Winter Olympics

Chemmy Alcott on flying form in the Women's Downhill (image c/o BOA)

After delays and setbacks caused by conditions in Whistler, Chemmy Alcott was finally able to get her Olympic sojourn underway with the Ladies' Downhill on Wednesday 17 February.

Racing second in a field of 45, Alcott held the gold position briefly following the crash of event opener Klara Krizova and finished in an impressive 13th overall, narrowly missing out on a top 10 finish.

In fact, Alcott was racing so hard that she crashed into the safety barriers in the finish area before jumping up unharmed. “I just did that to give everyone a close-up look of a proper alpine crash” joked the ski racer. “I just forgot to slow down at the finish”.

The British number one enjoyed taking to the course at Whistler Creekside remarking “it’s the perfect women’s downhill, the best I’ve ever skied”. The ski racer, who is known for her aggressive skiing added “it’s bumpy, it’s icy and it’s great fun. You look at this and you think to yourself ‘this is what we do this sport for’.

“I lost a bit of time at the top in the soft stuff, and that affected my run” commented Alcott, who finished in a time of 1:47.31. “I think I could have gone quicker but I made a few silly mistakes. But it’s the Chemmy way - I went for it totally and when you ski like that, it’s hard to avoid a couple of tiny slips. It’s always like that with me”.

The race was a great Olympic opener for Alcott, who achieved 11th position in the same event in Turin. “The race was an awesome experience. I’m doing a few events here, so that was an amazing way of getting rid of some cobwebs” said the alpine skier.

 (BOA)

Alcott is next in the start gate in the Ladies' Super Combined on Thursday 18 February. Check back for further coverage as the event happens.

For more information on Team GB's skiers and snowboarders or the sporting schedules at the games visit our guide to the Winter Olympics.