Being Mohammad Arif Khan in the world of sports can be difficult. The Indian skier recently earned the unique distinction of being the first Indian to win direct quota spots in two different Winter Olympics events. But then, being the sole representative from a country of 1.4 billion at the Olympics can at times be lonely.
Arif doesn’t complain though. “Feels fantastic. I am super excited that I will be carrying the Tricolour as well as the aspirations of 1.4 billion countrymen,” he said.
Arif was speaking from New Delhi, at a virtual media interaction facilitated by SAI, before he leaves for Beijing on Tuesday.
In November 2021, Arif became the first athlete from the country to earn a quota place for the Beijing Winter Olympics in the slalom event in alpine skiing. A month later, at a meet in Montenegro, he won a quota place in the giant slalom event too.
For the uninitiated, in slalom, competitors ski between sets of poles — known as gates —that are spaced apart at a certain distance. In the giant slalom, the gates are spaced further apart.
“Physically I am totally ready for the Games,” said the 31-year-old skier. “Today I’m in Delhi but a week ago I was in Gulmarg, where I did high altitude training and built up my muscles, lungs and endurance.
“And yes, 9 months of training in Europe every year for the past several years have moulded me the way I needed to be done. “As for the mental part, sport, in particular my sport, is 70 per cent about mental toughness. We need to be calm and focused because one small mistake and we are out of the race.
“But I believe I have been adequately trained in that sphere too by my mental conditioning coaches and I am as ready as can be.”
Arif is aware that the sport he plays is not that popular in India but he loves the challenge. “I wanted to set a benchmark for the generations to follow and I believe I have managed to making a beginning in that direction
“My dream was to introduce the Indian Himalayas to the world. Many across the world are not even aware that skiing as a sport exists in India, of the Himalayas too.
“I wish to draw the attention of the world to my country. And I don’t merely mean the sport. I also want to inspire the youths of my country to take to this sport, particularly those who live in the mountains.”
How does he see himself performing in Beijing?
“Though I have been in this sport for the past 15-odd years and have participated in world championships and multiple international meets, I could say I have been training with an eye on the Olympics for the past couple of years. I have been satisfied with my form in the past one year.
“But for an Olympic medal, you need to train in all earnestness and with the aid of the best infrastructure and financial backing for a good 10 years… Realistically speaking, I see myself in the top 30 at this Olympics.”
Arif, who competes in Beijing on February 13 and 16, was inducted into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). He was recently approved an amount of Rs 17.46 lakh by the sports ministry towards training in Europe and procurement of equipment.
“It was great to get the support of SAI as a part of TOPS,” Arif said. “It helped me buy the equipments, pay the bills of the coaches. Everyone in my skiing fraternity is happy that the government is recognising the sport.”
