Foto Elvis / AP

Skier Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, known as the 'Snow Leopard,' is aiming to become the first Ghanaian to compete at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

His achievements are all the more astounding considering racers have four years to qualify for the Olympics: He will have done it in eight months if all goes according to plan.

At the end of 2005, British bookmaker Ladbrokes offered odds of 10,000-1 that Nkrumah-Acheampong would win the giant slalom in Turin, or 50-1 that he would finish in the top 50.

Nkrumah-Acheampong leaves his wife and 2-year-old daughter in Britain while he travels around the world chasing a dream that has posed financial hurdles from the start.

The biggest obstacle hasn’t been the skiing but the fundraising. David Jacobs, his British coach and president of the Ghana Ski Federation, managed to find him secondhand gear and free accommodation in the Alps so he could train. It wasn’t easy.

"Just because he’s colored, people generally think it’s a joke," Jacobs said. "It’s a bit like (the film) “Pretty Woman” - you go into shops and speak to people looking for support and they just laugh at you.”

Comparisons to “Cool Runnings” _ the feel-good story of the Jamaican bobsledders at the 1988 Calgary Olympics - are inevitable.

“Any time people see me ski, they bring it up,” Nkrumah-Acheampong said. “It’s a good thing and it’s how you use it that matters, because they took a chance and they made something happen. It’s always inspirational to see people come from nowhere to somewhere.”

Just like Eddie “The Eagle,” who became a cult hero in Calgary as Britain’s first and only ski jumper. He finished last.

Edwards has some words of encouragement for Nkrumah-Acheampong.

“I think it’s wonderful to see these kinds of athletes competing on the world stage,” said Edwards, who returned to a career as a builder after his short-lived glory. “I think for him it’s about going to the Olympics and representing his country, which is great.”

Nkrumah-Acheampong has received letters and e-mails from fans in Ghana and the rest of the continent.

“Lots of people have heard about it, so it’s not only a ‘me’ thing or a Ghanaian thing but it’s become an African thing,” he said.

Ghana’s government hasn’t provided any funding because the country doesn’t have a budget for winter sports. But Nkrumah-Acheampong has the government’s blessing and hopes to open the way for a younger generation of skiers.

“This is the opportunity for me to introduce new, young Ghanaians to the sport and give them a better chance than I’ve had,” he said. ”It should open doors and inspire all people to try new things and different sports.”