Per reporter: Zhu Peng Per editor: Dong Xingsheng
At 10:15 a.m. on February 13, the men's giant slalom event in alpine skiing began competition at the Snowy National Alpine Ski Center. Jamaica's Benjamin Alexander, 38, came in 83rd. In the end, Benjamin Alexander finished 3:18.52 in two rounds, ranking 47th, ending his trip to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
This is not a Gu Ailing-style genius blood story, nor is it a feathered string-like limit beyond the record. Prior to that, Benjamin Alexander spent four years in finance and then eight more as a professional DJ. It wasn't until 2016 that skiing appeared in his life. Initially, the adventure was his own, but as he struggled to make his way to the Olympics, the lonely journey was seen and given a greater meaning.
Benjamin Alexander in the men's Big Slalom match Image source: Match screenshot
Benjamin Alexander was a brave man who dared to dream and do it. As he said in an exclusive interview with every reporter: "This is just the story of the first person who broke the mold and helped the newcomers go easier on the same journey." "His success was extremely personal, but it also had the power to inspire a group of people.
Become a flag bearer
On February 1, three days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Benjamin Alexander (hereinafter referred to as "Benjamin") arrived at the Beijing Olympic Village. He finished seventh at the inaugural Cape Verde National Ski Championships in Lieston 16 days ago before qualifying for alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics.
Every reporter contacted Benjamin 10 days after confirming his Olympic qualifications. On February 8, Benjamin chatted with reporters about his Olympic journey online at the Olympic Village.
The interview revolves around "Olympic qualifications". As a newcomer to the ski slopes who first came into contact with skiing in 2016 and only started to learn to ski full-time in 2018, it is a bit of a fantasy for Benjamin to be directly shortlisted for the Olympic Games based on rankings. But fortunately, the international Olympic Committee's alpine skiing qualification rules for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics gave him a glimmer of life.
According to the rules, athletes under the top 500 of the International Ski Federation's points ranking are eligible to participate directly in the Olympic alpine skiing competition. However, if all alpine skiers in a given country fail to qualify for 500 points, or only one person ranks within 500, the IOC will still allocate two qualifying places for the winter Olympic skills competition, one male and one female, in that country. This is the IOC's consideration of popularizing skiing, so that many athletes from non-traditional ice and snow sports powers also have the opportunity to participate in Olympic competitions. "My current world ranking is probably around 3,200, and the ranking is updated every two weeks." Benjamin said.
"But that doesn't mean I can qualify for the Olympics just by showing my Jamaican passport. The Olympics are a place to showcase professional athletics, and the IOC encourages athletes from more countries to participate in snow sports, but they don't want this person to commit suicide under the gaze of a global broadcast, just unlikely to compete for medals. Benjamin told every reporter.
The suicides that Benjamin refers to are by no means exaggerated. Alpine skiing is one of the most dangerous events in the Winter Olympics, the beijing Winter Olympics alpine skiing main track has a total length of about 3,000 meters, a drop of about 900 meters, and the top athletes can glide at a speed of more than 140 kilometers per hour. This speed is 20 kilometers higher than the maximum speed limit of a small passenger car on a highway.
Benjamin Alexander Training Image source: Courtesy of interviewee (Photo by Stephen Shelesky)
To this end, the IOC has established minimum criteria for entry. In addition to the basic requirements such as age and physical health, there are also requirements for points. In the technical events (big and small turns) that Benjamin is qualified to compete for, the standings are calculated by averaging the five best event results. "It means I need to finish the game in a certain number of seconds." And when he finished seventh in the cabo Verde competition, he finally crossed the threshold of the lowest.
Subsequently, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Hornis posted on social media congratulating him on becoming the first alpine skiing Olympian in the history of Jamaica's Winter Olympics. This is a victory for one person and a breakthrough for a country.
