Kenyan star Simader plotting for third Winter Olympics exploits

Kenya's Sabrina Simader competes in the Women's Giant Slalom at the Yongpyong Alpine Centre during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang on February 15, 2018. [AFP]

Kenyan skier Sabrina Wanjiku Simader is already pumped up for her third Winter Olympics showdown, set for Lombardy, Italy, on February 6-22, 2026.

She aims to improve her 30th finish in the Super-G and 28th position in Downhill contests she recorded in her third World Championships held in Austria this season.

Simader will also be representing Kenya in the Giant Slalom category in the exciting Winter Games.

"I have been training very hard after qualifying for the forthcoming Olympics. I'm trusting God to help me do better in the disciplines, if not to reach the medal brackets, which I equally know is a very tall order to make," Simader told Standard Sports.

Simader has taken a break from her rigorous Olympics preparations in Austria to tour her motherland, Kenya, with her Austrian ice hockey player boyfriend, Manuel Trausenegger.

The duo attended Madaraka Day Cup at the Panari Hotel Ice Rink in Nairobi on June 2, where they cheered on the ice hockey national team, the Kenya Ice Lions, as they beat Team World, composed of players from USA, Canada, and Finland, 9-5 to win the fifth edition of the championship for the first time in history.

Simader and her boyfriend donated equipment worth millions of shillings to the Kenya Ice Lions last weekend at the venue, apart from offering hundreds of youths an inspiring clinic in both skating and skiing.

"This is part of the mentorship program that I have started. I have commenced with ice skating because it's almost similar to skiing and will provide a pathway towards introducing the children to skiing. My dream is to set up a skiing camp in Kenya to tap the next generation of talents in the country," Simader underlined.

The duo is currently on a tour of the Maasai Mara and will complete their four-week stay in Kenya with a grand visit to the pristine beaches of Diani next week before they return to Austria, where Simader will resume her Olympics preparations.

"The Winter Olympics are a very expensive affair. I'm currently trying to get all my act together financially. I'm looking for sponsors, and with the funds, I'll be able to opt for the best preparations ahead of the Winter Games," Simader stated.

And how does she feel to be the first Kenyan female skier at the Olympics?

"This is a great privilege not only to me but to my country too. It's a unique sport, and I feel blessed to shoulder the dreams of the other 50 million Kenyans in the Games,” said Simader.

The 27-year-old skier, based in Austria, first represented Kenya at the Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway in 2016, where she had an awesome experience in the Games while cheered on by the first Kenyan Winter Olympian, Phillip Boit, to the finish line.

Her second Olympics showpiece was in the senior category at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, South Korea, where she finished 38th overall in the Super-G category.

"I was satisfied with the results and was grateful for that finish. It gave me hope," said Simader, who is currently ranked 78th globally in all the categories.

From the past Olympics, Simader has learnt some lessons in the sport which she will carry on to her next championship in Italy.

"I have learnt how to believe in myself, that I should put God first, that there are ups and downs in life which can be overcome with resilience, and that there are so many negative noises out there that can be dimmed with self-belief, no matter what happens in life," she stated.

Her advice to Kenyans, especially girls who are eager to embrace skiing, is that they should go for that dream no matter the barriers in their lives.

"It is through trials and errors that people learn, and in the process they make it, so don't give up the chase," she underlined.