Jayaram Khadka is the cross-country Skier of Nepal. He was born in Sindhupalchowk District. He is the first Athlete of Nepal, who participated in the Winter Olympics as a Skier. He participated in the Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City in 2002. He is also the first skier to play in the Olympics from Nepal.
Childhood Life
Jayaram Khadka was born in a Chhetri family in a remote village. His father had more than one marriage. Similarly, his father had an inter-caste marriage. Traditionally, Chhetris are considered to be a symbol of governance and protection. His father was a policeman. His father died in 1988. After his father's death, Jayram dropped out of school. He was only 17 years old. After his father's death, he goes to a hotel in Bhaktapur to work.
How did he connect with the Skier game?
It is interesting how Jai Ram Khadka came to be associated with the sport of skiing. In 1984, a British millionaire businessman and researcher Richard Morley came to visit Nepal. Morley came to Nepal to do research in the mountains and Himalayan region. He was suffering from a lung problem while travelling in the remote Himalayan region. There was no medicine, no medical. One has to walk a long distance to get medicine or to reach the treatment centre. At that time, a person helped him a lot.
After a few days, Morli recovered from that health problem. And he thanked the person who helped him when he was sick and said, 'How can I return this humanitarian help of yours?'
Morley felt that the person was asking for money for his help. However, he did not ask for money. And, handing a photo to Morley, he said, "When I leave this world, you should help this child." Yes, that boy in the photo was Jay Ram. And, it was his father who helped Morley. After that, Morley returned to his country, Britain.
After about 5/6 years, Richard Morley came back to Nepal with his family. On the occasion of coming to Nepal, he wanted to meet Mr Khadka, who saved his life. When Morley reached Khadka's village, he had already died a few years ago. The photo given by Khadka a few years ago was also with Morley. The child in that photo was not even at home. That boy had gone to Bhaktapur to work. After that, Morley went to Bhaktapur in search of that boy. He met Jay Ram there. His father had already told Jai Ram that after his death, a person will come to help him. So Morley and Jay Ram got to know each other easily.
After discussing with his family, Morley decided to take Jai Ram Khadka with him to the UK. Following a highly publicized legal dispute with the British government, who sought to deport the Nepali individual, Khadka was ultimately granted permission to remain in Britain, having been officially adopted by Morley.
Morley himself was a skier. So he also taught Khadka to ski. Jai Ram learned to ski in Britain.
Skier Career of Khadka
Jayaram Khadka participated in the Olympic Skiing Games held in Salt Lake City in 2002 on behalf of Nepal. He achieved 69 positions in the men's sprint of that competition.
Morley, an experienced skier, observed that his adopted son had great athletic potential. He decided to take him to the French Alps and motivate him to pursue skiing, assuming the role of his coach. During the late 1990s, Morley took the initiative to establish the Nepalese Ski Association and began planning Khadka's journey to qualify for the Olympic Winter Games. Unfortunately, Khadka faced setbacks when he suffered two injuries in 2001, which dashed his hopes of qualifying for his preferred Alpine skiing events.
Nevertheless, Khadka persevered and switched his focus to cross-country skiing. His determination paid off as he successfully secured a spot for the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics. At the grand Opening Ceremony, Khadka proudly carried his nation's flag, accompanied by Morley. Although his performance in the 10km pursuit and sprint event ranked 79th and 69th, respectively, the actual results held little significance to Khadka. What truly mattered to him was his presence at the Olympics and the overwhelming applause he received from the crowd in Salt Lake City upon crossing the finish line. This inspiring tale portrays an extraordinary journey of human resilience and triumph against all odds.
