Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics: Competitors Share Their Stories Of Struggle And Triumph [VIDEO]
The 2014 Winter Olympics are making their way to television soon, and some contenders who have struggled to get there are planning on making a difference once they do.
BBC posted some contenders who will be competing in alpine skiing, bobsleigh and snowboarding, all of whom had powerful stories to tell about their lives leading up to the big event.
Yohan Goutt from East Timor, Asia, will be doing alpine skiing. He and his mother succeeded in making a national ski team in 2012 while the country was going through civil unrest.
Winter Olympics 2014 Opening Ceremony
"I get messages on my Facebook and my emails that are really strong and passionate," Goutt told Australia's ABC. "Sometimes, I can't lie, a tear was coming to my eye because some were telling me that I was like a country hero. That's a really powerful thing."
The 19-year-old learned about skiing from his father.
There is also Vic Wild who will be competing in snowboarding. He is the first Winter Olympian born in America to compete for Russia.
He made it to the Olympics when he missed out on selection in 2010, but a year later, he dated Russian snowboarder Alena Zavarzina. This made a difference in Wild's life when the couple married in 2011 and he joined the Russian team. He ended up winning world bronze in 2013.
"We decided, you know what, let's go for it, let's get married," Wild told NBC. "We decided it's the only chance we've got."
Some other contestants this year include Vanessa Mae (Thailand) in alpine skiing, Winston Watts (Jamaica) in bobsleigh, Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe (Mexico) in alpine skiing and Alexey Voevoda (Russia) in bobsleigh.
