Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: India's Campaign Ends After Arif Khan Unable To Complete Run In Slalom

Indian alpine skier Mohammad Arif Khan ended his campaign at the ongoing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics with a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the men's slalom event on Wednesday. Arif Khan failed to complete his first run at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre which meant the Indian couldn't participate in the second run. Johannes Strolz of Austria led the race after Run 1 with a timing of 53.92 seconds. On Sunday, Arif finished 45th out of 89 participants in the men's giant slalom event. The Jammu and Kashmir-born Indian skier finished in 2:47.24 - 37.89 seconds off the first place.

With the 45th place finish at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre, Arif now holds the record for the best finish by an Indian in men's giant slalom at the Winter Olympics.

Notably, in the slalom the course and distance between two successive gates are much smaller than in giant slalom, making it a much faster and more precise sport.

Arif was India's sole representative at the Beijing 2022.