A RANDOM
trawl of nine feature articles on Chemmy Alcott,
from around the time of the last Winter
Olympics, brings up six mentions of Anna
Kournikova. "The Kournikova of skiing" is the
general theme. The looks, the modelling
contract, the product endorsements, the shared
agent, a profile greater than her results
deserve. Then, two winters ago, Alcott began to
look the part of performer on the slopes.
In a World Cup race in Cortina d’Ampezzo,
Italy, Alcott produced the best result by a
British woman skier for 34 years when she finish
ninth in the downhill. From 115th the season
before, her end-of-season overall World Cup
ranking jumped to 52nd, and she was on her way.
But injuries last
season prevented Alcott from advancing further,
although her downhill ranking remains just
inside the top 50.
Rib bruising and bunions impeded Alcott’s
ability to train and race last winter, forcing
her to abort her World Cup season, but not
before she had finished nineteenth in downhill
at the World Championships in Santa Caterina,
Italy. Although she declares herself fit now,
Mark Tilston, Britain’s performance director,
notes the severity of the challenge that Alcott
faces.
"We know she is capable of top ten and it is
a case of piecing everything together between
now and February, which is quite a demand,"
Tilston said. The significance of February is
the Winter Olympics in Turin, for which Alcott
has altered her sights after stating boldly in
2002 that the Olympics in Salt Lake City that
year would be a stepping stone to a medal in
2006.
"I am a dreamer, that is part of what makes
me fast," Alcott said. "But things change. My
goal still is to win an Olympic medal but I do
not have a time parameter on it now. It is hard
to say what I might achieve in Turin, because I
am coming off the back of a troubled season, but
I am in a good frame of mind."
Alcott opens her World Cup season today over
the downhill course in Lake Louise, Canada. In
Salt Lake, she contested all five disciplines,
with a best finish of fourteenth in the combined
event. She was a raw and enthusiastic teenager
then, and in Turin she may compete in fewer
disciplines.
Sacrifices have been made, including a “no
boyfriends” policy for the time being. One
long-term relationship and a short one that
followed have been ended. "It is too tough right
now," Alcott said. "I find I am OK but they
cannot understand the life I lead. There is a
time to play but it is not
now."
