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New tricks, new countries, new records at the Beijing Olympics.

Record-setting appearances include a 49-year-old German speedskater who will become the oldest woman to compete at a Winter Games.

Richardson Viano, who was adopted from Haiti in 2005, will compete for the country in Alpine skiing. His appearance is a Winter Olympics debut for Haiti.Credit...Piero Cruciatti/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Follow the latest updates on the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Sure, medal counts are an important measure of success at the Olympics. But how about skiing for a country that has no snow?

It’s one of the many notable Olympic firsts happening in Beijing this year. Expect more men and women competing side by side, new flips and tricks on the slopes and a group of record-setting Olympians who haven’t hung up their skis or skates quite yet.

No snow? No problem.

Haiti and Saudi Arabia will make their Winter Olympics debuts with Alpine skiing. Richardson Viano of Haiti and Fayik Abdi of Saudi Arabia will ski in the giant slalom. Viano, 19, was adopted from Haiti in 2005 by an Italian couple and has lived in France since he was 3. Abdi, 24, learned to ski in Lebanon when he was 4, and has trained in Utah since 2012. They compete on Feb. 13.

Milestones will test the endurance of a number of Winter Olympians.

At 49, the German speedskater Claudia Pechstein will become the oldest woman to compete at a Winter Olympics. (She turns 50 just two days after the closing ceremony.) Pechstein has nine Olympic speedskating medals — five gold, two silver and two bronze. She skates on Feb. 5.


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