Violinist Mae to compete in Sochi

Vanessa Mae says she first skied at the age of four, a year before she started to learn the violin.

• Violinist Vanessa Mae qualifies for Sochi 2014 in alpine skiing


• Musician will compete as Vanessa Vanakorn, her father’s surname, for Thailand


• Child prodigy has sold 10 million albums worldwide


• Only one Thai has previously competed at the Winter Olympics

(CNN) — Over the years, the Winter Olympics has thrown up a variety of competitors that defy logic.

There was Jamaica’s legendary bobsled team, a cross-country skier from Kenya and Britain’s Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards, whose inept performances in 1988 prompted a change in the qualifying rules.

Now, one of the world’s most famous violinists can be added to the eclectic mix.

This weekend, Vanessa Mae — who has sold over 10 million albums worldwide — sneaked through qualifying for next month’s Olympics.

“She’s done it by a whisker, but she’s done it,” manager Giles Holland told the BBC.

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In Sochi, Mae will compete as Vanessa Vanakorn, using the surname of her Thai father and representing his homeland as well.

She may be used to racing through scales, her fingers dancing atop the strings of a violin, but the 35-year-old must now negotiate a very different rhythm as she is pitched into the giant slalom.

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