On the evening of February 4, the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was held at the Bird's Nest. After the Olympic rings are raised, a delegation of athletes enters. The Jamaican delegation had a total of 6 athletes, 5 of whom competed in the bobsleigh event. When Benjamin Alexander and Jasmine Finrat Victorian appeared at the Bird's Nest as standard-bearers, another gap in Jamaica's Olympic history was filled. Benjamin became the first Jamaican athlete in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics. Waving the national flag to the opening ceremony, he described the feeling to every reporter as "surreal" (surreal).
Jamaica team at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics Image source: Video screenshot
"It's absolutely unforgettable to be able to participate in the Olympics, and looking back at it all, I find it unbelievable." He said.
By the time he qualified for the Olympics, Benjamin was 37 years and 8 months old. And skiing covered less than one-sixth of the length of his life. Compared to those who have been on the ski slopes at the age of two, this surreal journey began too late, too accidentally, but just right.
DJ and PyeongChang Winter Olympics
As the only alpine skier on the Jamaican team at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Benjamin's story does not begin in Jamaica in the Caribbean, but in the United Kingdom, 7,000 kilometers away.
Benjamin's father, Keith, was brought to England by his parents at a very young age, and many years later, Keith married a white Englishman. They then had two sons and named the eldest son Benjamin. Benjamin grew up in Wellingborough, Northampton, England, where his family was typical of the working class, and higher education was not a family tradition. "Neither my parents nor my brother got decent grades when they graduated from high school." Benjamin said. But he himself showed a talent for learning. In 2002, Benjamin attended University College London with a degree in engineering and began working in finance in 2007.
But four years later, in 2010, he quit his well-paid finance job to become a full-time DJ.
Benjamin Alexander at the Festival Image source: Courtesy of the interviewee
Not on a whim. In 2000, before YouTube was even established, 17-year-old Benjamin didn't have many channels and resources to listen to music as he pleased, so he began buying record discs and then ripping and remakes with the help of pirated radios. In an era when piracy was all the rage, the ability to manipulate two pieces of vinyl to make a record of pop songs was undoubtedly fascinating. "That's why I started as a DJ in the first place."
Before entering college, Benjamin stopped working as a DJ. After graduating, after 4 years of working in finance, Benjamin decided to return to music. Becoming a professional DJ gave Benjamin the opportunity to travel around the world, and Benjamin told every reporter: "It's really special to be able to travel the world the way you do DJ. I'm thankful to be able to do performances in so many places. I think DJs have brought me an incredible group of friends and a network of social contacts all over the world. ”
As a professional DJ, Benjamin was successful. He served as the opening DJ at the famous American Burning Man festival. Before the pandemic, burning man in the Blackstone Desert, Nevada, usa, was held every year from late August to early September, bringing together nearly 100,000 geeks, hippies and artists from around the world.
Benjamin Alexander performs in Dubai Image source: Courtesy of the interviewee
In 2016, Benjamin was invited to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, as a DJ for a heli-skiing event. He didn't want to go at first. "I can't ski." He said. Moreover, Benjamin is more accustomed to staying in warmer places, such as the Spanish island of Ibiza, where he has lived for nearly 6 years. But he eventually went.
Organizers arranged for him to take a helicopter to the top of the mountain, where Benjamin was drawn to the snow-capped mountains in daylight. Lying in the snow, he decided to learn to ski. Two months later, he took his first ski lesson, when he was 32 years old. "The first time I slid, I fell 27 times." But he didn't give up, and by the end of the day, the number of falls he had fallen on the same pistes had become 7. Skiing began to enter Benjamin's life.
Two years later, his enthusiasm for DJs continued to wane, just when he was in Asia, so he went to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to watch the games. In Pyeongchang, Benjamin found that only three Jamaican athletes competed. "I was surprised by Jamaica's competitiveness in winter sports, which is part of the reason I started implementing my Olympic plans." He told every reporter.
