The Best Odds Ever
She will compete for Thailand under her
father's name Vanakorn after qualifying for the Games last month.
The British citizen, 35, who has sold more
than 10 million records worldwide, has been skiing since she was four.
"Finishing within 20 seconds of the
leaders would be a good effort," said former GB Olympic skier Emma
Carrick-Anderson.
Vanessa-Mae, who was born in Singapore to a
Chinese mother and Thai father, was brought up in England but will be only the
third person to represent Thailand at the Winter Olympics.
She is comfortably the lowest-ranked racer
in the field, at 2,253rd in the world, but some of skiing's biggest names are
looking forward to competing alongside her.
"I find it thrilling that people like
that [are here]," said Germany's Maria Hofl-Riesch, a three-time Olympic
champion who won the super-combined event and was second in the super-G in
Sochi.
"When you see Vanessa-Mae, she's so
small and fragile, you can't imagine how she can finish a run like that or even
hit a gate. Babsie [team-mate Barbara Wirth] told us that she didn't do so
badly and we'll be watching closely."
Carrick-Anderson, who competed in four
Olympics, said the musician's biggest problem would be coping with the slick
slopes that are water-injected overnight to make them extra icy.
"If she had to race last week it would
have been an absolute nightmare," said Carrick-Anderson.
Skier Vanessa-Mae of Thailand waves to the
crowd during the opening ceremony
"Even on my skis, which are really
sharp, skiing on the downhill piste was gruelling. The top part was sheet ice,
proper shiny 'ice rink on its side' type ice.
"No recreational skier would be able
to do anything on that. It would be terrifying - they would be going sideways.
You couldn't even try to grip."
The Rosa Khutor giant slalom course will
begin lower down the mountain, and the recent warm weather is likely to have
softened the snow. Racers have two runs, with the fastest combined time
winning.
"Now it has warmed up, it is going to
be that little bit more forgiving," added Carrick-Anderson.
"By the time she goes there will
probably be a little track, which will also make it easier for her."
Britain's Chemmy Alcott had a look at the
giant slalom course on Monday and believes Vanessa-Mae, who is now based in the
Alpine resort of Zermatt in Switzerland, will cope with the conditions.
"I skied next to the piste and the
injection looks great and is smooth so I think she will be fine," said
Alcott, who come 19th in the downhill and 23rd in the super-G in her fourth and
final Olympics.
Vanessa-Mae says she is well aware of the
enormous challenge she faces against a field of vastly-experienced competitors.
"If I end up last I have no problem
with that," she said.
"I know that I spent six months
training. Other athletes have been training since they were six years old so
that's something you can't compare.
"I just want to have a good time. I
want to have two fun runs that I can say I'll remember for the rest of my life.
"To be here at the Olympics is a once
in a lifetime opportunity and I feel so blessed to have this chance to go from
artist to athlete, to just experience this is surreal almost."
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