BEIJING — The life-size bust sits on a pedestal just inside the lobby of American skiing’s headquarters in Park City, Utah, a solitary bronze celebration of a singular figure in the sport.
It is not Billy Kidd, a godfather-type figure in American ski racing, or Bode Miller, a six-time Olympic medalist, or even Lindsey Vonn, among the most dominant skiers her country has ever produced.
It is Richard Steadman, a renowned orthopedic surgeon whose only affiliation with the Olympics was as a team doctor.
That the face greeting visitors to the training center for the U.