Four time Winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott has announced that she is to retire from ski racing after the British Alpine Championships 2014.
"After much deliberation, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from ski racing, a sport that has come to define me. However I am not retiring from skiing and believe that I still have much to offer the sport," said Chemmy.
Chemmy Alcott is Britain's most successful ever Alpine ski racer by most measures.
In a skiing career that has spanned over 23 years (and in spite of injury and lack of funding) Chemmy has gone from winning the World Children's Championships as a youngster to being ranked as high as 8th in the World as a senior racer. She has recorded five top 10 World Cup finishes, is the only British skier to have ever won a run in World Cup and has won the Senior British National Championships an unprecedented seven times. Most recently Chemmy finished 19th in the Women's Downhill at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
"It is my intention to take some time off over the summer, enjoy my forthcoming wedding to Dougie (Crawford) and return next season to the Alpine Racing World to use my wealth of experience to help other athletes," added Chemmy, "Looking back at my career I am incredibly proud that I have had the guts and mental strength to overcome the odds and compete for my country, I look forward to mentoring others and to continuing my charity and TV work, particularly in the challenging field of adventure – my future is bright."
A video of Chemmy announcing her plans for the future is online on her website: www.chemmyalcott.com