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Ski ya later! British DJ swaps partying for Olympic ski dream with Jamaica05:05

Ski ya later! British DJ swaps partying for Olympic ski dream with Jamaica

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mount Jahorina
December 15, 2021 at 09:12 GMT +00:00 · Published

Former DJ Benjamin Alexander was seen testing the ski slopes on Mount Jahorina, near Sarajevo, on Tuesday, as he pursued his dreams of entering the Olympics.

The British-born athlete is aiming to compete for Jamaica, which will make him the nation's first Olympic alpine skier.

"Being a black athlete on the verge of qualifying for the next Olympic Games is huge," he said adding that he wanted to inspire others to try winter sports despite the hurdles they may face.

"The reason I started so late is because no one in my family, none of my friends skied as a kid. So it wasn't until when I was a DJ and travelling the world and interacting with people that were skiing that I saw all my friends skiing and decided that I want to do this," he added.

Alexander previously had a career as a successful international DJ, having performed in Hong Kong, Macau, and at Burning Man festival in the US.

The DJ hopes to gain his place at Beijing 2022 by early December but has had to put up with cancelled races due to bad weather conditions. He is now trying to qualify as a low-level skier through races in Montenegro, Bosnia, and Poland.

Ski ya later! British DJ swaps partying for Olympic ski dream with Jamaica05:05
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Former DJ Benjamin Alexander was seen testing the ski slopes on Mount Jahorina, near Sarajevo, on Tuesday, as he pursued his dreams of entering the Olympics.

The British-born athlete is aiming to compete for Jamaica, which will make him the nation's first Olympic alpine skier.

"Being a black athlete on the verge of qualifying for the next Olympic Games is huge," he said adding that he wanted to inspire others to try winter sports despite the hurdles they may face.

"The reason I started so late is because no one in my family, none of my friends skied as a kid. So it wasn't until when I was a DJ and travelling the world and interacting with people that were skiing that I saw all my friends skiing and decided that I want to do this," he added.

Alexander previously had a career as a successful international DJ, having performed in Hong Kong, Macau, and at Burning Man festival in the US.

The DJ hopes to gain his place at Beijing 2022 by early December but has had to put up with cancelled races due to bad weather conditions. He is now trying to qualify as a low-level skier through races in Montenegro, Bosnia, and Poland.