Iranian skier wants another Olympics
Kalhor clears a gate during the first run of the women's alpine skiing slalom event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
The first Iranian female to enter an Olympic ski event Marjan Kalhor expresses her wish to participate in the international tournament once again.
"What I wish for is to attend the Olympics one more time," she said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.
The 22-year-old skier completed the giant slalom 21.75 seconds behind the fastest time at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in February.
The Iranian athlete wore a racing outfit and helmet similar to her competitors.
"Both danger and cold weather play a key role in skiing. Therefore, ski outfits are designed in a way so as to not impose limitations on anyone. I wear exactly the same outfit in Iran which I wore in the Olympics race," she said.
As Iran's flag-bearer at the Vancouver opening ceremony, Kalhor sees herself as a role model for the next generation of Iranian female skiers.
"I am truly happy, because like a spark, I could make other professional female skiers think about big events like the Olympics and that is so precious for me. I hope this trend continues."
Kalhor took up skiing at the age of four and decided to take the sport more seriously after winning a national youth competition at age 11. She grew up in a family of skiers in Dizin, an Iranian ski resort north of Tehran.
AGB/JG/MGH
