Sports

2010 U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Jeret ‘Speedy’ Peterson Commits Suicide in Utah

Olympic Medalist Jeret Speedy Peterson Commits Suicide

Jeret 'Speedy' Peterson of the United States reacts after performing the first jump of Men's Aerials final at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games at Sauze d'Oulx, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Salt Lake Tribune:

Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, the high-flying freestyle skier whose silver medal at the Vancouver Olympics represented a triumph over the demons of his past, has died.

Officials said the 29-year-old Park City resident shot himself in the head in Lambs Canyon, east of Salt Lake City.

His body was discovered outside his car just off Interstate 80 at about 9:30 on Monday night, police in Salt Lake County said, after Peterson left a suicide note and called police to tell them his location.

“He called 911 and said he was going to kill himself,” said Lt. Justin Hoyal, a spokesman for the Unified Police Department.

Peterson had been arrested in Idaho last week on alcohol-related charges, and had endured a troubled childhood as well as a well-documented battle with depression, gambling and alcoholism.

The three-time Olympian was famously sent home from the 2006 Turin Games in Italy because of a drunken street fight with a friend that followed his disappointing seventh-place finish in the aerials as the gold-medal favorite armed with a dizzying signature maneuver — the Hurricane.

Watch Peterson land the Hurricane in this video posted in 2007:

Comments (52)

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  • obamanation
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 2:50pm

    Ok.. I just read your story SCARY…. You seem to have a great life; job, family, the whole 9. So what makes you depressed?

    obamanation  
  • obamanation
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 2:46pm

    Oh ya?! Why’s that?

    obamanation  
  • SCARY
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 2:39pm

    If I knew you,I’d punch you right in your throat.

    Report Post »  
    • obamanation
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 3:09pm

      Very Christian.

      I stand by my charge; the guy is selfish for killing himself without a care for the people that love him. I have no respect for people like that. A great skier he was, but he obviously had more consideration about his own feelings than of his loved ones. Now the many people that loved and cared about him will mourn him for his *selfish act* for many years. He has hurt a lot of people, thus I have no pity for him.

      Report Post » obamanation  
    • obamanation
      Posted on July 28, 2011 at 12:28am

      “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” -George Orwell

      Report Post » obamanation  
  • SanMoo
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:40pm

    Freestylers, Snowboarders—they used to show them partying during the Olympics–drinking and openly talking about drugs…..this is the way they got started and admitedly love to do their routines high as can be. I remember some of them trying to talk when interviewed after a run and they were unable to make full sentences. This is sad….very sad. I guess I don’t understand why this group can live this life style–qualify to compete and get away with it. It kills people….obviously it did “Speedy”–and another guy that friends could not talk out of snowboard jumping off cliffs….the video I saw of him on dangerous sports…his friends begged him not to jump off of this cliff that was way too high–you see his body bounce several times and they then went and picked up his dead body—after they taped the whole grusome stupid incident. Purpose?? How do these people live with themselves?

    Report Post » SanMoo  
  • SquareHead
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:36pm

    Most people spend their life evading life’s big questions…. Most spend their life running away from them, by filling time with work, leisure, or pursuing something like a Olympian medal. All of which are chasing after the wind, when it comes down to it……

    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”. -Winston Churchill

    Report Post »  
  • whispurrr
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:07pm

    I am saddened by the lack of compassion in some. People who suffer from depression do not choose to be depressed and they surely can not say, I will choose to be happy. First and foremost, there is a chemical imbalance and that is the key cause for depression. It exacerbates when upsetting things occur. It lasts longer and is more intense for them.

    We have all suffered some depression from time to time in our lives, but the difference is that we are able to move forward and to get out of it. These people are unable to do that. Again it is not their choice. When one suffers with depression, they are usually on medication. The medication has many negative side effects and many stop the medicine because of those side effects. It is a continuous battle for them.

    The pain sometimes so overwhelming, they lose the ability to understand anything, if the agony will not stop , they are almost forced to end it the only way their depression allows them to, TO TAKE THEIR LIVES AND END THE PAIN.

    This is my field. It does run in the same families. Please don’t call them weak or other names. It is a most terrible illness and it usually begins in their childhood. They turn to drugs and alcohol to numb themselves against this most debilitating disease .

    May God bless him and his family at this most difficult time and may they find the solace of knowing their loved one is not hurting anymore. God will not be cruel in His judgement

    Report Post » whispurrr  
    • poverty.sucks
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:33pm

      Unfortunate this situation is, waiting until death is too late for compassion from God. As graceful as God is, waiting until Judgement is a sad place to be. Settle out of court now, acknowlege we have sinned and ask for forgiveness while you have a chance to be saved.

      If you died today, will you go to Heaven?

