ALPINE SKIING: If the Olympic spirit can be defined as building a peaceful and better world which requires mutual understanding with friendship, solidarity and fair play, Timor’s slalom skier Yohan Goncalves Goutt is its personification at these Games.

In making it to Sochi, the 19-year-old Goncalves-Goutt becomes the first and only Timorese athlete to compete at any Olympic Winter Games. 

His story of becoming a one-man team and his plight to compete in Sochi is another example of how remarkable the Olympic family is.

Just like the struggles his motherland has experienced since recent civil wars, Goutt has had a tough journey to live his dream. 

However, the trials and tribulations he faced to compete in Sochi faded into obscurity on Friday night as he marched proudly into Fisht Stadium, enthusiastically waving his nation’s flag and sporting a beaming smile that was a window to his inner emotions.

“I was a really wonderful experience,” Goutt said.

“It was the first time for me walking into a stadium full of people, with all eyes on you and your flag. It was just amazing.

“I was talking to a few of my friends earlier and they were asking what I was thinking about at that time.

“You don’t think. You just grab everything. You are totally amazed. You take everything in. I was so impressed. The Russians organised the Games well.”

Now that he has completed his first Olympic duties and officially become an Olympian, he has turned his attention to delivering a Slalom performance that he will be proud of, which he hopes will provide the inspiration for other young Timorese to chase their dreams.

Goutt is the first to admit that it will be tough to make an impression at an Olympic level but he is up for the challenge and is looking forward to writing a new page in his nation’s modest international sporting history.

With an Olympic ranking of 2200 and merely six months of international competition to his name, he openly admits that he needs to earn respect from his peers. He wants no favours, choosing to let his skiing do the talking.

“I have qualified so I’m at a good level,” he said.

“I’m really happy and proud to be the only Timorese at the Olympics.

“I get a lot of messages since I started racing for Timor. When I see the Timorese supporting me like that I feel like I’m really helping out and doing something with my life.

“It’s almost like a diplomatic role.”

Goutt also has a connection with Australia, having spent time training and competing at Victoria’s Mt Buller during the last Southern Hemisphere winter.

Even training at Mt Buller presents a huge challenge. With Timor being located about 2000 kilometres north-west of Australia, it takes him three days to travel from Timor to Mt Buller.

As well as training with the Australians in Sochi, he will also spend time with athletes from Ireland, Romania and Austria trying to work their way up the rankings, in preparation for his event on February 22.

“Our level is very different” he says, referring to slalom skiers from Ireland, Romania and himself. “We don’t have a top in the world.

“I talked a little bit with the coaches of the French and they said this is a crazy thing you are doing but it’s cool.

“They say I have a good level and that I was not ridiculous on skis. That’s what made me feel good because I have been training since the age of 13, not to be a joke to the world.

“I’m not aiming to be the best at these Olympics, of course I will give the best of myself, but I am aiming to show Timor to the world.

“By the end of it maybe Timor will be better recognised and somebody will invest in the country as well.”

As the son of a Timorese mother and a French-born father, Goncalves-Goutt spends his year partly in France and partly in Timor.

He said he has been blessed with a “mum who gave the heritage and culture of East Timor and my Dad gave me the culture of skiing in the winter.”

It is not surprising that he is hugely grateful to his parents who have made massive sacrifices, both in terms of financial assistance and parental guidance, to see him achieve his Olympic dream.

He has received about US$10,000 in assistance from commercial sources but the expenses far outweigh this, with the balance has been met by his parents, who have refinanced their home.

“When I’m asked what I want to achieve at the Olympics, there are two things,” he said.

“I’m aiming to pull out the Timorese flag and show it to the world and get people to ask - what is that? The second aim is sporting. I will give the best of myself.

“A few athletes have asked where is Timor. I explained to them that it’s a new country, since 2002. I give them a little geography lesson saying it is above Australia, near Indonesia, with a population of 1.2 million.”

Until the Olympics, he was known as “a guy representing Timor but they do not know in what because skiing is not common for them yet…but they know my story.”

“It was really funny, I went running in the mountains through some small villages and some people recognised me. 

“I’m happy this is all happening but I’m not looking for the fame. I’m really happy that people recognise me for what I’m doing.

Goutt is undecided what will happen in the coming years – whether to continue his dreams to become a top skier or combine studies in Administration and International Exchange and skiing at a lesser level.

One thing is for certain though, his time and experiences in Sochi will stay with him for the rest of his life.