Vanessa-Mae, the unlikely Olympian
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E-mail China Daily, March 11, 2014
Vanessa-Mae finished in last place in the women's giant slalom at the Sochi Games, but the world renowned violinist is attracting plenty of attention thanks to her dramatic career change.
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Vanessa-Mae, a renowned violinist, gives a concert at Crocus City Hall in Moscow in 2012. [Photo/China Daily via agencies] |
She is known as renowned violinist Vanessa-Mae, but it was Vanessa Vanakorn who made her debut at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
Representing Thailand, Vanessa-Mae took part in the women's giant slalom at the Sochi Games, finishing in 67th place, last position. But she enjoyed her first Olympic trip as an athlete.
"I nearly crashed three times, but I made it down and that was the main thing," the 35-year-old says. "Just the experience of being here is amazing. I was worried I was going to get lost (on the track), but I just about managed it."
Born in Singapore to a Chinese mother and a Thai father, Vanessa-Mae, who has sold more than 10 million records worldwide, was brought up in England and is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Thailand. She competed under her father's family name, Vanakorn, in Sochi.
It was not her first time at an Olympics, Vanessa-Mae joined the London Summer Olympics as the ambassador of Olympic worldwide partner, Omega, but this time she was thrilled to participate in her first athletes parade at the opening ceremony.
"Honestly, it didn't actually hit me until I saw the Olympic Flame being lit and I had tears in my eyes," she says.
"It's my first Olympic Games where I'm also going to be here not only as an artist but as an athlete and to be there during the parade of nations was one of the most memorable moments of my life.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to represent Thailand. I think that when I saw the opening ceremony, I understood the coming together of not just one country but every country together."
She says she was thrilled to represent Thailand, a country that not only has no experience of snow, but is a very different society from where she grew up in London.
"Being half-Thai, for the first time in my life, to be able to represent my country and for that country to be Thailand at the Winter Olympics. I think that's such a fun thing to have an experience of in my lifetime," she says.
Vanessa-Mae started playing violin and skiing at age 4, but her music always took priority as she grew up and she considered skiing just a hobby.
Enjoying the feeling of risk contributed to her decision to compete in Sochi.
"I think I've always been a bit of a tomboy. You know? I was an only child. I was climbing trees. I enjoyed robots. I enjoyed things like that," she says.
"People think that I'm really girly but there's a side of me that likes risk. And I took risks also with my music, starting out in pure classical music and then breaking away from that mold and going into crossover and using pop, rock, jazz in classical music.
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