N.S. snowboarder to compete at Winter Olympics in Sochi

CTV Atlantic: N.S. athlete headed to Sochi After just missing out on qualifying for the Vancouver Olympics four years ago, Alexandra Duckworth is headed to the Winter Oympics in Sochi

A Nova Scotia athlete who narrowly missed a chance at competing in the Vancouver Olympics four years ago is heading to Sochi.

Alexandra Duckworth, 26, of Kingsburg, N.S. will be joined by her parents as she competes in Russia.

Anne Fouillard and John Duckworth watched their daughter win her very first snowboarding competition 10 years ago.

“So there she was on the podium…and she just said ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life,’” says John Duckworth.

But the road hasn’t always been easy. Four years ago, Duckworth learned she would be going to the Olympic Games in Vancouver.

“She’d been told verbally by one of the top people in Snowboarding Canada that she’d be going,” says Fouillard.

But days later, Duckworth learned she had just marginally missed out on qualifying.

“We were just devastated, so she appealed it, which was a very involved process,” says Fouillard.

Duckworth lost the appeal, causing her to fight even harder to make it to Sochi. Last weekend, she found out she would be heading to Russia.

“She phoned and she said ‘mom, it’s a very good day today,’” says Fouillard.

But amid the excitement also comes concern about potential threats to security. Duckworth’s family says they do have some concerns about their trip.

The International Olympic Committee in Sochi says their security is second-to-none, but they admit they have received some terrorist threats.

“Well, you always go with a sense of trepidation,” says Fouillard. “I mean, you can’t be stupid about it, but I think we are going with our eyes open, and I mean, there will be 40,000 forces in Sochi alone.”

Duckworth is currently training in Whistler before heading to Switzerland on Monday, and then to Sochi. She admits she and her teammates have discussed the potential of terrorist attacks.

“It’s definitely a concern. I know a lot of teammates and other Canadian athletes are actually not having their parents come watch the games,” said Duckworth via FaceTime.

Her parents say nothing, not even the threat of a terrorist attack, will keep them from watching their daughter compete.

“We think getting there has been the accomplishment in itself,” says Fouillard. “We have no expectations of Alex. She’s an Olympian.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand