Ashley Ongong’a made history as the first African and Kenyan to compete in cross-country skiing at the Winter Youth Olympics.
The 16-year-old expressed to Olympics.com, “It’s a big responsibility because so many Africans now know about me.” I sincerely hope that, after seeing me, many more young people would see this as an incredible opportunity to start skiing. Because I believe it is time for Africa to fully embrace winter sports.
After starting skiing at the age of four, the Kenyan-Italian pacesetter hoped to compete in the Olympics a year later. She had previously glided on roller skis, so she was familiar with transferring her strength and endurance to snow and ice without difficulty.
“I started roller skiing when I was three or four years old. My first instructor asked my parents if I could ski, and once I tried it, it became my first passion. I participated in a variety of other activities, including dancing, but when it came down to it, I picked cross-country skiing,” she explained.
Her father, Steve Ongong’a, who relocated to Italy, recounted, “It happened over the summer holidays when she was four years old. Her mother, Marie-Jeanne Kamba, enrolled her in summer camp activities at a local ski club. During her first skating session, her instructor observed her good skiing posture and encouraged her to try cross-country skiing. She has been training since then.
Ongong’a was pleased that she picked it up so quickly. As a child, she competed in regional and national events, and by the age of 10, she was already winning Italian age group tournaments, setting the stage for her ambition.
When she was five or six years old, she expressed her desire to compete in the Olympics by waving the Kenyan or Congo flag.
She had no notion that when it came to deciding which country to represent on the FIS circuit, her aspirations would be fulfilled. Despite her mother’s Congolese ancestry, Ongong’a picked Kenya, her father’s native country, for its rich sporting legacy.
Ongong’a was inspired by Philip Boit, the first Kenyan to compete at the Winter Olympics in Nagano in 1998, after learning about his incredible journey.
“After that, I started to have this idea of going to the Olympics and I talked about it with my coach, Francesco Silverio,” said the student at Bachmann Sport College in Tarvisio, an Italian municipality noted for its thick mountain snow.
She was overjoyed to learn she would be able to compete in Gangwon and believes that choosing Kenya was a great selection because the country is consistently at the top of its different sports. As Kenya’s newest delegate, Ongong’a hopes to continue flying her country’s flag in the Olympic Games in a sport that tests speed, endurance, and flexibility, following her historic achievement in Asia’s first Winter Youth Olympics.
She stated, “It’s all in my mind…if I say I can do it, I will do it.” And if I do it, I can improve the next time.”
“This is an incredible time for both me and Africa. Ongong’a, who competed in her second Cross-Country Roller Skiing Junior World Cup competition this season, hopes to inspire African youngsters around the world to try it as well.