Laurence Thoms
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Laurence Thoms |
| Nationality | Fijian |
| Born | March 26, 1980 Suva, Dominion of Fiji |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (176cm) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Fiji |
| Sport | Alpine skiing |
Laurence Thoms (born March 26, 1980) is a Fijian alpine skier who was born in Suva.[1] He represented Fiji at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and attracted media attention as a competitor from a tropical nation at the Winter Olympics.[2]
Thoms was Fiji's flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony, being his country's representative,[3] and was the first Pacific Islander to qualify through FIS regulations for the Winter Games[2][4][5] He competed in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events.[4] He failed to complete his first run in the Slalom event after 'clipping' a gate,[6][7] but completed the Giant Slalom and finished fifty-fifth with a time of 2:41.98.[8] Spectators reportedly cheered as they admired the 'Fiji's ice man' competitive speed in the events, and "went crazy when he crossed the finish line".[9]
One newspaper described Thoms' participation as exemplifying "the true spirit of the Games".[9]
Before taking part in the Olympics, Thoms had worked as a white water rafting guide and ski instructor in New Zealand.[10] His participation in the Olympics was funded by a retired Swiss businessman, Toni Hauswirth, living in Fiji, who had founded the Fiji Alpine Ski Association.[3] Hauswirth had taken an advertisement in a Fijian newspaper in 1999 with an offer of all-expenses paid trip to the Olympics.[11][12]
References[edit]
- ^ "Laurence Thoms - Ski alpin". L'Équipe (in French). 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ^ a b "Beach boy takes to the slopes". BBC SPORT. 2002-02-15. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ^ a b "Eleven on their own in Games". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2002-02-13. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ^ a b Lee, Dana (2002-02-21). "Flames and Flickers: Alcohol fuels trip to Utah". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ^ Ray Grass. "Fiji's lone 2002 Olympian lured by a newspaper ad". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 2004-12-04.
- ^ "Alping Skiing results - Men's Slalom". Archived from the original on 2003-02-10.
- ^ "Slaw Says: Olympics produce year's new heroes". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08.
- ^ "Results -- Thursday, Feb 21". Archived from the original on 2003-01-02.
- ^ a b "Games run into scandal at end". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18.
- ^ "In Praise of the Lone Olympians". Archived from the original on 2002-02-21.
- ^ Bower, Amanda (February 21, 2002). Time https://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,212042,00.html – via content.time.com.
{{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Skier is Fiji's 1st Winter Olympian". 20 February 2002.
External links[edit]
- Laurence Thoms at FIS (alpine)
- Laurence Thoms at Olympedia
