Laurence Thoms

Laurence Thoms (born March 26, 1980) is a Fijian alpine skier who was born in Suva.^[1] He represented Fiji at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and attracted media attention as a competitor from a tropical nation at the Winter Olympics.^[2]

Thoms was Fiji's flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony, being his country's only representative,^[3] and was the first Pacific Islander to qualify for the Winter Games in his own right (rather than through the wild cards process).^[4][5][6] He competed in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events.^[7] He failed to complete the Slalom,^[8][9] but completed the Giant Slalom and finished fifty-fifth with a time of 2:41.98.^[10] Spectators reportedly cheered and encouraged him, and "went crazy when he crossed the finish line".^[11]

One newspaper described Thoms' participation as exemplifying "the true spirit of the Games".^[12]

Before taking part in the Olympics, Thoms had worked as a ski instructor in New Zealand.^[13] His participation in the Olympics was funded by a retired Swiss businessman living in Fiji, who had founded the Fiji Alpine Ski Association.^[14]

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