Meet 31-year-old Arif Khan, an alpine skier from Kashmir. He is the only athlete representing India at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
He will compete in two events - alpine skiing slalom and giant slalom. He is the first Indian athlete to qualify for two different events at the Winter Olympics
Arif hails from Tangmarg hill station, near Gulmarg in Kashmir. He attributes his success to his father, Yaseen Khan a ski tour operator. Yaseen introduced Arif to skiing when he was less than 10-years-old.
Arif has been practicing skiing for eight to nine months a year in minus 20-25 degrees Celsius.
He has been participating in winter sports events around the world since 2005, representing India more than 127 times.
His entry into the Olympics has put a spotlight on India’s winter sports talents again.
He is hopeful that if the infrastructure is upgraded in Kashmir, India will have top-level athletes represent the country in winter sports.
Reporting | Peerzada Ashiq
Videos | Nissar Ahmad
Voiceover & Production | K Rajashree Das
