Nicola Zanon
Nicola Zanon is a Thai of Italian descent alpine skier who competed for Thailand at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
| Alpine skier ♂ | |
| Disciplines | Giant slalom, slalom |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 December 1996 |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) (2018)[1] |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 1 – (2018) |
Background
Zanon was born on 14 December 1996[2] to an Italian father and a Thai mother and grew up in Val di Rabbi in Trentino.[3] He started skiing at age 8 at the Madonna di Campiglio.[2]
He previously attempted to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia but failed leading to his retirement and worked as a woodworker with his father. However he came out of retirement when the Ski and Snowboard Association of Thailand on February 2017 offered him a chance to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics for the Southeast Asian nation. He participated in races in Argentina, Chile, and Italy to qualify for the Olympics.[3]
Before his participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, he trained at the Piste Azzurre in Val di Fassa under coach Stefano Vampa.[3] In the men's giant slalom event held in 18 February he did not finish in the first run.[2]
References
- "ZANON Nicola". EuroSport. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- "Athlete Profile - Nicola ZANON". Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- "The Italian-Thai Nicola Zanon: From Val di Fassa to Pyeongchang". Val di Fassa. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.