Jan 8 (Reuters) - Lara Colturi might well have been ‌preparing to deliver gold for the home nation at next month's Milano Cortina Olympics, but instead will be ‌an unlikely trailblazer for Albania.

The 19-year-old slalom specialist, daughter of Italian 2002 Olympic super-G champion Daniela Ceccarelli, has ‌no link to Albania other than her mother becoming technical director to the Balkan nation's Ski Federation in 2021.