At the Summer Olympics, Jamaica is undoubtedly an eye-catching presence. This tropical island nation in the Caribbean sea almost dominates the track and field with a population of less than 3 million. The tropical climate, the fiery "Trapeze", along with dynamic reggae music, have become Jamaica's world business card. But in the Winter Olympics, it is the opposite.
After his trip to PyeongChang, Benjamin quit his job as a DJ at the age of 35. "A big part of the reason I gave up on DJs is that I've done a lot of what I want to do. I travel around the world and perform in many places I like. Benjamin continued to tell reporters, "Also, being a DJ looks cool in your 20s and a little cool in your early 30s, but I don't want to be a DJ who wakes up at 4 p.m. at 40 or 50." I've gotten enough stuff from the DJ that I want to move forward. ”
"Light On Ice" and Dudley Stokes
In the car back at a friend's house after watching the Olympic Games, Benjamin watched the movie "Light On Ice". A film he'd seen as a child that would connect Benjamin, who grew up in England, with distant Jamaica in some special way.
Released in 1993, the Disney-produced comedy-sport film tells the story of four Jamaicans who stormed the Olympics in a bobsleigh project to win respect and applause for their sportsmanship. The story is based on the real events of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, when a snow team of four Jamaican athletes stood on the ground for the first time at the Winter Olympics.
After seeing the absence of Jamaican athletes at the Winter Olympics and looking back at the film, Benjamin began to think about the possibility of representing Jamaica at the Winter Olympics. After carefully assessing the risks and rewards, he felt he had a good enough chance of qualifying for the Olympics. "I'm definitely a pragmatist." Benjamin told reporters, "If I don't think I have a chance of success, I won't try." ”
In January 2019, after practicing for nearly a month, Benjamin met former European Cup skier Gordon Gray and told Gray of his desire to play in the Olympics. After observing Benjamin for half a day, Gray concluded that "the technique is terrible, but very brave." Benjamin's unspeakable ability to accelerate on snow slopes made Gray think that crazy idea was still a play. Gray told him, "Bravery is half the battle, or even more than half. Technology can be taught, but bravery cannot. ”
As a speed sport, alpine skiing is a sport that continuously crosses the flag gate in the route along a prescribed route and determines the winner or loser according to the length of time. Benjamin loves speed, which is why he chose the fastest giant slalom in the technology category as his entry. "When skiing, there's no engine, no motor, just the sound of the wind blowing through your hair. It's something that's super exciting for me. ”
Benjamin Alexander Training Image source: Courtesy of interviewee (Photo by Noah Wallace)
But he is not without fear. Yuan Qiang, deputy medical officer of the National Alpine Ski Center, previously said in an interview that the injury rate of alpine skiing competitions is close to 15%. "People have a sense of fear, but it's really just a matter of taking a moment to sit down and think about what the worst thing can happen." For the vast majority of things, the worst outcome will not be death. ”
As a novice, Benjamin has a lot of technical skills to learn, from turning and speed regulation to how tightly ski boots should be tied. In addition, he has no coach, no players. Because he was halfway out of the house, there was no sponsor to pay attention to Benjamin in the early stage, so the training costs were self-funded. "When I started the program, the coach I wanted to hire was going to charge $10,000 a month, plus his living expenses and renting a venue, which cost $15,000 a month. This is beyond my financial means. By now, I've spent all my savings. ”
But fortunately, he also has a spiritual mentor, Dudley Stokes, one of the four Jamaican snowmobiles who participated in Calgary in 1988 and was one of the prototypes of "Light On Ice". Stokes also competed in three consecutive Winter Olympics since 1988.
