Israel's top skier dreams of victory as he heads to winter games

While Vladimir Renzhin trained some of Europe's finest alpine skiers on the frigid peaks of Ukraine, his young son Mikail would watch their every move from the safety of the lodge, fixated. When he was 3 years old, the younger Renzhin first stuck his feet in ski boots and started working on his snowplow technique.

"It wasn't because of Dad," says the Latvian-born Renzhin, whose father trained both the Russian and Ukrainian national ski teams. "When I started training seriously at age 12, it was clear I'd continue with it. I enjoyed the speed and I had good results. My path was clear."

Drafted into the Ukrainian army at 18, he was allowed to continue his ski training during his 18-month service. In the summer of 2001, his competitive achievements piling up, he suddenly decided to immigrate to Israel alone.

"It just happened to me at age 24, I don't know why it didn't happen earlier," says Renzhin, now 32. "I was always in contact with the Jewish Agency, and I wanted to see what things were like in Israel. It was important to me to become Israeli."

He never considered abandoning the slopes. Just days after landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport, he called Stanley Rubenstein, head of the Israel Ski Federation, to make sure his career would be able to continue speeding forward.

In Israel, Renzhin set about "becoming Israeli," learning Hebrew at a Kfar Sava ulpan and getting a taste of military life in the Israel Defense Forces.

Four years ago, he earned himself a spot at the Winter Olympics in Turin, becoming the first skier to represent Israel on the Olympic stage. "It was the high point of my career," he recalls. "I was very emotional, but I got over it." Renzhin finished 32nd.

At this year's Games in Vancouver - whose opening ceremony is Friday - Renzhin will again represent Israel, even though eight years after immigrating, he rarely sets boot here.

The skier has visited Israel only four times in the past year. After the 2006 Games he returned to Ukraine to train with his father, and now, when not competing in international events around the world, he likes to return to his parents' home there to rest.

Still, Renzhin's affection for the country he represents is clear. "In no country that I've visited have I seen so much sun," he raves. "Last time I was here I was happy to see clouds and some rain. Now I'm hearing that there is a lot of snow on Mount Hermon, but it's not hard enough to train on."

"This time I'm coming with more experience, and hoping it'll be easier for me," says Renzhin, who will compete in both the slalom and giant slalom (GS) events. "I really don't want to predict what will happen, because it's a very special competition where unexpected things can happen - stars can fall hard, and there are always new names coming up, people who came out of nowhere."

At 32, retirement is far from Renzhin's mind. "At the end of the season I feel as if I just can't look at snow anymore," he says. "But after a few months I start missing it. I start dreaming about it."