Baxter returns to Olympics

By Anna Thompson
Winter sports editor

Baxter in World Cup action this season

For six days in 2002, Alain Baxter basked in the glory of winning Britain's first alpine medal at a Winter Olympics when he finished third in the men's slalom at the Salt Lake City Games.

He arrived home to a hero's welcome in the Scottish Highland town of Aviemore and was inundated with interview requests from British and international media.

Baxter was in demand and all the hard years of slog on the international ski circuit were about to pay off with lucrative sponsorship deals.

But his world fell apart on 1 March when he received a phone call from Simon Clegg, the British Olympic Association's chief executive.

Baxter had failed a drugs test as a nanogram of banned substance methamphetamine had been detected in his urine sample.

The Scot was subsequently stripped of his bronze medal and disqualified from the race.

Four years on, the 32-year-old is gearing up for his third Games and told BBC Sport the Winter Olympics no longer holds a special place in his heart.

I was struggling a little bit before Salt Lake City but it started to come good two races before the Olympics so fingers-crossed it happens again Alain Baxter

"What happened in Salt Lake City has tarnished my memory. The Winter Olympics is just another race for me," he said.

"Of course, it is one I would like to do well in and be in form for."

He appreciates how big a spectacle the Games, being held in Turin between 10-26 February, are but said as a serious athlete he is simply concentrating on his own race, the slalom on 25 February, and will only be in Italy for five days.

"It's a big eye-opener about how massive it is. It is a big event but I'm there to compete and do my job," said Baxter.

"If you get too carried away with the atmosphere, you lose track about what's going on. That's one reason why I'm not going for the full Games. "

Baxter admitted he is not skiing as well as he would like, but before the 2002 Games he was not in the form which had taken him to 11th in the world rankings at the end of the previous season.

Amiez, Vidal and Baxter have all struggled for form since 2002

"I was struggling a little bit before Salt Lake City but it started to come good two or three races before the Olympics so fingers-crossed it happens again."

Baxter knows what happened at the 2002 Games has had a detrimental effect on his career and he has failed to perform consistently at world level since then.

But he pointed out that many top sportsmen have slumps in their careers.

Defending Olympic slalom champion Jean-Pierre Vida won his first World Cup race since the 2002 Games at Kitzbuehel in January.

As long as I can ski fast I will continue. If it comes to a point when I think I can't do it any more than I will call it a day Alain Baxter

His French team-mate Sebastien Amiez, who grabbed silver ahead of Baxter, has rarely made the top 10 since then and at the end of last season had dropped to 53rd in the world rankings.

Finland's Kalle Palander won the slalom title at the 1999 world championships, but spent the next two seasons in the doldrums and seriously thought about quitting before his results began to pick up again.

In 2003, he was the World Cup slalom champion.

Event guide: Slalom

Baxter said: "All sportsmen go through not being able to perform at their highest level and I am just trying to work my way through this."

Two years ago, he employed a sports psychologist to try to improve his confidence and results.

"For me I didn't think it worked for skiing. It felt good talking to them and working with them, but for skiing it's coaches and other athletes I think who can help you."

But he not about to give up and end his ski career just yet and still believes he can win a medal in Turin.

"As long as I can ski fast, I will continue. If it comes to a point when I think I can't do it any more, then I will call it a day."