Joe Davies was just nine years old when the Winter Olympics pitched up some 30 miles from where he had grown up.
Given the chance to watch in person, he could not have imagined that he might one day follow in the footsteps of those sporting superstars winning medals and topping podiums in Vancouver and Whistler.
But one year out from Milano Cortina, that possibility is growing by the day, with the 23-year-old excelling on the FIS Cross-Country World Cup circuit.
Growing up in Pemberton, British Columbia, Davies started in the Canadian Nordic programme before switching to represent Great Britain in 2022.
It was that move that ignited his career, and has made the possibility of an Olympic appearance seem realistic, 16 years on from attending as a fan.
“People always say it’s cool, you got to be there for Vancouver,” said Davies.
“It was right at the time that I was just getting into skiing. I went to some events but it wasn’t as meaningful as the next age group who would have been in their early teens.
“I was about nine so I’d only been skiing for a year at that point. Being at the Olympics is every athlete’s dream so it would definitely be surreal.
“I want to say we were there for the 50km (in Vancouver). All I remember is it being loud and a lot of people. Now that is one of the races that I go back and watch on YouTube, so it’s really cool.”
Davies splits his time between the US and Europe, studying civil engineering at the University of Utah and competing on the NCAA circuit.
That makes for a particularly busy schedule, with the NCAA Championships coming immediately after the World Championships in Trondheim next week, with Davies hoping to perform well in both.
While he was laid low by illness over Christmas, Davies is getting back to peak form just in time for those two twin targets for the season.
He said: “Period one of the World Cup was super good. I dealt with some illness over Christmas, which was a big setback.
“But since then I’ve been training and feeling good. Falun (World Cup event) was a good check-in given that I wasn’t in the best feeling. The goal wasn’t to be good there, the goal was to be good in a week or so.
“I got that little update in Falun but a lot can change over two weeks. The World Champs is a whole different game. My goal is to match my World Cup result, a top 15 would be ideal. I’m not going to say I wouldn’t be dreaming of a top 10 but I’d be happy with a top 15.
“The unfortunate timing this year is that the World Championships in Trondheim are at the same time as the NCAA Championships in the US.
“I’ve made it work, so I’m doing the skiathlon at the World Champs in Trondheim and then I’m getting on a plane the next day and flying straight back to the US and three days later, start my first race at NCAAs.
“It’s the deal that I knew going into this. I want to be there for the school, they support me a lot. I’m happy to do it but it makes for a busy schedule.”
Davies, who is half-British, tried his hand at a host of different sports as a youngster, before finally settling on cross-country skiing.
Whether it was football, karate or mountain biking, he was happy to try them all, quickly realising he had an aptitude for Nordic skiing, which he trained for in Whistler.
After progressing through the ranks, he moved to the Canadian national centre in Canmore but then followed the lead of teammate Gabe Gledhill in switching allegiance.
He explained: “I initially reached out to the British team just before Covid. I was looking into options, I wasn’t so happy with how the current system I was in was working for me. I skied ok that year, I was in the Canadian junior team, I thought I might as well give it another go. I didn’t ski so fast and wasn’t given loads of opportunities.
“I was put in touch with the British World Cup coaches, Hans (Kristian Stadheim) and Jostein (Vinjerui) to see if it was something I wanted to revisit. It was a good point in my career where things felt like they weren’t working.
“When I was given this opportunity with coaches that really wanted to work with me and believed I was going to be good, it was a no-brainer. I just wish I had done it sooner. Working with them has been amazing, such good coaching.”
That decision appears to be paying off, with Davies finishing 15th in the skiathlon at the Lillehammer World Cup event before Christmas.
While four-time Olympian Andrew Musgrave remains the man to beat in the British team, Davies is enjoying challenging his experienced teammate.
He added: “It’s cool to have someone like Andrew who I grew up watching and admiring on the TV and then getting to actually race and train with him. Hopefully, I can maybe put a little bit of pressure on him at some point.
“He’s done this a few times so he’s got the experience on me, but I’d like to at least make him work for it!”
Sportsbeat 2025