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Worlds Worst Skier Has Best Explanation: He Never Trained on Snow
Source: NYT
A new name may have been added to the list of plucky but noncompetitive winter sportsmen — a ledger that includes Eddie the Eagle (Michael Edwards) and the 1988 Jamaican Olympic bobsled team — after Adrian Solano wobbled his way onto and then around the course this week at the Nordic world ski championships in Lahti, Finland. Commentators who witnessed his every fall there quickly called him the “world’s worst skier ever.”
To anyone aware of his back story, however, the reason behind his shakiness was understandable: Until arriving at the competition this week, Solano, a Venezuelan, had never set foot on, nor even seen, snow. Until his debut, Solano, 22, carried out all his training for the championships on wheels under the blazing South American sun.
<snip>
“We have a success culture that sports is only great if you succeed,” Valavuori said. “I want to get rid of that. You get some wins, you get some losses. But there are so many other things in sports. It’s all about the story.”
On Friday, Solano announced his intention to raise money for Finnish junior skiing as a thank you to those who helped finance his trip to Lahti. He also said he planned to continue skiing in Venezuela and hoped to practice more frequently on snow. His long-term goal is to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
“The part I actually enjoyed the most was falling down,” Solano said of his experience this week, “because now I am more motivated to get up and keep achieving my goal.”
To anyone aware of his back story, however, the reason behind his shakiness was understandable: Until arriving at the competition this week, Solano, a Venezuelan, had never set foot on, nor even seen, snow. Until his debut, Solano, 22, carried out all his training for the championships on wheels under the blazing South American sun.
<snip>
“We have a success culture that sports is only great if you succeed,” Valavuori said. “I want to get rid of that. You get some wins, you get some losses. But there are so many other things in sports. It’s all about the story.”
On Friday, Solano announced his intention to raise money for Finnish junior skiing as a thank you to those who helped finance his trip to Lahti. He also said he planned to continue skiing in Venezuela and hoped to practice more frequently on snow. His long-term goal is to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
“The part I actually enjoyed the most was falling down,” Solano said of his experience this week, “because now I am more motivated to get up and keep achieving my goal.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/sports/olympics/adrian-solano-nordic-world-ski-championships.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur
I like this guy!
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