Family Thais drive cross-country skier

Mark Chanloung eyes Olympic return alongside his sister Karen at Milano-Cortina

Thailand's cross-country skier Mark Chanloung is once again competing in China, this time at the Asian Winter Games, three years after making history with his family at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In 2022, Mark and his sister, Karen Chanloung, represented Thailand in cross-country skiing. Their father Boonchan Chanloung was a team manager at the time, and their mother was a physiotherapist. Their family's Olympic journey, including the Pyeongchang Games in 2018, captivated Thailand, a tropical nation where winter sports are virtually unknown.

"My father is Thai, and my mother is Italian. My sister and I were born in a small mountain village in Italy where skiing is deeply rooted, so we started from a young age," Mark explained.