Day 7, Super Combined.
Dougie Crawford is Victor Ludorum.
(MERIBEL, FRANCE. Saturday) When he won the Men’s British Super
Combined title today Dougie Crawford ensured he became the first male
British skier to win the championships’ top award, the John Ritblat
Cup for the Victor Ludorum, since Alain Baxter last won it in nine
years ago.
Crawford (Bearsden) has been on the podium in every one of the five
disciplines this week, winning the Super G, Giant Slalom, Downhill and
Super Combined, and finished second in the Slalom behind Noel Baxter.
He overshadowed perennial top trophy winner Chemmy Alcott who has won
the big silver cup seven times since 1999.
He was the quickest in the morning’s Super G leg, leading by 1.03
seconds and then consolidated on the Slalom run. Skiing the fastest
slalom run Georgie Hunt (Hemel Hempstead) took second place on the
podium with Frankie Clough (Chelmsford) in third.
Crawford said:
“It a big thing and I am really pleased. I could not have thought
about winning this at the beginning of the week. I am thrilled to win.
I am really pleased to win this many titles, to be up there in
everything. I don’t like to ski tactically and I really have gone for
each title each day. I skied most of the Super G really well. I made a
bit of a mistake near the end of the Super G, so the pressure was on a
bit in the Slalom.”
“Right now we just have no idea what is going to happen, so it is hard to think about targets for next season when there is no guarantee, it is not looking very good for a programme to support us. So immediately
it will be about getting a break, relaxing getting time off from
skiing with some sunshine and golf, and then be back motivated to get
training hard.”
Chemmy Alcott was, as expected, a class apart in the discipline in
which she finished the World Cup season ranked eighth overall in the
world, the highest ever end of season ranking for a British world cup
skier. Her victory margin was 3.15 seconds over Harriet Steggles
(Norwich) who skied the fastest Slalom leg after Alcott faltered.
Alcott admitted that although she was disappointed not to win the big
cup which she has all but called her own during recent years, but she
was delighted the overall winner is Crawford, a bright finish for him
to an especially tough season due to the collapse of Snowsport GB
which meant their training and race programme collapsed as well as
Crawford being overlooked for Olympic Winter Games selection in
February.
“It was good today. I had a good Super G, some of the best skiing I
have pulled out recently and I really enjoyed it. I started number 1
in the sun. In the Slalom I struggled a bit with the conditions but I
knew I had quite a margin there. When I stopped in the middle I
thought it might be all over, but I had enough time to play with.”
Said Alcott today,
“The British (Championships) is always tough, this year especially
because I have had such a crazy, tough season. I am really happy
Dougie has won, not because I am becoming less competitive, but it is
nice to get beaten. And it was great Louise Thomas beat me this week
until she got injured. Dougie has had a tough year missing out on the
Olympics and it has taken him a while to get back from that, it is
such a big, traumatic thing. He needs a pick me up, and he skis great
here.”
“It is such a relief to get to today, to the end of my season without
getting injured. Now I’m looking forward to going surfing. It is so
tough to ski so many disciplines.”
Conditions held up into the Slalom after an excellent Super G track,
although the early sunshine disappeared.
Charlotte Guest (Perth) was awarded the Kirsteen McGibbon Memorial
Quaich which carries a bursary of £1000. The award is in memory of
Kirsteen McGibbon who was a live wire member of the British Land
Alpine Ski Team who died in a downhill in 1996 in Altenmarkt, Austria.
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