Brits flying high

By Anna Thompson
Winter Sports editor

It is not very often Britain can boast a successful weekend when it comes to winter sports.

We are more used to enjoying the bumbling heroics of ski jumper Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards than applauding real success.

I have never felt totally confident but now I feel I can do it Chemmy Alcott News story: Alcott breaks new ground

So let us not underestimate the achievements of Lesley McKenna, Kristan Bromley and Chemmy Alcott in Sweden, America and Canada.

Scottish snowboarder McKenna won her first World Cup half-pipe of the season and Bromley, a skeleton bob slider, made it two wins out of two in Lake Placid, New York.

Alcott re-wrote the British ski history record books twice at the weekend.

She became the first British woman to claim World Cup points in a downhill for more than 15 years when she finished 22nd at Lake Louise on Friday and Saturday.

That feat was achieved racing in flat light and in poor visibility on the men's Olympic downhill course.

And on Sunday she came 11th in a super-G race, her best ever World Cup result.

Alcott, from Hove, in Sussex, is one of very few genuine all-round skiers.

Aged just 21, she is now beginning to show her true world class potential.

News story: McKenna wins opener

Alcott proved how committed she was to the cause by cancelling her summer break in order to take part in a gruelling nine-week intensive fitness course in Austria.

And it is paying dividends.

Andi Robertson, of Snowsport GB, told the BBC Sport website: "It was a tremendous weekend for Chemmy and Lesley and for British winter sports.

"Chemmy has made skiing her life and she gives it 110% so I am delighted she is getting some great results."

One of Britain's best skiing achievements was Alain Baxter's "bronze" medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

McKenna on her way to a World Cup win

Unfortunately the slalom specialist was stripped of his medal for failing a post-race drugs test.

Robertson believes Alcott's and McKenna's good starts to the season will boost the team as a whole.

He added: "I think it will also take a lot of pressure off Alain, who has been our best skier for a number of years.

"He can now concentrate on getting his confidence back and showing us why he was 11th in the world in slalom."

Britain is not blessed with many natural resources for winter sports, with hardly any snow-capped mountains for skiers and snowboarders to train on.

And slider Bromley has to practice on a specially-made 125m push-start track at Bath University because they are no ice tracks in the UK.

When McKenna won her first World Cup half-pipe in Japan towards the end of last season, she became the first woman from a lowland country to claim a victory.

So Britain should be proud of its winter sports athletes.

And if they can continue to upset the form-books, the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, in 2006, could be a very exciting time indeed.