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She has been immortalised in song by the (now-defunct) UK [[indie (music)|indie]] band [[Three Litre]] in their composition "Downhill". The song featured as part of the band's "Alpine Suite" MP3 EP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/threelitre |title=Three Litre's myspace site |publisher=Myspace.com |date= |accessdate=2010-02-11}}</ref> Sampling the famous [[BBC]] "[[Ski Sunday]]" theme tune, the song uses Alcott's "lack of success" at 2002 [[Winter Olympic Games]] in order to attack the UK government's lack of sports funding.
She has been immortalised in song by the (now-defunct) UK [[indie (music)|indie]] band [[Three Litre]] in their composition "Downhill". The song featured as part of the band's "Alpine Suite" MP3 EP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/threelitre |title=Three Litre's myspace site |publisher=Myspace.com |date= |accessdate=2010-02-11}}</ref> Sampling the famous [[BBC]] "[[Ski Sunday]]" theme tune, the song uses Alcott's "lack of success" at 2002 [[Winter Olympic Games]] in order to attack the UK government's lack of sports funding.


In June 2008, Alcott climbed [[Mount Kilimanjaro]] along with fellow ski racers [[Julia Mancuso]] and Lauren Ross, and Alcott's boyfriend Mark Weaver. The climb raised {{US$|30,000}} for international humanitarian organization ''[[Right to Play|Right To Play]]''.<ref>[http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/vancouver2010/newsid=257531.html ]{{Dead link|date=February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=December 28, 2008 |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ7IEt6O-Fg |title=Chemmy Alcott climbs Killimanjaro for Right To Play |publisher=YouTube |date=2008-12-28 |accessdate=2010-02-11}}</ref>
In June 2008, Alcott climbed [[Mount Kilimanjaro]] along with fellow ski racers [[Julia Mancuso]] and Lauren Ross, and Alcott's boyfriend Mark Weaver. The climb raised {{US$|30,000}} for international humanitarian organization ''[[Right to Play|Right To Play]]''.<ref>[http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/vancouver2010/newsid=257531.html ]{{Dead link|date=February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=December 28, 2008 |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ7IEt6O-Fg |title=Chemmy Alcott climbs Killimanjaro for Right To Play |publisher=YouTube |date=2008-12-28 |accessdate=2010-02-11}}</ref>. She is currently an Athlete Ambassador for [[Right To Play]], the world's leading sports for development charity,<ref>{{cite web|title=Right To Play: Meet Our Athletes|url=http://www.righttoplay.com/uk/the-team/Pages/MeetOurAthletes.aspx}}</ref>


As of January 2009, she lives in [[Hove]], [[Sussex]], [[England]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/7820478.stm | title=Alcott pulls out of comeback race | accessdate=2009-12-31 |last= |first= |coauthors= | date=12 January 2009 |work= |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
As of January 2009, she lives in [[Hove]], [[Sussex]], [[England]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/7820478.stm | title=Alcott pulls out of comeback race | accessdate=2009-12-31 |last= |first= |coauthors= | date=12 January 2009 |work= |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

Revision as of 09:23, 17 August 2011

Chemmy Alcott
File:Chemmy Alcott.jpg
Chemmy Alcott
at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy (21-Jan-09)
Personal information
Full nameChimene Mary Alcott
NicknameChemmy
Born (1982-07-10) 10 July 1982 (age 42)
Twickenham, Middlesex, England
WebsiteChemmy Alcott.com
Sport
SportAlpine skiing
Medal record
Representing  United Kingdom
Women's Alpine Skiing
Senior British National Alpine Ski Championship Titles
Gold medal – first place 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2002 Overall
Gold medal – first place 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2002 Downhill
Gold medal – first place 2009, 2008, 2007, 2003, 2002, 2001 Super G
Gold medal – first place 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2002 Combined/S. Combined
Gold medal – first place 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2002 Giant Slalom
Gold medal – first place 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003 Slalom
Junior British National Alpine Ski Championship Titles
Gold medal – first place 2002 Downhill
Gold medal – first place 2002 Super G
Gold medal – first place 2002, 2001 Giant Slalom
Gold medal – first place 2002, 2001 Slalom
European Youth Winter Olympic Festival
Silver medal – second place 1999 Super G
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Giant Slalom

Chimene "Chemmy" Mary Alcott (born July 10, 1982,[1] in Twickenham, Middlesex, Greater London) is the current female British number one alpine ski racer, and competes on the World Cup circuit in all five disciplines: downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, and combined.

Alcott has competed in three Winter Olympic Games and six FIS World Championships. She is the five-time Overall Senior British National Champion (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008).

She suffered a broken leg in training in Canada on December 2, 2010, and is out of competition for the 2011 World Cup season.

