Beijing 2022: Arif Khan makes giant slalom cut, becomes first Indian to qualify for two Winter Olympics events
The Indian alpine skier had secured a quota in slalom in November.
India’s alpine skier Mohammad Arif Khan, on Wednesday, secured a Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics quota spot in men’s giant slalom event.
With this, Mohammad Arif Khan won his second quota place for Beijing 2022, scheduled from February 4 to 20.
Last month, the 31-year-old Arif Khan from Jammu and Kashmir had earned a quota in the slalom event at a meet in Dubai. He is the first Indian to qualify for two different Winter Olympics events directly.
Arif Khan secured his giant slalom cut during the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) meet held at Kolasin, Montenegro.
Slalom is an event that involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a distance from each other. The distance is greater in giant slalom than in slalom.
While Arif Khan remains the only Indian to have made the cut for the 2022 Winter Games so far, his compatriot Aanchal Thakur, who recently won a bronze in the women’s giant slalom, remains in the hunt for qualification.
To compete in giant slalom or slalom events at the 2022 Winter Games, the average of five best results in the event from July 1, 2019, to January 16, 2022, is considered.
For alpine skiers who have competed in less than five events during this period, an extra 20 percent of the average points is added to the International Ski Federation (FIS) points list.
India had two representatives at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Jagdish Singh competed in the 15km freestyle event of cross-country skiing while Shiva Keshavan took part in luge.
The men’s giant slalom event will be held on February 13 while slalom will be held on February 16.