A Norwegian born skiing star with impeccable Galway roots will become only the second man to ever compete in three Olympic Winter Games when he takes his place at the start line at Milano Cortina 2026 this month.

Thomas Maloney Westgård will compete once again in the three cross-country events, with the 50km race his favourite discipline.

Born in a small island called Leka in Norway to a Norwegian father and his Galway mother Celia, he competes for professional team Team Aker Dæhlie – and this time, he is part of a four-strong Irish squad, and he will be competing in Predazzo, in the Val di Fiemme cluster.

Thomas is in action this Sunday in the 10km + 10km Skiathlon; he’s on the start line on Friday week for the 10km Free, and finally for his favourite event the 50km Classic on Saturday, February 21, before the curtain comes down on the Winter Games in Verona the following day.

The Winter Olympic Games open this Friday and run until February 22, with three other athletes joining Thomas on the Irish team.

Colorado-based 17-year-old Anabelle Zurbay will compete in Alpine Skiing, specifically focusing on the technical events – Slalom and Giant Slalom, the latter being her favoured event. Her Irish roots are via her maternal grandmother, comes from Rosemount, outside Moate.

Dublin-born Ben Lynch will compete in the Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe event and his fellow Dubliner Cormac Comerford, who developed his love for skiing at the Kilternan dry slopes outside his native city, will compete in Alpine Skiing.

Thomas Maloney Westgård’s Irish roots are firmly planted around Dunmore, where mum Celia Maloney hails from in Kiltevna.

The Galway nurse moved to the tiny island of Leka in Norway 35 years ago after she met Ova, a Norwegian dairy farmer on a sun holiday in the Canary Islands. They married and had five children – the eldest of them is Thomas.

This is Thomas’ third Winter Olympics, having competed in Pyeonchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022.

Caption: Thomas Maloney Westgård.

Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie.