Manchester skier Daisi Daniels continued her assault on the 2017 English Alpine Championships on Tuesday, notching up her second podium finish in as many days in Bormio.
The racers were once again blessed with sublime conditions on the Italian resort’s Stella Alpina piste, where after Monday’s Slalom – where Daniels finished second – the discipline switched to Giant Slalom.
But that change did not mean a different outcome for 14-year-old Daniels, who completed two excellent runs to finish second behind Sarah Woodward in the under-16 girls category, just 0.94 seconds off the pace.
And the Beech House School student, who trains with the British Ski Academy, admitted her concentration slipped at times during the race which may have cost her a victory.
“It was a good race today, but it was tough,” she said. “I wasn’t as focused as I should have been but I managed to hold on a get second.
“I am looking forward to the Super G now which is coming up later this week, it is one of my favourite disciplines.
“I have a really good rivalry with Sarah Woodward who won today. It is always the two of us battling it out.
“When I am training I always think, well Sarah will be training hard, so I need to train even harder. It is good motivation.”
The Championships are celebrating their tenth year in Bormio, with over 400 of the country’s most talented skiers – ranging from under-10s to senior racers – flocking to the Italian resort to battle it out for the coveted English titles.
Most of Britain’s most revered racers of recent times competed in the Championships during the early stages of their careers, including four-time Olympian Chemmy Alcott and current racers Cara Brown and Dave Ryding.
And having competed at the Championships herself during the early stages of her career, Alcott believes that the competition is unmissable for any budding British racer.
“It’s a big part of the calendar for me still and I really enjoy coaching here now. It’s an amazing race series and I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said.
“The World Championships are on in St Moritz at the moment but I wanted to make some time to come here.
“Winning your first national title is a huge stepping stone to believe in yourself, get sponsorship and so on.
“Everyone is here from British skiing, so it’s really competitive racing and success here should give you huge confidence that you can achieve what you want in the sport.”
Follow the English Alpine Championships on the Snowsport England Facebook page and get live updates on Twitter @SnowsportEng. Full results will be available at www.snowsportengland.org.uk while you can find your nearest slope offering value-for-money GO SKI GO BOARD sessions at www.goskigoboard.org.uk
Image courtesy of Racer Ready, with thanks.
