Seattle skier gets warm welcome despite last place finish in Olympic race

Roberto Carcelen won’t be bringing home any medals from the Olympics, but the Seattle Olympian is still getting a hero’s reception after finishing dead last in the men’s 15-kilometer classical race Friday at the Sochi Games.

Carcelen, 43, who now calls Seattle home, was skiing for his native Peru. He was more than 10 minutes slower than any other competitor finishing dead last in 87th place. His time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, 28.9 seconds was more than 27 minutes slower than that of winner Dario Cologna of Switzerland.

That didn’t stop him from giving Peru its moment in the spotlight.

Skiing slowly toward the finish in the warm sunlight using just one pole while carrying the flag with his other hand, Carcelen was given a loud ovation as he crossed the line. In an inspiring show of sportsmanship, Cologna waited nearly 30 minutes to congratulate Carcelan.

Carcelen also carried Peru’s flag at the opening ceremony, having become the first athlete from the country to compete at the Winter Games in Vancouver. There, he was second to last, but Friday’s race was an even greater achievement.

Just weeks before the Olympics, the Seattle-based e-commerce consultant took a spill during training in the Austrian Alps. The crash left him with one broken rib, several more cracked ribs and contusions.

Doctor’s told him he would have to miss the Olympics, but he pushed through the pain to finish the race.

“It was a very difficult race for me,” Carcelen said. “I was in a lot of pain on my right ribs. … Hopefully I’ll inspire people in Peru.”

Carcelen doesn’t plan on being back at the 2018 Olympics. This was his swan song on the international stage, and he made sure it was a memorable one.

“I’m retiring now,” he said. “I want to dedicate myself to a cross-country development project and to work with kids to get them to the Olympics. I think I’ll be more useful doing this.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report