Flachau, Austria
Are, Sweden.
Alcott 9th in EC GS, Mickel trains 5th
Having narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Cup
Finals in Are, Sweden, Chemmy Alcott has already proved that
her trip to the Europa Cup Finals instead will prove a worthwhile
one when she yesterday placed ninth in the Women's Giant Slalom,
scoring her strongest FIS points result in the discipline
and her best ever Europa Cup finish in the discipline.
Racing in difficult conditions, after a lot of new snow had
fallen, Chemmy was the only skier starting outside the top
30 - she started bib 41 – to qualify for the second
run.
Lying 30th after the first run, she took full advantage of
starting first down the second run on Flachau's Hermann Maier
World Cup track and unleashed the quickest second run by a
matter of over half a second, to finish just 1.48 seconds
behind Austria's winner, Silvia Berger.
"I am pretty happy with that result, but still feeling
frustrated I can't pull together two good runs in giant slalom.
Still, I have never won a second run at Europa Cup before,
so that was new and fun. I am not sure what the problem is
really. It is not like I am making mistakes on the first run,
I am just not quick and probably too cautious. When I've done
that and feel there is nothing to lose then I put down a good
second run. The good thing, I guess, is that I know that when
I can pump in two good runs there will certainly be fireworks,"
recalled Chemmy today, "I really want to get back to
the technical skiing now. I am so quick in the summer in training
but now that seems so long ago. I want to just make one more
good downhill result and then pack it away for a while and
concentrate on my technical skiing."
In Are, Sweden the British Land Alpine Ski Team's leading
downhiller Finlay Mickel produced hope that Are can continue
its record for producing British bests.
Alain Baxter's career best world cup fourth was here five
years ago and Martin Bell's career best world cup fifth was
here 20 years ago. Today Finlay trained fifth quickest on
the first day of downhill training.
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