She is one hundred per cent African, but was born in Italy, in the heart of the Ciociaria region, speaks with a distinct Lazio accent and was the first sportswoman to compete for Kenya in international cross-country skiing competitions, taking part in a World Cup race in Val di Fiemme.

The beautiful story, which is also that of an Olympic dream for Ashley Tshanda Ongonga, a Kenyan father and a Congolese mother, comes from Subiaco and continues in Tarvisio, where 16-year-old Ashley enrolled in the Bachmann sports high school, an excellence for national skiing activities.
But she, who competes for the club of the same name, has an even bigger dream, that of competing with the Kenyan flag at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, representing the country of her father, who has always followed her and acted as her 'secretary'.

'I fell in love with cross-country skiing as a child,' she recounts in an interview with Fondo Italia. 'At first I asked my parents, when I was only three years old, if I could ice skate, then my teacher advised me to try cross-country skiing and I have not left it since'.
The girl thus moved to Tarvisio. A choice that Ongonga described as 'technical' in order to grow and get closer to her goals. 'Knowing that one day I will be able to get where I want to go is so much for me, I love this sport. I moved to Tarvisio to be able to continue to cultivate the dream,' she explains, 'I know I have potential that I am not yet exploiting to the full'.

So the choice to represent Kenya is not only a tribute to her paternal origins, but also a chance to compete in international competitions. Although, as she herself admits, she does not want to qualify for the Olympics due to the absence of compatriots practising the same sport, but on merit. That is why she is working hard in Tarvisio, with the aim of improving and expressing her full potential, as she believes she has not done so far.

"I am in contact with the Kenyan Olympic federation, my father is in touch with them almost every day and I know that they care about me, how I am doing and following me in my progress."
Meanwhile, Ongonga will already realise a first dream in a few months' time, when she will taste the five Olympic rings by representing Kenya at the Youth Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Gangwon, South Korea in January 2024.
And we will be cheering for her!