Kequyen Lam (born 3 October 1979) is a

cross-country skier Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

who was the flag bearer for

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

at the

2018 Winter Olympics Parade of Nations During the 2018 Winter Olympics Parade of Nations at the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, beginning at 20:00 KST (UTC+9) on 9 February 2018, athletes bearing the flags of their respective nations led their national delegations as they para ...

. He is one of the two athletes representing Portugal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Early life

On October 3, 1979, Lam was born in Macau.

Career

Snowboard Cross (2008 – 2013)

Kequyen raced snowboard cross from 2008 - 2013 representing Portugal. His break out season was in 2011 when he finished 1st place in two FIS races at Big White and a 1st and 2nd place at the FIS races in Red Mountain. Lam qualified to race on the World Cup Tour where he raced from 2011 - 2013. He attempted to qualify for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, 2014, but an injury at a training camp in Austria sidelined him from the remaining qualifying events, missing the qualification criteria. He retired from snowboard cross in 2013.

Cross country skiing (2015-present)

Kequyen cross country skis in the freestyle skate distance events. He entered his first cross country ski race in 2015 at Canmore, AB. In 2017, he raced in Finland and in South America (Chile, Argentina, Colombia). Lam qualified for the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

. He is the sole cross country skier representing Portugal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea where he placed 113th in the men's 15 km freestyle.

Personal life

Lam is a Portuguese. But he is living in Canada. Lam's parents are

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

people who fled

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, spending a month on an open boat before landing in

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

. Lam was conceived and born in a refugee camp in Macao in 1979, which was then a Portuguese colony, giving him Portuguese citizenship. Lam holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology from

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

and Bachelors of Science degree in Pharmacy from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. He is also a tiny house aficionado having built a

tiny house The tiny-house movement (also known as the small house movement) is an architectural and social movement that advocates for downsizing living spaces, simplifying, and essentially "living with less."Ford, Jasmine, and Lilia Gomz-Lanier. Family an ...

https://www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/tiny-house-kequyen-lam.html Tour this bike enthusiast's 180 sq. ft. tiny home in

Squamish, BC Squamish (; Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, ; 2016 census population 19,512) is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway. ...

, where he lived temporarily in 2015. He now lives and trains in Vernon, BC, Canada.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, Kequyenl 1979 births Living people Cross-country skiers at the 2018 Winter Olympics Portuguese male cross-country skiers Canadian male cross-country skiers Portuguese people of Vietnamese descent Canadian people of Portuguese descent Canadian people of Vietnamese descent Sportspeople of Vietnamese descent Olympic cross-country skiers for Portugal Macau sportspeople Portuguese people of Macanese descent