Yanqing, China, February 13, 2022: India’s Alpine skier Arif Mohd Khan believes he has sent a “great message” to the people back home with his eye-catching performance in the men’s giant slalom at Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre on Sunday.
He clocked 1 minute, 22.35 seconds in his first run and 1:24.89 in his second run for a combined time of 2:47.24.
Khan said it had been one of his dreams to take part in the Winter Olympics.
“This is my first time in the Winter Olympics so it means really a lot. It’s a great message back to our country, to our people, that to join winter sports in the future,” he said.
“We have a lot of mountains, a lot of places to ski but not the Alpine sports at the moment.”
Khan is hoping that his appearance will have a big impact back home and that it will encourage other people to take up winter sports, particularly Alpine skiing.
“Everybody is supporting, especially today there are like millions of people watching me live back home,” he added.
“I was trying my best to give the best I have got but, you know, the weather was uncertain, you couldn’t see much, like how the slope was used. But it was good really.”
Khan’s father, who was a skier and a ski guide, introduced him to the sport at a young age. He began competing and, by the age of 12, was doing well in junior national competitions.
He grew up in Kashmir, in northern India, along the southern border of the Himalayas. While the country has remarkable mountains, organised ski competition is just gaining structure.
Photo: Rajeev Mehta Facebook