Ashley Tshanda Ongong'a

Ashley Tshanda Ongong'a (born 2007) is a Kenyan-Italian cross-country skier. In 2023, she made history after becoming the first African woman to compete in cross-country skiing at the Winter Youth Olympics.

Biography

Ongong'a was born in 2007 in Subiaco, Italy.[1] Her father is Kenyan and her mother is Congolese. Ongong'a began skiing when she was 4 years old,[2] skiing with a local ski group in Monte Livata.[3] At age 6, she began to dream about representing Kenya in the Olympics.[4] Her father, who moved from Kenya to Italy at age 21, encouraged her passion in the sport.[4] At age 14, Ongong'a moved to Tarvisio from her home near Rome to train at Bachmann Sport College, to continue her training.[4]

At age 16 in 2023, she made history as the first Kenyan cross-country skiier to qualify for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.[5][6] It was her first year accumulating FIS points. Ongong'a holds both Kenyan and Italian citizenship,[3] and chose to ski for Kenya in the Youth Olympics,[7] despite only visiting the country once.[8]

Prior to the Youth Olympics, Ongonga and Kenyan alpine skier Issa Laborde travelled to South Korea to take part in a training camp before the event.[9] At the Youth Winter Olympics in Gangwon, Ongong'a finished 62nd in the Sprint Freestyle and 63rd in the 7.5 km Classic event.[10]

In 2025, Ongong'a took part in the World Ski Championships, where she finished nine minutes behind the winner, earning 43rd place in the qualifying.[8] Ongong'a would finish the 10 km classic event in 97th place.

At the U23 World Championships in Schilpario, Ongong'a finished 64th in the sprint classic and 71st in the 10 km freestyle.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ashley Tshanda Ongong'a, dalle nevi di Livata alle Olimpiadi giovanili invernali". www.ilmessaggero.it (in Italian). 2024-01-05. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  2. ^ Touru, Ville (2025-02-26). "MM-hiihdot alkoivat Trondheimissa – Kenian ykköspyssyltä hurjaa puhetta kisan jälkeen". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  3. ^ a b SC (2024-06-19). "La fondista Ashley Tshanda Ongong'a nuova tesserata dello SCI CLUB 70. L'atleta italo-keniana parteciperà ai Giochi Olimpici di Milano Cortina 2026". Sci Club 70 (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  4. ^ a b c Okumu, Bernard (2023-12-20). "Skier Ashley Ongong'a makes history after qualifying for Winter Youth Olympics". KBC Digital. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  5. ^ "History as Kenyan youngster Ashley Tshanda Ongong'a punches ticket to Winter Youth Olympic Games | MozzartSportKe". www.mozzartsport.co.ke. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  6. ^ "Italian-born Kenyan Ashley Ongong'a writes history as first African female Cross-Country Skier to qualify for Winter Youth Olympics". Capital Sports. 2023-12-19. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  7. ^ "Ashley Ongong'a: Kenyan-Italian becomes first African female cross-country skier to qualify for Winter Youth Olympics". The Eastleigh Voice News. 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  8. ^ a b "Aamulehti Trondheimissa | Kenialainen Ashley Tshanda Ongong'a teki hiihdossa historiaa – kertoo huikeasta hetkestä MM-areenalla: "Näen heitä yleensä vain tv:ssä"". Aamulehti (in Finnish). 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  9. ^ "Ashley Tshanda and Issa Laborde begin intensive training ahead of Winter Youth Olympic Games". Pulse Sports Kenya. 2023-07-05. Archived from the original on 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  10. ^ "Pioneer Ongong'a breaks new ground at Winter Olympics". Daily Nation. 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
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