WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — The first Iranian woman and Colombia’s first athlete to compete at a Winter Olympics raced today in the women’s giant slalom.
Iran’s Marjan Kalhor finished in 1 minute, 36.87 seconds Wednesday, the slowest of 68 skiers who completed the foggy, snowy course. She trailed Elisabeth Goergl of Austria by 21.75 seconds before the afternoon second run.
The 21-year-old Kalhor wore a pink head scarf beneath her safety helmet to comply with Islamic dress code.
At the finish, she flashed big smiles, revealing braces, and thanked reporters for their attention. Through an interpreter, she said: “If you want to be a sportswoman you have to participate in the biggest competitions.”
Kalhor finished ahead of Vail’s Lindsey Vonn, who crashed. And she was ahead of Colombia’s first Winter Games athlete.
Colombia’s Cynthia Denzler doesn’t mind much that she crashed during her first run. It’s just enough to be at the Olympics.
“I feel very excited, proud,” said the petite 26-year-old skier. “Latin America is an exotic area so I’m glad to be the first racing for them.”
Denzler was born to Swiss parents and grew up in California, holding both Swiss and U.S. citizenship. In 2003 she also became a citizen of Colombia, where her father owns a jeans factory.
She says she feels Swiss but a big part of her heart is in Colombia. She visits often and has friends there who now feel like family.
“We have .. a lot of adopted relatives because our family’s so small in Switzerland compared to Latin families where there’s like 50 cousins, 50 aunts and uncles.” Colombians have adopted her as one of their own, as well. She’s been featured in all the country’s big newspapers and Colombians have swamped her Facebook page with messages.
“They’ve been saying ‘I’m so proud that you’ve been carrying our flag, representing us,”‘ Denzler said. “Some of them brought tears to my eyes because, some moms or guys, they almost came to tears when they saw their flag at the Winter Olympics.” She blames her failed first run on the burden of carrying a nation’s expectations.
“I was just really, really nervous and put too much pressure on myself. I couldn’t concentrate the way I normally do, couldn’t be loose, couldn’t be free. … I didn’t want to disappoint people.” After the Olympics, Denzler plans to study for an MBA in Switzerland, where she trains, and one day hopes to open a sports shop. But she sees competitive skiing as a big part of her future.
Following the path of Mexico’s Hubertus Von Hohenlohe, another athlete with European roots competing for a Latin American country, Denzler intends to be part of many Olympics to come.
“If nothing goes wrong I plan on doing more,” she said. “Who can beat being outdoors? Who wants to be behind an office between 9 to 5?”
