Sabrina: Kenya’s sole participant in Winter Olympics in Korea

Sabrina Wanjiku Simader is Kenya’s sole competitor at the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, that starts on Monday.  

Simader will line up in two skiing categories; slalom and giant slalom. “I have been longing to take part in the Olympics. I’m glad this dream has come true,” Simader said in a video clip from her training base in Austria, where she has lived since she was three.

The 19-year-old pegged her Olympics qualification on hard work, passion, discipline and dedication to training.

“I’m grateful for my sponsors and my family who have walked with me in this journey. They motivated me to go beyond my limits to qualify for these games.

“My dream is to win a medal, but I just want to give a good performance that will help me become a professional in this discipline,” she said.

Simader has taken part in the Winter Youth Games (2016), the 2017 World Cup Alpine skiing circuit and World Skiing Championships in St Moritz last year.

She will become the second Kenyan to compete at the Winter Games after Philip Boit, a former middle-distance runner who participated in cross-country skiing at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Games.

Boit, who was handed over the national flag by Sports Principal Secretary on Thursday night in Nairobi, will accompany Simader to South Korea as Kenya’s Chef De Mission.