It's sort of reminiscent of the first Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Or the 14th-place finish of the four-man Jamaican bobsled team at Lillehammer in 1994. They beat out two sleds from the United States.

Remember Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards? In 1988 the Brit soared to not-so-great heights as Great Britain's first Olympic ski jumper. He soared right into people's hearts along with the Jamaican bobsled team.

Edwards' talent was debatable. But the same can't be said of Lebanese Olympian Chirine Njeim, who skis for Salt Lake's Rowmark Ski Academy and is set to compete in her second winter Olympics at Torino, Italy, later this year.

She is the sole member of the Lebanese Winter Olympic team.

Her talent is obvious. It was just cultivated in an unlikely place.

The 21-year-old grew up in Beirut, which is on the Mediterranean coast.

"You can go skiing and then go swimming in the Mediterranean," Njeim said.

There are actually six ski resorts in Lebanon; the most popular, Faraya Mzaar, is just a 45 minute drive from Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea. It boasts world-class facilities with at least 18 lifts and 42 slopes.

And on a clear day, you can see Beirut.

Njeim came from a recreational skiing family and at age 3 she learned to ski at Faraya Mzaar. As she grew older she spent a lot of time glued to the television watching ski racing.

"After school I would sit and stare for hours," Njeim said.

She joined a ski club and then in her early teens she hit a dead end. Njeim said you can only go so far skiing competitively in Lebanon. The Lebanese Ski Federation doesn't support past the local level and, Njeim said, there isn't another step unless you find private support.

"You get to one age and stop racing," she said. "That's why I didn't want to stay there."

With the help of a French ski coach who coached the ski club in Lebanon she wound up training in Annecy, France, before coming to Rowmark by herself in the ninth grade.

Former Salt Lake City mayor Deedee Corrradini, who spent time growing up in Beirut, was instrumental in Njeim's decision to come to Utah. Under the tutelage of Rowmark's famed ski coaches she has blossomed into a top-ranked skier.

"Everything she does -- she's very competitive [and] very aggressive," said Todd Brickson, program director and head coach of the women's development ski team at Rowmark.

Brickson acknowledged that she wouldn't make the Olympic cut if she was a United States team member because each country only gets four spots per event; super-G, downhill, combined, giant slalom and slalom.

And since she doesn't ski the World Cup circuit full time like most of the others, she's at a disadvantage. She skis in the Nor Ams, which is the U.S. equivalent to the Europa Cup.

"She's an unknown," Brickson said.

But, he said, she has the chance to turn some heads and "really do something."

"A top 30 result is a realistic goal for her," Brickson said.

Njeim's best event is the super-G but she will compete in all events, true to Rowmark's format.

"I want to do good in all events, but super-G I want to do well in because I have so much confidence," she said.

Last year she placed first in the super-G in the South American Continental Cup, first in the giant slalom in the Rocky Mountain Trophy Series [RTMS], which is an International Ski Federation [FIS] event, ninth in downhill and 14th in slalom at the U.S. Nationals.

This year, so far, Njeim placed seventh two weeks ago in the super-G in the Nor Ams at Panorama, British Columbia, and placed 10th, twice, in the downhill at Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. She raced to two top three finishes in Chili this year at the South America Cup.

Her trip to the 2006 Olympics wasn't without several rocky starts, however.

During the 2000-2001 season she tore her ACL and was out for six months. But the injury had its upside.

"I realized that this injury actually helped me to be mentally stronger," Njeim said. "I never realized how much I loved skiing until I got injured."

It was that impetus and drive that got her into trouble the next season. In her quest for superb health she drove herself to anorexia, dropping to 86 pounds on her 5-foot-1 inch frame.

Under a doctor's care she limited her exercise and monitored her weight weekly and regained her health.

"It was awful," she said.

Against the advice of her doctor she competed in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. She placed 36th in the women's slalom with a final time of 2 minutes, 13.48 seconds, a combined time of two runs.

"During the Salt Lake City Olympics I was anorexic but I wanted to do it because I was waiting so long," she said.

And it is said that bad things come in threes.

The following year, in her first race of 2002-2003 she broke her knee - a tibial plateau fracture that put her out of the season, again.

Not one to give up, Njeim came back the following year taking conditioning to a head; this time with major success.

Brickson said she improved rapidly after rehab.

"She's one of the most fit athletes at the academy," he said. "Her fitness really supports her skiing."

And she's ready to go to the Olympics again; this time as a healthy representative of her country.

"I'm excited," she said. "I'm stronger. I'm really excited to go there [Italy]."

She has just one more wish. During the 2002 Winter Olympics a commercial interruption prevented the world from seeing the Lebanese flag.

"I'm excited to carry the Lebanese flag," she said. "Hopefully they won't put a commercial in [this time]."