She arrived at these Olympics as Vanessa Mae, a classical violinist invited to dine with Vladimir Putin at the gala dinner on the eve of these Games. On Tuesday, she finished them as Vanessa Vanakorn at the Winter Olympics 2014.
There she was for the Ladies’ Giant Slalom, skiing the second - and final run - of her Olympic career with a gentle, carefully-plotted route between the flag poles denoting the course. At 5ft 3in, she looked a diminutive doll-like figure compared to the athletic and muscular women for whom this sport is a profession.
She crossed the line, her arms aloft, some 50 seconds behind the new Olympic Giant Slalom champion. The time was inconsequential to Miss Mae. What mattered was the date and location; and the memories assembled from being an Olympic athlete if only for one day.
As an accomplished musician, who has sold over 10 million albums, and is worth £30 million, Miss Mae is accustomed to sharing the company of world leaders and influential captains of industry.
The 35-year-old, who was brought up in Britain, and was the only woman representing Thailand, did not come here to play Tchaikovsky or Beethoven violin concertos; she came to fulfil a dream of skiing in an Olympic Games.
There she was for the Ladies’ Giant Slalom, skiing the second - and final run - of her Olympic career with a gentle, carefully-plotted route between the flag poles denoting the course. At 5ft 3in, she looked a diminutive doll-like figure compared to the athletic and muscular women for whom this sport is a profession.
She crossed the line, her arms aloft, some 50 seconds behind the new Olympic Giant Slalom champion. The time was inconsequential to Miss Mae. What mattered was the date and location; and the memories assembled from being an Olympic athlete if only for one day.
As an accomplished musician, who has sold over 10 million albums, and is worth £30 million, Miss Mae is accustomed to sharing the company of world leaders and influential captains of industry.
The 35-year-old, who was brought up in Britain, and was the only woman representing Thailand, did not come here to play Tchaikovsky or Beethoven violin concertos; she came to fulfil a dream of skiing in an Olympic Games.