      Report Post » poverty.sucks  
  • SCARY
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 11:51am

    You’d think Blaze readers might automatically work on some “higher”level of understanding and compassion.Nah….Alot of you are just as ignorant and self righteous as the worst of them.I’ve not had a depression episode in a good 9 mos.That one lasted 6 mos and I almost took permanent care of it ,myself.Guess what?I’ve never drank or done drugs,..ever.Married 17 years with 2 awesome boys,Self employed.A professional athlete.Believe in God and live a good life…Depression erases ALL of that and makes it nothing.It doesn’t make it FEEL like nothing.It IS nothing.I thank god every day for my awesome wife .She’s kept me alive,just because of her love for me.I would have been dead 5 times over if I didn’t have her being patient and understand with me,waiting fore to come out the other side and back to reality.Best of luck to those understand and stay strong.The rest off you can piss off.

    Report Post »  
    • allthatglitters
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:58pm

      God bless you and thank you for your insight. I pray for you and all who suffer from this debilitating sickness.

      Report Post » allthatglitters  
  • poverty.sucks
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 11:18am

    Stop looking for nirvana and look to the word of God our creator to overcome suffering.

     The way the Christian copes with suffering and evil, we cope with the discussion, what is the boundary, what’s the latitude of evil that I’m experiencing.  It’s all under His control, why has He done this.  Anybody that’s got half smarts has a solution, and the solution is anesthetize yourself; take drugs, do alcohol, do something else. All these things act as a pain killer.  That’s why we’ve got Kevorkian running around he wasn’t the first guy to figure out how to reduce pain.  The drunk in the bar figured that one out centuries before he came along.  All of it is a grand scheme of anesthesia, you pick yours, somebody picks drink, somebody picks drugs, somebody picks sex, somebody picks something else, but basically it’s an anesthetization attempt to get rid of the pain.  So just saying no to drugs doesn’t solve the problem, it’s hard to do.  I can’t say no, any more than I can say no to a pain killer when I’m hurting. The problem is deeper than just saying no, the problem is what’s the big picture going on here in my life.

    Report Post » poverty.sucks  
    • howdeedo2U
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:50pm

      Please know that tons of people would easily identify with and be sympathetic to anyone who has emotional or physical problems. I think you have miss-read here that there is not sympathy for such a person. Well-meaning suggest asking help from God, yet are lacking in properly explaining themselves. You and your wife should be just so totally proud of yourselves. God bless you and your family. I am so impressed with your story. You have made me day, as I weed through news of too many giving into their lesser selves. God bless!

      Report Post »  
  • Secret Squirrel
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 11:02am

    .
    Sad.
    But it is well known that freestylers are addicts.

    Report Post » Secret Squirrel  
    • imreddog
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 11:16am

      The most likely cause of depession is a chemical imbalance. If you are depressed, for no know reason (job loss, death in the family, etc.) , see some alternative doctors for their suggestions. Accupuncture might help, can’t hurt. For me, I just choose to be happy… some people find this difficult to impossible. Suicide is no answer to your problems. If you want to die, just wait around a while, it will come naturally and the people that love you won’t be asking why.
      If you are hell-bent on leaving early, please take a few Demoncraps with you…. they’re forking up the world…. AND it is the Demoncraps that are saying that there are too many people living on this earth… so they should be willing to go with you. Don‘t believe them if they say that they aren’t ready to go, you know how they lie.

      Report Post »  
  • evilpa
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 10:51am

    Shame on any of you for judging this young man. I have been fighting depression most of my life, my grandfather suffered from it, as has my uncle and my mother. I have been suicidal. I fought the minute-by-minute desire to kill myself for 20 months. It’s all I thought about. I still have my journal with all the different ways I came up with to do it and hopefully make it look like an accident. I found a therapist and a doctor who helped me, medication and weekly therapy sessions for 10 years, lots of hard, hard work. It is debilitating, and something that seems small to you could be a huge trigger and send someone like ME over the edge. Each depressive episode is worse than the last, and each one makes you feel more helpless, it leaves you without hope for the future, or even believeing you have a future. I have a mental illness, and I will have to fight with it every day for the rest of my life. I speak out about it, it is nothing to be ashamed of, it is a challenge.

    My uncle committed suicide last year, as did my nephew, this cuts close to home for me.

    My prayers are Jeret Peterson and his family. He is now at peace, and there is a special place with the angels for him.

    Report Post »  
  • last frontier
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 10:17am

    After the depression and world war 2 people were not killing themselves because they were just happy to be alive, it’s cushy times like the last 50 years that make people think that they have had it so ruff.

    Report Post » last frontier  
  • platitude
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:19am

    people who commit suicide should be regarded the same as amy winehouse. there is nothing romantic about this degenerate.

    Report Post » platitude  
    • Mil-Dot
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 9:01am

      I believe that many folks are born with a defective DNA pattern that pre-diposes them to commit suicide. One of my brothers freinds was always talking about it. They caught him several times trying to hang himself. He eventually succeeded.

      Report Post »  
    • Seabee79
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 9:10am

      Obviously this poor guy had serious mental issues, and need help. Unless you know someone who lives with serious depression and see the up’s and down’s of their everyday life then you shouldn’t make dumb a$$ comments.

