East Timorese skier inspires nation

East Timorese skier Yohan Goutt Goncalves is encouraging others from developing countries to take up sports, as he prepares to compete in the ski-slalom event on Saturday.

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Yohan Goutt Goncalves. (SBS)

It's just as well Yohan Goutt Goncalves is in one of the last events at the Sochi Games.

He needed time to get over the high of marching at the Opening Ceremony.

East Timor's first Winter Olympian hits the slopes in the ski-slalom on Saturday, and already he's inspired many in his homeland.

"I get Facebook messages which make me cry, you know. They are really strong and powerful,"  he says, during an interview at the Athletes' Village.

Yohan has an East Timorese mother and a French father. His love of skiing is inherited.

And he's desperate to make a difference in East Timor, where he had to set up a Skiing Federation to represent the tropical nation on the world stage.

"I really think that for developing a country, sport is very important. And especially to develop a dream I think it is a really nice thing to do."

Yohan's ambition is to set up sports centres for young people in East Timor.

He's not quite a medal hope in Sochi, but for a 19-year-old, he's a big picture kind of guy.

As one message from home put it, "as long as you bring our flag to the world with respect, we will love your for that."


2 min read

Published

Updated

By Bence Hamerli


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