This article was originally published on People.com.
You can’t quell Adrian Solano’s need for speed — even though commentators are hailing the Venezuelan athlete as “the world’s worst skier.”
Solano competed at the Lahti 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships in Finland this week. His wobbly movements on the snow and awkward attempt to climb up slopes immediately caught the attention of sports commentators, who were quick to tag him with the critical moniker.
But the name-calling didn’t faze Solano. “From here to the Olympics!” he proclaimed in an interview with Norwegian tabloid Dagbladet.
And, later, Solano addressed his haters in a positive social media post.
“Maybe I’ve fallen many times but what really counts is that I will always keep getting up,” he wrote in Spanish.
This was actually Solano’s first time skiing on snow, according to BBC.
He’d only trained on wheels prior to due to competing in Finland, after being deported from France on his way to Scandinavia where he was scheduled to spend a month training on snow.
But, no matter for Solano (who, unfortunately, was unable to finish the race in Finland) — who say he “achieved a dream.”
“This pushes me to try more every day,” he told Dagbladet.