\n<\/p>\n
Shortly after his move to the Norwegian capital Oslo, Smith’s passion for the outdoors piqued an interest in skiing.<\/p>\n
“I loved to run, cycle, swim outside, and then I moved to Norway as the snow was falling and the winter was coming,” he explained.<\/p>\n
“I thought to myself, I have two options here: either I lean into this or I hibernate.”<\/p>\n
Smith chose to embrace the conditions in Scandinavia and, as fate would have it, his new hobby led to him meeting Allan Corona, a Mexican cross-country skier.<\/p>\n
The two men have since formed a close bond, becoming training partners and also competing alongside one another on the international circuit.<\/p>\n
“I just decided to take the bull by the horns,” Smith said.<\/p>\n
“If Allan can represent Mexico, why can’t I represent South Africa?”<\/p>\n
Then came bigger questions and an ambitious target.<\/p>\n
“When’s the next Olympics?” Smith continued. “Do we have anyone representing us? No.<\/p>\n
“Is it humanly possible to qualify in two years’ time and represent your country in three? I proved that it is.”<\/p>\n
Smith secured South Africa a spot at Milan-Cortina at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim at the end of February.<\/p>\n
A 38th-placed finish in a 7.5km race – some 10 seconds behind Corona – earned him enough ranking points from the world governing body to achieve a dream which appeared unlikely when he took up the sport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n