St. Michael's freshman will be first woman from Ecuador to compete at Winter Olympic Games

St. Michael's College freshman Sarah Escobar was the first woman flag bearer for Ecuador at the 2022 Winter Olympics during Friday's opening ceremonies.

That's not the only milestone Escobar is set to make during her time in Beijing.

The lone representative of Ecuador, Escobar will be the first woman to compete in the Winter Games and the first Alpine skier in the South American nation's history.

Escobar, who turned 20 earlier this week, qualified for the giant slalom, which is scheduled to begin with first runs on Feb. 6 around 10 p.m. eastern time.

"I am very honored to represent Ecuador, but also I'm honored to show (SMC) representation at the Games," Escobar said in a news release. who was born in New York but claims double nationality, with both parents hailing from Ecuador. "I love Saint Mike's, I love my school, and I am so happy I'm representing Saint Mike's."

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Escobar grew up in Sparta, New Jersey, but claims dual nationality with her parents hailing from Ecuador, according to SMC.

"To be the first woman to represent Ecuador, first of all, it's an honor I never dreamt of," Escobar said. who leaves for China on Saturday. "I take this seriously with huge responsibility. I'm representing all women in all walks of life who aren't represented, who aren't treated equally, and as a proud Saint Mike's student, I'm also an advocate for equality, since that's in our motto, especially equality for women.

"I feel that I could use this moment to open doors for my sport, to show the young generation that nothing's impossible; if you really want to work at it, it takes sacrifice, it takes a lot of work. You just really have to dream about it and believe in yourself."

Escobar's skiing background originated in Vermont. She learned to ski at the age of 3 in Stowe. She also attended Waterville Academy in New Hampshire.

"It still feels so unreal," she said, "it feels like I'm in this constant luminous dream, but it's real, it's happening.

"It's every Alpine skier's dream to make the Olympics, and I think just knowing that I qualified, I already won."

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: St. Michael's College skier first Ecuadorian woman at Winter Olympics