Arif Khan makes a mark on tough track on Olympics debut

India's Arif Khan marked his Winter Olympics debut with a creditable 45th place in Giant Slalom at the National Alpine Ski Centre in Yanqing district of Beijing on Sunday. The 31-year-old, India’s only competitor at the Games, braved brutal overhead conditions and a tricky slope to clock 2 minutes, 47.24 seconds across his two runs.

The original start list had 89 participants of which Brazil's Michel Macedo and Armenia's Harutyun Harutyunyan did not race. The first run, marred by heavy snowing, saw 33 fail to finish (DNF) while another eight, including a disqualification, could not finish the second run. In all, 43 of the 89 competitors fell prey to the treacherous Ice River course that had a starting elevation of 1,925 metres and a vertical drop of 424 metres.

“It was a tough course, no doubt. We always knew that the track would be very challenging, so we decided to focus on finishing the race first. He could have definitely gone faster, but that would have increased the probability to crash and bow out early,” said six-time Olympian Shiva Keshavan, who was with the Indian camp in the Chinese capital.

“Full credit to Arif for sticking to his plans. He didn't get carried away nor was he bogged down. He can be extremely proud of what he has achieved, and it augurs well for his next event,” added Keshavan.

The Alpine Skiing course at the Olympics is made of artificial ice, making it an extremely quick and concrete-like surface. Fresh snow makes the surface extra slippery, besides leading to powdery mounds, making it difficult for the skiers to gauge the bumps.

“Look, what happens in such a scenario is that if you don’t follow the wake of your preceding skiers, fresh powder snow can deposit on your skis, making it difficult to manoeuvre. Also, you are never sure how deep the snow actually is,” explained India’s luge exponent.

Former international Shabir Ahmad Wani also lauded Khan’s run, calling it a pivotal moment for sport in India. “It is a big moment in India skiing. Despite the odds, Arif ended up producing India's best result in Giant Slalom at the Olympics. I am satisfied with his run,” said Wani, who is regarded as the father of Indian skiing.

The ex-national coach is credited with shaping Arif’s skills in his formative years in Gulmarg, and was impressed with Khan’s deft skiing.

“I have not known Arif to give up, and today was just another example. He skied very maturely. Giant Slalom is the fastest skiing discipline, and snowfall makes it all the more challenging. It blurs your vision completely, but Arif didn't miss a single gate nor did he crash. It tells you how good he is,” said Wani.

Arif’s father Yasin Khan lavished praise on his son. “The way he skied on a tough track tells you of his quality. Everyone at my house was up early to watch him race, and we are very happy with his performance.”

Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt took the gold, while Zan Kranjec of Slovenia and France's Mathieu Faivre bagged the silver and bronze.

Arif races next on February 16 in the Slalom event.

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