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It's never too late to do well.
Six years ago, Benjamin Alexander had never put on skis in his life.
Logical for a young man born of a Jamaican father and an English mother, brought up near Northampton, in the very center of England, a thousand leagues from the mountains.
And then in 2015, for the first time, he took advantage of a vacation in Canada to discover the pleasure of “
all schuss
”.
It was love at first sight, as he confided to AFP last December: “
I remember very well the first time I went out skiing without an instructor.
I fell 27 times in one run.
But I thought to myself, well, this is just the beginning.
If the next time I manage to fall less than 27 times, it will already be progress.
And that's what happened.
At an age, 32, when a certain Marcel Hirscher had already retired, Benjamin Alexander decided to embark on the adventure of high-level alpine skiing.
With a dream, born in 2018 while attending the Pyeongchang events: to compete in the Olympic Games.
And he has never let go since.
"
I become obsessed
," he says, claiming to have skied more than... 450 days in the past two years.
An opinion confirmed by his mother Ann with the British press: “
Since he was little, he's been like that.
We knew he would succeed.
Whatever he wants to do, he will succeed.
He's not one to give up when he has an idea in his head.
A determination that has allowed him to live a thousand lives so far, from renowned DJ participating in many major festivals in recognized spots like Ibiza to modeling, passing through the world of finance where he still exercises today, with experience in Hong Kong.
Read alsoThe Winter Olympics medal table: Germany in the lead, France 13th
By choosing to wear the colors of his father, Jamaica, his destiny inevitably recalls that of the bobsleigh crew at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Moreover, Dudley Stokes, one of the Jamaican bobsledders made famous by the film produced in 1993 by Disney and entitled “
Rasta Rockett
”, advises Benjamin Alexander.
“
I try to participate and inspire new generations to show them that it is possible to be part of the sporting elite even if you come from Timor, India or Jamaica
,” he says. he.
Before adding, at the microphone of Eurosport: "
I came away with a crazy plan, which seemed crazy to most people anyway, but I thought it was totally doable.
What was crazy was executing this plan under the duress of the pandemic.
It's a crazy dream come true.
» A dream which materialized with a 7th place in giant – the most accessible event on the world circuit because of a good mix of speed and technique – during a competition held in Liechtenstein at the beginning of January.
I would have had a chance if many countries had boycotted these Games, but that was not the case.
benjamin alexander
Obviously, the Jamaican has no illusions about his chances of getting on the podium in Yanqing, against Alexis Pinturault and Marco Odermatt.
“
There's no way I'll win unless everyone else falls.
Finally yes, I would have had a chance if many countries had boycotted these Games but that was not the case
”, he smiles.
Before adding, lucid, on Eurosport: “
The International Olympic Committee wishes to have as many nations as possible represented at the Olympic Games.
They allow each nation to have an athlete in each discipline according to certain criteria.
If you go to the International Ski Federation website, you will see that I am the best Jamaican skier.
That doesn't mean much.
If you look at the rankings, I think I'm 3748th in the world in giant slalom.
Am I better than the average skier?
Damn, much better.
Am I better than an Austrian child who has been skiing since the age of two, racing since the age of seven and now 14?
No, this kid is probably much better than me.
” Which will not prevent him from enjoying the moment this Sunday, during the first round of the giant (3h15).