The solitude of preparation, coupled with the changing external environment after the outbreak of the epidemic, the cancellation of events, and the restriction of going out to participate, made Benjamin have a lot of negative emotions when communicating with Stokes. "Hey, listen, I didn't have a coach for the first six years of my professional bobsleigh career." Stokes said in response to Benjamin's complaints, "The way you train by buying lessons now may be better than sticking to a mediocre coach." You are smart enough to learn from different people their strengths and use them for you. ”
Benjamin was grateful for Stokes' encouragement at the time. He told reporters: "When a person who has participated in many Olympic Games and is a mentor to you with someone from a country, it's really, very helpful. I stand on the shoulders of giants, and he is the giant in my story. ”
"My Story in the Next Generation"
At the end of 2019, Benjamin moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, and began to devote himself to ski training. Prior to that, he had acquired Jamaican citizenship, which was a crucial step in becoming a member of the Jamaican delegation.
But the ensuing pandemic put Benjamin under additional pressure. In the past two years, Benjamin has not been able to receive systematic training and participate in competitions for 17 months due to the epidemic. The total number of skiing days is 450, and he thinks that number would be close to 700 days without the outbreak. "I felt extremely lonely throughout the process and I received little external support. If I had known that I would face challenges like the pandemic in my bid for Olympic qualification, I probably wouldn't have started this journey. But I'm in it now, so I'm going to give it my all. ”
Benjamin Alexander test equipment Image source: Courtesy of interviewee (Photo by Noah Wallace)
The beginning of this lonely journey only stems from Benjamin's own desire to challenge himself, but when this dream began to be dismantled and gradually landed, more and more people began to relate to it, or be attracted to it. In the past two years, Benjamin's interview invitations and sponsors have gradually increased, and the elite ski brand Atomic has also signed him.
For the Feb. 13 race, Benjamin didn't think about how dazzling he would get. "I started skiing six years ago and raced two years ago. So there is no Disney-like fairy tale, and there will be no dream ending that suddenly receives medals. This is the reality. As for the goal, Benjamin told reporters: "My gold medal was won as early as when I attended the opening ceremony, and becoming a flag bearer is a double gold medal for me." I've achieved my goal. ”
He also does not plan to participate in the next Winter Olympics. After his trip to Beijing, he said he would continue skiing. "I don't go skiing because it's physically demanding." Benjamin also wanted to become president of the Jamaica Ski Federation, who died unexpectedly last September. "Richard was the one who helped me register with the Fission and get my license to play, and he introduced me to a lot of people who could help."
"I want to be president of the Jamaica Ski Federation. Because I really want to support the next generation of Jamaicans and help them reach their highest level in winter sports. My story is really about helping the next generation of Jamaicans do a lot better than I do. ”
Benjamin Alexander Image source: Courtesy of the interviewee (Photo by Stephen Shelesky)
In August 2020, Benjamin returned to Jamaica for the first time, spending nearly four months there. In Jamaica, he became a hero in a country that had only been distantly related for the first 36 years of his life. When asked by reporters if he felt he had received too much accolade in Jamaica, he smiled and said, "Jamaicans are incredibly proud of what they have achieved at the Summer Olympics, so a breakthrough at the Winter Olympics is a big deal for them." They knew I didn't get a chance to stand on the podium, but it was a start. ”
The last question of the interview was about the relationship between environment and possibility, and Benjamin believes that there are many incredible stories that come from places of extreme poverty and lack of privilege. "I didn't fly before I was 19, but I've been to more than 70 countries now. I started skiing six years ago and have now participated in the Olympics. ”
Some of the sources in this article:
1、CBC Radio：《This retired DJ is Jamaica's 1st Olympic alpine skier — and he got his start in Canada》 Written by Sheena Goodyear
2、BBC Sport：《Beijing 2022: Benjamin Alexander set to become Jamaica's first Alpine skier at Winter Olympics》 Written by Katie Falkingham
3、《From international DJ to Alpine skier – Benjamin Alexander's unique Olympic journey》 Written by Jo Gunston
4、TIME Magazine：《This Former Model and DJ Started Skiing 5 Years Ago. He Could Become Jamaica's One-Man Olympic Ski Team》 Written by Cassidy Randall
5、The Guardian：《Benjamin Alexander: the former DJ remixing the spirit of Cool Runnings》 Written by Paul MacInnes
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