Chemmy Alcott (www.chemmyalcott.com), Britain's top downhill skier; prior-to-injury ranked eighth female racer in the world; three-time Olympian; the highest ever ranked British female skier; and (almost) equally importantly exercise and fitness guru for skiers and boarders on J2Ski.com; has returned to ski racing 18 months after a career-threatening fall in Lake Louise, Canada, back in December 2010 left her with a severely broken leg.
Just as she always said she would, Chemmy is now training with the aim of competing at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. She took to the slopes in Kaprun, Austria, to begin training for the upcoming 2012/2013 World Cup season and the 2013 Alpine World Championships in Schladming, Austria. Chemmy will join the Canadian Ski Team in September to continue training.
However Chemmy will not be financially supported by British Ski & Snowboard (BSS) for the coming winter and she has had to turn to friends, family and corporate sponsors to self-fund her return to racing. Despite so far falling short of the £75,000 needed per year to fund a world class programme, Chemmy is resolved to find a way.
"I'm over the moon to be back on my skis. My leg feels great and I'm confident about the season ahead. I'm obviously devastated that BSS has pulled much-needed funding from me, Dougie [Crawford] and TJ [Baldwin] but I won't let that stop my comeback. Getting a podium finish in Sochi is still my focus," commented Chemmy.
Chemmy's right leg is now in great shape following intensive rehabilitation helped by The Third Space gym and medical centre in Soho and training for ITV1's Dancing on Ice.
Chemmy returned to the UK last Friday (8th June) to take part in various activities leading up to the London 2012 Olympics. This will include carrying the Olympic torch through the London Borough of Ealing on 24th July. Alcott was nominated to carry the flame by her fellow teammates from the British Ski Team in recognition for all that she has done for skiing in the UK.