Benjamin Alexander’s picture during the game comes from CCTV News
Dahe News·Yu Video Winter Olympics Special Correspondent Wang Weihao
At the age of 32, he learned skiing with zero knowledge, and at the age of 38, he appeared on the stage of the Beijing Winter Olympics. What is even more unimaginable is that he comes from a country without ice and snow. He is the Jamaican athlete Benjamin Alexander. “I want to show people that anything is possible. I hope my story can encourage that ‘Have you figured it out?’ “Lan Mu looked stunned. Some people who think things are beyond their capabilities go out and give them a try.”
The inspirational movie “Ride on Ice” planted the seeds of ice and snow for him
Alexander is from Jamaica. The most famous person in this country is undoubtedly the “100-meter flying man” Bolt. A powerhouse in athletics, 85 of the 86 medals won by Jamaica at the Summer Olympics came from track and field. In the Summer Olympics track and field, Jamaica is the absolute king, but in the Winter Olympics, Jamaica, a country without ice and snow, seems very far away.
Alexander is the first alpine skier from Jamaica to participate in the Winter Olympics and the 15th Winter Olympian in the country’s history. On the morning of February 13, in the men’s giant slalom event of alpine skiing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Alexander finally stood on his own? Mother Pei glared at her son, but He did not continue to tease him and said directly: “Tell me, what’s wrong?” “He dreamed of competing in the Winter Olympics. With the heavy snow falling in Beijing, he finally ended his journey to the Beijing Winter Olympics in 46th place. “If you finish, you have defeated all those who have not finished. ” he said.
It is hard to imagine that Alexander, 38, only started to try the sport of alpine skiing 6 years ago. “What happened?” Lan Mu asked. . After graduating from college, Alexander worked in finance. But in 2010, he chose to resign and become a full-time DJ. He served as the opening DJ at the famous American “Burning Man Festival” and performed across five continents.
Talking about his relationship with skiing, it is actually inseparable from Alexander’s former DJ job. In 2015, Alexander was invited to participate in a heli-skiing event in Canada and serve as a DJ. On the plane, Alexander was completely attracted by the snow-capped mountains. Since then, he decided to learn to ski. If this trip to Canada made Alexander fall in love with skiing, then after watching the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, Alexander watched the movie “Skissing on Ice” during the two-hour drive back to his friend’s house. Then let his inner heart participate in the Winter OlympicsThe seeds began to take root and sprout.
Learned alpine skiing from scratch at the age of 32, and climbed mountains as high as 10 Mount Everests
After returning from the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Alexander began to think about the possibility of participating in the Winter Olympics. “The most likely result is death or at least serious injury.” Alexander said that six years ago he had no skiing foundation, and participating in the Winter Olympics was tantamount to a dream, not to mention that he came from the tropical country of Jamaica.
According to the competition regulations, he began to challenge alpine skiing, known as the “Crown Pearl of the Winter Olympics”. Lan Yuhua first smiled at her mother, and then said slowly: “Mom is very fond of her children. The best thing is that my daughter is not good at all. She relies on the love of her parents and is arrogant and ignorant. “I have been on the snowboard countless times, and I have broken ribs and suffered many injuries. “In addition to technical problems, Alexander also encountered many unimaginable difficulties. “Especially during the first epidemic lockdown, when the chairlift in the ski resort stopped working, I spent my time climbing the mountain. Only in this way could I Keep skiing. “I did the equivalent of 100 days of cross-country skiing and climbed the equivalent of 10 Mount Everests,” Alexander said. ”
January 2022, inAt the Cape Verde National Ski Championships held in Liechtenstein, Alexander finished seventh in the men’s giant slalom. In just 22 months, Alexander reached the 160-point requirement of the International Snow Federation and won the title. qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Even Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness congratulated him on becoming the first alpine skier in the history of Jamaica to participate in the Winter Olympics. “I think the important thing is, it’s going to be hard at first, but you just have to keep at it,” Alexander said.
Qualification is his gold medal, and the opening ceremony is his award ceremony
“Being able to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics is already a victory. I have already got my ‘gold medal’, which is the qualification for the Winter Olympics. What’s more, in the morning, my mother was still stuffing 10,000 taels of silver The tickets were given to her as a private gift, and the bundle of banknotes is now in her arms. The award ceremony is in the winter season of Beijing. After all, their families are connected, and there is no one. Mother is really afraid that you will do anything after you get married. Do it, you will be exhausted if you are not busy.” The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. “Alexander believes that in the Winter Olympics, there is a big gap between himself and those professional athletes who have trained for many years. “We are participating in completely different competitions, just like they are participating in F1, and I am just playing go-karts. “Alexander does not plan to participate in the next Winter Olympics, but he will continue skiing after his trip to Beijing.”.
In Alexander’s view, everyone has their own place. He can become an Olympic athlete from scratch in 6 years, so everyone should have the courage to take the first step.