and how it is also not just tailored to the elite or the high-level athlete. That’s what’s awesome about this product.
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