Violin prodigy Vanessa Mae turns pro skier to represent Thailand at Winter Olympics

Vanessa Mae, a keen skier since childhood, raced four times in Slovenia at the weekend to qualify for Sochi.

16:59 21 January 2014

35-year-old Vanessa Mae, the internationally renowned violinist, will represent Thailand for skiing at the Sochi winter Olympics in Russia next month.

Because of this the Grammy award winning musician, who has sold more than 10 million records, will be putting her musical career on hold for a year to represent the country where her father was born.

Manager Giles Holland, speaking on behalf of Mae, talked about her qualification: 'It would appear that she's done it. She's done it by a whisker, but she's done it.'

Mae has been talking about her bid to qualify for the Sochi 2014 as early as mid-2010. During an interview, she said: 'It has been my dream and I am hoping people will accept I just want to give it my best.

'To even get to the Olympics, I have to qualify for the 2013 World Championships and the standard is high.

'I am taking a plunge. I am British, but realistically there is no way I could represent my own country.

'But because my natural father is Thai, they have accepted me.'