Worsley ski sensation Anna Kamaly-Asl was so tired she needed ice pouring down her neck to keep her awake but still held on for overall under-16 silver at the English Alpine Skiing Championships.
Kamaly-Asl is one of the top young skiers in Britain, reflecting in reaching the podium at the event where Dave Ryding began his career, one of the biggest in the annual calendar.
The 13-year-old was out on her feet ahead of the final slalom run of the week in Bormio, Italy but clocked 1:02.79s to collect enough points to secure second place.
The Manchester High School pupil, who scored a second race win of the season after grabbing giant slalom gold this week, revealed her sheer exhaustion in the closing stages.
“All the juice had left me – my coach was saying it, I need to go straight to bed when I get home!” said the skier, who trains at Chill Factore.
“My coach really was pouring ice down my neck. It’s just the sheer amount of energy I’ve put into the week, I went for every race and always gave it 100%.
“With all the training I’ve been doing, it just runs you down. I used a lot of energy in the lead-up.”
The youngster also shone in the Super-G, a fiendishly difficult speed event played out challenging Stelvio piste that saw her secure silver.
Kamaly-Asl was one of 440 athletes to descend on the Dolomites and six days of riveting racing in pitch-perfect piste conditions resulted across three disciplines.
The Manchester racer took huge belief from her performances throughout the week with the British Alpine Championships in Tignes, France next on the agenda.
“I think I’ve been consistent during the week,” she said.
“It does give me a lot of confidence, I was a bit worried coming in because I hadn’t raced against some of the girls and they were doing really well.
“It has regained my belief in how I can actually ski.”
Snowsport England is the national governing body for skiing and snowboarding in England, aiming to inspire as many people as possible to try snow sports. Find out more about Snowsport England’s affiliated clubs, athletes, competitions, coaching and campaigns here: http://www.snowsportengland.org.uk
Image courtesy of Racer Ready, with thanks.
