Richardson Viano was a young orphan when he arrived in France from Haiti and experienced snow for the first time. Years later, he’s used the love for that “magic powder” to become Haiti’s first Winter Olympian.
"If other Haitians can ski, that would be incredible,” he said. “I want to give them a message of hope, of strength, no matter the sport. What’s important is to never give up, to fight. Anything can happen if you believe.”With his mother on hand to watch him race, he tumbled a few gates into the men's giant slalom course that was hard to see in falling snow and fog. He was far from alone in being caught in treacherous conditions.
“‘The magic powder’ was treacherous today,” his mother said. “It would have been nice if that snowflake could have brought him a bit more luck.” Viano hopes to do better in the men’s slalom on Wednesday. And the big picture of his life so far is still impressive. “It’s an amazing adventure when I think about it: leaving Haiti, arriving in the mountains, starting to ski a bit by chance. My dad was a mountain guide and he put me on skis as soon as I arrived, in 2005, and I’ve skied pretty much all the time ever since," he said.
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