There’s more to ‘The World’s Worst Skier’ than just a funny video

This is Adrian Solano. He’s being dubbed “The World’s Worst Skier,” and that is unfair. Heck, the one time I went skiing I broke a pole and rolled down a slope in the first hour, then spent the rest of the day inside drinking scotch.

Solano traveled from Venezuela to compete at the Lahti 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships and really struggled to get around the course. It’s prompted the sport’s purists to mock him and question why he was allowed to compete, but there’s a lot more to this man and why we should be lifting him up, not making fun of him.

Arriving in Finland was the first time Solano had ever seen snow, let alone tried to ski on it. His training regimen at home consisted entirely of practicing on land with wheels on his skis. Initially it was his plan to train in France for the event, which would allow him to get used to snow, but he was stopped by immigration officials in late January and denied entry. The skier claims he was discriminated against, and that border patrol officers believed he was trying to emigrate to France because his backstory sounded implausible to them.

“They discriminated against me because of my dress, my face or appearance,” said Mr Solano, who was deported a few days later.

His trainer said that the police laughed at him. “They said skiing didn’t exist in Venezuela,” coach Cesar Baena said.

Despite all these troubles, Solano still decided to trek to Finland to compete. Woefully unprepared for what he was facing, the 22-year-old wanted to represent his country in the event he trained for. He suited up against well-trained veterans, and gave the course his best shot.

At times he lost his balance, the ground was clearly unfamiliar to him. Solano was out of his element, but never quit. He completed the full 1.5-kilometer sprint, and while he finished in last place, the race didn’t break his spirit. He proudly held his county’s flag and celebrated just finishing.

Look, we know it’s funny to see someone struggle at such a high level. But let’s not simply laugh at someone without taking the time to learn their story. He faced every possible adversity to get to Lahti, let alone compete. After the race, he posted the following on Instagram.

“Although I didn’t know the snow and didn’t have the opportunity to train here I gave my best. The best fall down like me, they get up and continue fighting. I won’t be the exception.”

You’re awesome Adrian, and you’re definitely not the worst skier of all time.