As the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games unfold this February, South Africa's Matt Smith is carving a new path in cross-country skiing – a journey born from an unexpected encounter and sustained through relentless determination. The 35-year-old, who only began skiing three years ago after meeting a Mexican cross-country skier in Norway, now wears his nation's colors with pride.
"He was my inspiration, because you can't be what you can't see," Smith told CGTN's Dan Williams in a recent interview. "I saw him and thought: Why can't I do that for South Africa? Three years later, here I am – from zero to Olympian."
Smith's late start in winter sports required conquering internal barriers more formidable than any mountain slope. "The biggest hurdle was fear itself," he revealed, describing how confronting self-doubt became his primary training ground. "Realizing that fear is internal… forcing myself through that fear was like scaling a learning cliff."
Now 32, the athlete-turned-inspiration hopes his story will ignite interest in winter sports across South Africa. "It's about what you make of the journey," Smith emphasized, outlining his mission to educate, entertain, and inspire through his Olympic participation. His performance this week could mark not just personal achievement, but the opening of new possibilities for African winter athletes.
