Robel Teklemariam receives a hero's welcome in Vancouver

Ethiopian Winter Olympics athlete Robel Teklemariam arrived at Vancouver Airport (YVR) yesterday, Feb. 10, 2010, where he was warmly received by several Ethiopians adorning the tricolor flag. Upon arrival, Robel took photos with fans and signed autograph.

The Ethiopian community in Vancouver is hosting a special event honoring Robel at the Collingwood Neighborhood House (5288 Joyce Street) on February 27 starting at 3:30 PM.

(Metro.co.uk) — Robel Teklemariam is the Ethiopian skiing team, its National Skiing Federation and its only hope.

In Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, unfazed by temperatures in the mid-twenties, the 35-year-old regularly pulls on shorts, sunglasses and special ‘roller-skis’ before setting off down a road free of the usual hazards of cars and donkeys.

‘I found this street that had just the right elevation and not too much traffic,’ said the cross-country racer.

‘Roller skiing this close to the Olympics is not the ideal thing. Obviously it’s much better to be on snow. The one good thing is that, in Ethiopia, we’re at 2,700m, so that helps to give you better endurance,’ he added.

Teklemariam found his unlikely calling after spending time as a child in a snow-bound New York state, and was spurred to compete for glory when he saw Kenyans skiing in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

He made it to the Turin Olympics four years ago, meaning Ethiopia was represented at a Winter Olympics for the first time.

Teklemariam came 84th out of about 100 skiers but hopes to improve at the upcoming Vancouver games.

‘If I’m closer to the winner than I was at the last Olympics then I’ll be very happy,’ said the ski instructor.

But he also wants to be a little less lonely as he rolls down the streets.

‘I don’t want to be the first and the last,’ he added.

‘For me, the greatest thing in the world would be that I don’t qualify for the next Olympics because there’s another Ethiopian who’s faster than me.’