      Report Post » Seabee79  
    • sWampy
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 9:20am

      Very, very unlikely it’s a gene, much more likely he had parents/school chums that made fun of him/bullied him, and nobody stood up for him leaving him that way. Kids require nurture and praise when they are developing, or you end up with monsters.

      Report Post »  
    • mrsmileyface
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 10:05am

      Couldnt have said it better Platitude. To hell with them who want to waste their beautiful life GOD gave them.

      Report Post » mrsmileyface  
    • platitude
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:28pm

      good point mil-dot. apparently hemmingways dad and brother and sister all committed suicide as well. so there is definantly something to say about genetics playing a strong role. but lets not omit lifestyle, this guy was a heavy drinker.

      Report Post » platitude  
  • fortyshooter
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 6:56am

    I have lost three friends to suicide and do not understand why. On the surface, they were waaay better off than me; but it is impossible to know what lies beneath.

    Report Post »  
    • poverty.sucks
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 7:17am

      Sorry to hear of your loss of good friends.

      Gods words are not arbitrary, not negotiable, always the truth and therefore the way. The unbelief is a conscience choice to be decieved. When your hard work only satifies others around you, fails to glorfiy God, and others around you become more demanding, there’s an unfortunate way out.

      Report Post » poverty.sucks  
    • hifi74
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 7:26am

      Yeah Forty I lost a friend too it as well and for the life of me I can’t figure out why he did so. Sorry to hear about it for you though.

      Report Post » hifi74  
  • poverty.sucks
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 6:42am

    Further evidence that there’s no better end for selfishness.

    Report Post » poverty.sucks  
  • Talmid of Yeshua
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 3:30am

    What a coward. Suicide is for the weak-minded. Grow a pair.

    Report Post » Talmid of Yeshua  
    • IAMNOTKNOWING
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 3:45am

      “On those who show mercy and compassion, mercy and compassion shall be shown.”

      You’d probably be a little less harsh if Jesus was standing right next to you as you wrote that.

      What good does it do to speak like that?

      Report Post » IAMNOTKNOWING  
    • Shiroi Raion
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 4:33am

      That coward thing is getting old. It‘s from a time when people didn’t understand mental illness as a biological problem. People thought that you could just will depression away. That’s like saying that you can just use your willpower to cure cancer.
      So, to a person who suffered depression for years, life may seem like nothing but pain with no end in sight. I feel sorry for people suffering depression.
      Suicide isn’t cowardly in a case like that. After trying a battery of pills and seeing no results, it’s just the only way they can end their anguish.
      Another thing about depression is that it causes a feeling that life has no value. A bad combination: no value in life and endless pain.
      You shouldn‘t pass judgement on others for when you can’t empathize with what another is suffering through.

      Report Post » Shiroi Raion  
  • martinrnelson
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 2:17am

    Nether Amy Winehouse or this individual should be of any concern, they are dead. It’s the families who lost, daughter, son, sibling and friend that our thoughts should be with.

    Report Post » martinrnelson  
  • someofurpathetic
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:40am

    Wow. I wish these comments were also awarded to Amy Winehouse. I see NO difference. Both were talented human beings. One committed suicide – factual. One is suspected of suicide by drug overdose. How are these two different? They’re not. Stop slamming one because of some opinion you have formed through the Slime Media. If you hate Amy because she did drugs and had an alcohol addiction….then you also have to hate the Olympian Jeret…afterall…he had more going for him right? But he gave it all up- willingly.

    If you think this thinking sounds ridiculous, then you are right. So why the difference in all the comments?

    God Bless both of them, each had demons….and no one to help them. (No one who was paying attention.)

    Neither deserved to feel death was the only relief. Intentional or accidental.

    Report Post »  
  • OGUI
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:24am

    He’s going to the big Winter Games in the sky.

    Report Post » OGUI  
  • RightPolitically
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:55am

    Amy committed suicide too, just differently. This poor guy has now joined her and all the others. And for what? For what?

    Report Post » RightPolitically  
  • Metalist
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:48am

    Wow, so sad. Thoughts and prayers to the family….

    Report Post » Metalist  
  • SLIDELLMAN
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:17am

    How awful.

    Report Post »  
  • SilentReader
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:05am

    What a shame! A sad turn of events for an accomplished skier who thrilled us with his hurricane maneuver!

    How sad for his family and friends! My condolences go out to them.

    RIP Speedy.

    Report Post » SilentReader  
  • dontbotherme
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:03am

    I pray that the family & friends will find the help the need to get through this emotionally, God bless them all.

    Report Post »  
  • Bizzle
    Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:00am

    So sad. Speedy represented my good old home town Boise, Idaho! Prayers for his family

    Report Post » Bizzle  
  • Disnylv
    Posted on July 26, 2011 at 11:46pm

    My prayers go out to your family and friends. You will be missed speedy.

    Report Post »  
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