Mae was born in Singapore to a Chinese mother and Thai father but was raised in London and is a British citizen. She said she had chosen to represent Thailand as she would have a better chance of making the games; she is only the third person to have competed for the country at a Winter Olympics.

In the build-up to the Sochi Games in January, Mae – who had been racing under the Thai name Vanessa Vanakorm – had spoken many times about her “dream” of competing, and how her love of skiing dated back to childhood.

After a performance that might have embarrassed even Britain’s own famed-loser Eddie the Eagle – coming in 67th position out of 67 skiers – Mae said the experience had been “amazing”.