Tibetan youngster Nyima Yangchen: From herder to Olympics dreamer

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Nyima Yangchen could have been an ordinary Tibetan shepherd, but snowboarding has changed the fate of the 17-year-old.

As the first winter sport athlete representing Tibet Autonomous Region competing at the National Youth Games last January, she ranked 11th and 12th for parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom respectively.

“I am already very satisfied that I can compete at this level. I will keep up practicing,” Nyima Yangchen said.

Nyima Yangchen skis during the National Youth Games in January 2019. / China News Service Photo

Born in Chamdo in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyima Yangchen didn't receive any education before 11, when she was mainly spending time herding her family's dozens of yaks on the expansive plateau.

In 2013, Nyima Yangchen was selected as a track and field athlete for her outstanding physical fitness and began to study at local Chamdo Sports School.

She then focused on archery for four years until she had been trained as a snowboarder for the national team in the inland since July 2018.

Nyima Yangchen (L) is with a teammate at the National Youth Games in January 2019. /China News Service Photo

“I fell over a lot during the first week I started to ski, I cried a lot,” Nyima Yangchen recalled her time as a beginner, but she quickly enjoyed the snow and ice.

Far away from Tibet, she and several other fellow Tibetans would dance along with folk music for as long as three or four hours during their spare time. “We play Tibetan music in our dormitory, which makes us feel that we are back home,” she said.

Tibet capitalizing on ice and snow

Tibet, known as the "roof of the world," with an average altitude of 4,500 meters of Himalayan climate, boasts an abundance of snow-capped mountains and glaciers.

Mountaineers in training in Tibet. /VCG Photo

According to Ngawang Tashi, head of the Tibet Winter Project, Tibetan athletes are endowed with good endurance and sense of snow and ice compared with their peers thanks to the region's unique natural environment.

Authorities in Tibet have attached great importance to winter sports, extreme sports as well as outdoor activities in recent years, such as mountain-climbing, skiing and other adventure sports.

Tibet is also building the world's highest ski resort near its capital Lhasa, one of the highest cities in the world at 3,490 meters.

The new resort is expected to be used to train athletes in the run-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

2022 Winter Olympics logo. /VCG Photo

So far, 11 cross-country skiers and 13 downhill skiers from Tibet have won two gold medals, five silver medals, and six bronze medals in various competitions at home and abroad.

A total of 29 Tibetan competitors have become hopeful candidates for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

“My dream is to stand on the snowfield of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and achieve high honors for my country,” Nyima Yangchen said.