Feature: Family applauds Indian skier's Winter Olympic journey from home

NEW DELHI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- While Indian skier Mohammad Arif Khan is rubbing shoulders with other athletes from across the world at the ongoing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, his family back home is proud of him.

The 31-year-old alpine skier is the only player representing India in Beijing.

"I am happy for my son" who has reached a level to compete at the Olympics, Mohammed Yasin Khan, Arif's father, told Xinhua. "It was really a dream coming true when he qualified for the Winter Olympics 2022 last year in November."

A DREAM COMES TRUE

"The achievement fulfilled a lifelong dream of my son," the father said. "It will be an altogether different experience ... and this will help him acquire new skills."

Last year, Arif was supposed to get married, but he shelved the plan after qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics and fully devoted himself to preparing for the Games.

Yasin said that after arriving in Beijing, Arif trained for a few days on the ski course, and has kept in touch with the family ever since his arrival.

"He told us the arrangements -- food, training and accommodation etc., are really excellent there," Yasin said.

The family said they have watched Arif's performance on YouTube and are satisfied. On Sunday, he finished 45th in the giant slalom event with a time of two minutes 47.24 seconds at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre.

SKIING JOURNEY

Arif's journey into the world of skiing began during his childhood at around four years old. Although the majority of the people in the region was playing cricket, his passion for skiing came from Gulmarg, a world-famous ski resort close to his village, and his father's encouragement.

"Being a skier myself, I brought Arif to Gulmarg when he was merely four years old," Yasin said. "His talent and passion for the game grew with each passing day, and he began to win laurels at local championships. Over the years the trend of winning medals kept going on at the state and national levels, which made him serious towards the sport."

By the age of 10, Arif decided to become a professional skier. He bagged his first gold at the age of 12 in his first appearance at a junior national championship.

"His passion for the game increased, so does mine in encouraging him to reach the top levels," Yasin said. "At the South Asian competition in Auli (Uttarakhand), Arif bagged two golds. It is after that victory he pledged that he will compete in the Olympics, which is not an easier task."

The father runs a skiing equipment shop at Gulmarg, the profits of which went to supporting his son's career to a large extent. Later, the son started training abroad.

"Whatever I used to earn in Gulmarg, the earnings from my family orchards and monetary support from my friends have gone towards promoting my son's career," he said.