Fayik Rifat Abdi (Arabic: فايق عابدي; born October 8, 1997 [1]) is an Olympic alpine ski racer from Saudi Arabia. He is the first Saudi Arabian[2] ski racer to compete in the Winter Olympic Games and the first ever Winter Olympian from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.[3][4][5] After graduating from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Abdi returned to Saudi Arabia to pursue skiing as a professional sport.[6]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Saudi Arabia |
| Born | 8 October 1997 San Diego, California, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Utah |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.88 m) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Alpine skiing |
Early life and education
editAbdi was born on October 8, 1997, in San Diego, California. He attended IMG Academy for high school and graduated from the University of Utah in 2020.[7] As a young boy, Abdi's mother would take him to the slopes of Lebanon, where he would practice skiing. He later started traveling to Switzerland to a winter camp, where he trained in skiing.[7]
Career
editIn 2017, he worked at Snowbird as Ski Technician and then went to Alta Ski Area on the same designation in November 2019. In 2022, Abdi completed his historic participation in the giant slalom competition at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, finishing 44th out of 91 competitors.[8][9]
As of 2022, Abdi is an athlete for the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the Saudi Olympic Training Center.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Fayik Abdi | NBC Olympics". www.nbcolympics.com.
- ^ "OCA » Saudi Arabia 'very proud' of hero athlete Fayik Abdi". ocasia.org.
- ^ Yosri, Ahmed; Creidi, Imad (February 3, 2022). "Alpine skiing-Saudi skier set to make history at Beijing Games". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "How did Saudi Arabia make it to the Winter Olympics? | DW | 14.02.2022". DW.COM.
- ^ Staff Writer; Gazette, Saudi. "Saudi Arabia qualifies for Beijing Winter Olympics in another first". www.zawya.com.
- ^ "Abdi strikes first Olympic blow for Saudi Arabia in ski quest". The Vibes. February 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Nihal, Mariam (February 3, 2022). "Beijing Winter Olympics: Saudi skier Fayik Abdi swaps sand for snow". The National.
- ^ "Saudi Alpine skier Fayik Abdi completes historic participation at Winter Olympics". Arab News. February 13, 2022.
- ^ "Two Saudi skiers make history by qualifying for Winter Olympics". Arab News. January 17, 2022.
- ^ "Saudi skier Fayik Abdi: I can do something really special at 2026 Winter Olympics". Arab News. February 16, 2022.
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