TESERO, Italy, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Three years ago, Matt Smith had never strapped on a pair of cross-country skis. On Friday, the South African lined up alongside the world’s best at the Winter Olympics, driven by a belief that it is never too late to do something you love and a desire to put the sport on the map back home.
The 35-year-old only took up the sport after moving to Norway three years ago, navigating unfamiliar snow and skis during long hours of training. Now competing on the biggest stage, Smith hopes his unlikely journey can inspire others in a country with little Winter Olympic tradition.
“It sounds crazy when you say it out loud, but three years ago I couldn’t ski at all,” Smith told Reuters. “If my story shows anything, it’s that you don’t have to start young to take something seriously if you really care about it.”
Smith finished 108th in the men’s 10 km freestyle, but the result mattered less than the moment. Beaming with confidence and humour, he said that simply reaching the start line felt like a victory, and that his ambitions extend beyond his own racing.
"The art of being an athlete today is also being an educator and an entertainer,” he said. “I take that responsibility seriously. If I can help people understand the sport and get excited about it, then I’ve done something worthwhile," he said.
Smith knows the gap to the elite skiers remains vast, but he insists that is beside the point. For him, the Olympics are about visibility, momentum and opening doors for those who come after and offering a behind the scenes look at a sport rarely seen through a South African lens.
“It might be one race today,” he said. “But if this helps create opportunities for 10 more athletes tomorrow, then that is how the sport really moves forward.”
For now, the Olympic adventure is over for the South African, but he promises more to come.
“I am not done learning or dreaming,” he said. “This is just the first chapter.”
(Reporting by Tommy Lund and Liz Hampton, editing by Ed Osmond)
