By Nicole Chia for SNOC

The pressure of competing at the Olympics can be daunting for newcomers and veteran athletes alike. For debutant Faiz Basha, there was that – and the added challenge of heavy snowfall, low visibility, and knowing that 45 of the 86 slalom skiers who raced before him had registered DNF (Did Not Finish) results.

But the Singaporean, who was 87th in the starting order at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games slalom competition on Feb 16, held his nerve remarkably.

He was one of only 44 competitors in the 96-strong field who completed a tricky first run, completing the 691m course in 1min 11.53sec. In the second run, Faiz clocked 1:08.92 for a combined time of 2:20.45 to conclude his maiden Olympic outing in 35th place.

The likes of giant slalom champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathen and World Cup winners Manuel Feller and Paco Rassat were among those who had DNF results in the first run.

Faiz, who raised his arm in triumph and yelled “Majulah” after completing the second run, said he and his coach had anticipated that about 60 per cent of the field would record DNFs.

“We studied the course carefully and decided where to push and where to be smarter. And in the end, it worked out,” added the 23-year-old.

“Mentally with all the DNFs before me, it was difficult to push for speed and for sure (during) my first run, I was holding back.”

It was a different strategy from that in the giant slalom earlier in the Games, when Faiz opted for a more aggressive approach and had been on the right track before an unexpected release in his ski binding caused him to lose a ski.

Singapore’s first snow sports athlete at the Winter Olympics will look to build on this experience as he aims to become a stronger contender in the Asian scene, starting with the Winter World University Games next year. He is also targeting the next two editions of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2027 and 2029, as well as the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

“When you go to normal races you always have the mentality that next week or next month you will have another opportunity, so the pressure is manageable. But in the Olympics, we only get two or three of these per athlete lifetime, so it is a more mentally challenging event,” said Faiz, who is the second Singaporean to compete at the Winter Olympics after Cheyenne Goh.

“It’s just the first Olympics for me, but the journey has pushed me and now I have a good foundation to go much further. There are things in training which I have yet to apply in races, and I am excited to figure it out and get much faster.”

Photo: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images