Meet the Winter Olympians Who Conquered Ice from Desert and Tropical Nations
March 17 2026, Updated 1:02 p.m. ET
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics might be done, but I still can’t shake the images of these three athletes. Sabrina Simader from Kenya, Aruwin Salehhuddin from Malaysia, and Fayik Abdi from Saudi Arabia, honestly, none of them had any business even making it to a winter Olympic start gate.
Their countries don’t have winter sports programs. No real training centers. No snow. Yet all three became Winter Olympians, proudly competing for their nations.
You see the years of grind behind each run, the isolation, the injuries, the money stress, the days when no one believed in them except themselves. How much heartbreak and sheer stubbornness does it actually take to get from “there’s no way” to standing in an Olympic bib?
Sabrina Simader, better known as “the Snow Leopard”, made history back in 2018 as Kenya’s first female alpine skier at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. At just 21, she earned a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. But when you hear her speak, you quickly realize medals were never the real goal: “My courage will open doors for so many others who will stand up, because I dared to be the first.”
She’s driven by something much bigger: showing every girl growing up in Kenya, and across Africa, that your postcode, your skin, or where you come from doesn’t get to decide what you’re allowed to dream. This time around, though, Sabrina returned to Milano Cortina 2026 not as a competitor, but as a spectator. Funding cuts forced her into early retirement, even though she had qualified to race. Watching her in the film, still so present, still smiling, her optimism and quiet strength really got to me. It’s the kind of resilience that stays with you long after the credits roll.
Aruwin Salehhuddin, Malaysia’s “Ice Tiger”, took a beating at Beijing 2022. Shin splints were so brutal she needed eight plasma injections just to keep standing. She still couldn’t finish her slalom run. Most people would’ve tapped out. Not her. Fast-forward to the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin: fourth place in women’s slalom. The second she crossed the line, the tears came. “I cried… I never thought a top-five was possible.” Her real fight isn’t about her own results; it’s about killing the idea that Malaysia can only be a “hot country” and getting more young women out there chasing whatever makes their heart race, even if it’s on frozen ground.
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Last but not least, Fayik Abdi made history as Saudi Arabia’s first alpine skier and the very first Winter Olympian from the entire Gulf region. Coming from a scorching desert nation with no snow-covered slopes, no dedicated training facilities, his path to the Olympic start line was nothing short of extraordinary.
These three aren’t just athletes competing for medals. They’re living, breathing proof that limits only exist if you let them. It doesn’t matter whether you grew up in the desert, the tropics, or anywhere else; if you keep showing up, day after day, the world eventually has to shift and make space for you.
Infinix’s new documentary, debuting alongside the NOTE Edge, explores the story behind the slopes. It’s a film about more than just the race; it’s about the quiet grit and courage found in every step.
If you haven’t watched it yet, the full film is already up on Infinix's YouTube channel.
