Alpine skiing and best Indian performances at Winter Olympics
Arif Khan's 45th in giant slalom at Beijing 2022 and Kishor Ratna Rai's 49th in men’s slalom at Calgary 1988 are India's best finishes in the two events.
India cannot be really considered a powerhouse at the Winter Olympics, with only a handful of athletes making it to the spectacle of snow and ice.
Even within the limited representation, though, Indian Alpine skiers have been the majority.
The first Winter Olympian from India, Jeremy Bujakowski, was an Alpine skier while Mohammad Arif Khan, who is representing India at Beijing 2022, also plays the same sport.
For the uninitiated, Alpine Skiing is one of the most popular sports at the Winter Olympics. It involves sliding down a meandering course on snow-covered slopes at speeds of over 150kmph while wearing skis.
Alpine skiing can be subdivided into five events - downhill, slalom, giant slalom, Super-G and combined – with each differing in course layout and technique. There are both men’s and women’s divisions for each of the five events and medals are awarded for every one of them at the Winter Olympics.
Alpine skiers have been a part of all but three Indian contingents that have participated at the Winter Olympics, featuring in three of the five events. Let’s look at India’s top performance in each.
India’s best results in alpine skiing at Winter Olympics
Men’s downhill
Jeremy Bujakowski is the only Indian to have competed in the downhill event of Alpine skiing. He featured in the 1964 as well as 1968 Winter Games but could not finish his run in the first appearance.
At Grenoble 1968, Jeremy Bujakowski completed the downhill competition in 53rd position in a field of 88, with a timing of 2:11.82 – 12 seconds slower than the gold medallist.
Men’s slalom
Kishor Ratna Rai achieved the best result for India in the men’s slalom at the Winter Olympics, finishing 49th among 109 athletes at the Calgary 1988 Games. The Indian skier’s timing of 2:52.21 was 73 seconds off the first place.
Women’s slalom
At Calgary 1988, Shailaja Kumar became the first Indian woman to compete at the Winter Olympics. She ended her two runs in women’s slalom in 2:52.27, trailing the champion by more than a minute to finish 28th out of 57 competitors.
Men’s giant slalom
Arif Khan holds the record for the best finish by an Indian in men’s giant slalom at the Winter Olympics, coming in 45th out of 89 participants at Beijing 2022 Olympics. The Jammu and Kashmir-born Indian skier finished in 2:47.24 – 37.89 seconds off the first place.
Women’s giant slalom
The second woman Winter Olympian of India, Neha Ahuja, recorded the best result for an Indian in giant slalom across genders when she completed her runs at Turin 2006 in 42nd place in a field of 65. Her two attempts clocked 2:41.31 while the winner had a timing of 2:09.19.