Early life

Alcott is named after Sophia Loren's character in the film El Cid. She started skiing at 18 months old on a family holiday in Flaine, France and first raced at the age of three.[2][3]

In 1993 Alcott won the Etoile D'Or French Village Ski Championship, becoming a member of the British Junior Alpine team in 1994 and won the 1995 Sunday Times Junior Sportswoman of the Year award.[4] Every British summer from the age of eleven to nineteen, Alcott travelled to New Zealand in order to train in the antipodean winter.[3]

Aged twelve, Alcott broke her neck in a skiing accident, recovering with two of her vertebrae fused together. She still carries x-rays of the injury so that if she is ever in an accident, the hospital will know not to prise the vertebrae apart.[5]

Career

Alcott made her FIS race debut in August 1997 in a Giant Slalom event at Coronet Peak, New Zealand.[6] By the end of the 1997/1998 season, she had made her debuts in both the FIS Junior World Championships (Chamonix) and the British National Championships (Tignes), where she won a Silver medal in the Giant Slalom.[7]

She returned to the Australia/New Zealand Cup during the 1998 European summer, winning the overall championship. The following winter Alcott won Silver (super G) and Bronze (giant slalom) medals at the 1999 European Youth Olympics in Štrbské Pleso, Slovakia. In December 1999, Alcott made her World Cup debut in a giant slalom race in Lienz, Austria.[8] The winter of 1999 also saw her crowned World Schools Champion, before adding the World Artificial[9] and Australian Overall Championships to her name in 2000.

At the 2001 Junior World Championships, Alcott finished 8th in the slalom event on her way to 5th in the overall classification.[10] The season also saw Alcott capture the 2001 British Junior title and the Senior British super G title in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.[11][12]

2002 and the Salt Lake City Winter Games

At 19 years of age, Alcott was ranked in the Top 10 in the world for her age group, whilst also rising from 683rd to 126th in the downhill rankings over the course of the season.[4][13]

Her Olympic debut[14] followed in Salt Lake City, Utah. She competed in all of the Alpine disciplines with a best result of 14th position in the combined event.[15]

Later in the season, Alcott returned to the Junior World Championships, finishing in 4th place based on overall championship points.[16] In her final British Junior Championships, Alcott won all the titles on offer. She also won British Senior tiles in the Giant Slalom, Super G and Downhill - claming the Overall Senior crown for the first time.[17]

2003

In March 2003, Alcott scored her first World Cup points by finishing 27th in a GS event in Innsbruck, Austria.[18]

At the British National Championships in Tignes, France, she won the slalom title for the first time on her way to a clean sweep of all the disciplines title.[19]

2004

Throughout the 2004 World Cup season, Alcott consistently finished in the top-30, including an 11th place finish in the Lake Louise super G - less than 1.5 seconds behind Renate Goetschl's winning time.[20]

In January 2004, Alcott achieved her first top-10 result, a 9th place finish in the Cortina dDownhill.[21] It was the best result by a British woman for more than 30 years, after Gina Hathorn's 9th place finish in a Slalom at Heavenly Valley in March 1972.[22]

However a knee ligament injury meant that Alcott was unable to defend her British titles.[3][23]

2005

Alcott's preparations for the 2005 World Cup season were hampered by a rib injury, sustained during a free skiing accident in Switzerland.[24] The season saw her score just four top-30 results, all of them coming in the speed disciplines.[25]

At the 2005 World Championships (Santa Caterina, Italy), Alcott was hampered by painful bunions on her feet, the result of years of pressure from her ski boots.[26] Alcott finished 19th in the Downhill, 22nd in the Super G and 35th place in the Giant Slalom.

At the British National Championships (Meribel, France), Alcott again took a clean-sweep of all the races contested - (Downhill/Super G/Slalom) - winning the Victrix Ludorum trophy for the Overall Championship for the third time.[27]

2006 and the Torino Winter Games

File:Alcott Torino Downhill.jpg
Alcott celebrates her 11th place finish in the Torino Olympic Downhill. 15 Feb 2006

The Torino Winter Olympics Games saw Alcott finish 11th in the downhill, the best Olympic performance by a British female skier since 1968.[4] Alcott was however disqualified from the combined event following the first run of the slalom, where her skis were found to be 0.2 mm narrower than the FIS regulations allowed.[28] She recorded 19th and 22nd place finishes in the super G and giant slalom events, respectively.

In the World Cup, Alcott achieved seven top-30 results, with a best finish of 12th place in the super G at Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria.[29]

In a weather disrupted British Championships (Meribel, France), Alcott won the slalom and giant slalom titles. The super G was canceled due to adverse weather conditions, as was the Senior downhill. However it was decided to award the Senior downhill title using the results of the previous day's Junior race, in which Alcott did not compete. This meant that Katrina Head pipped her to the Overall British title, ending Alcott's stranglehold on the Victrix Ludorum trophy.[30]

Post-Torino and 2007

A few weeks after the Olympics, Alcotts's mother Eve died suddenly, and consequently Alcott decided to take some time away from the sport.[31]

During her break from racing, Alcott underwent surgery on her feet to remove the bunionettes that had been troubling her for years. Alcott's recovery period was extended by two months to five months following a fall during rehabilitation where she re-broke her left foot.[31]

Alcott began the 2007 season with two 13th place finishes in the first two downhills of the season at Lake Louise and an 11th place finish in the super G at the Canadian resort.[32] This was followed by a 7th place finish in the next event in Reiteralm, Austria, in a Super Combined competition,[33] the best result of her career to date. Alcott also finished 9th in the Tarvisio Downhill and had four top-20 results in Giant Slalom, qualifying Alcott for her for her first World Cup Finals (Lenzerheide, Switzerland), where she placed 15th in the Giant Slalom.[34]

At the British Alpine Championships in Meribel, Alcott won all four titles on offer: the downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom events. The Championships were televised on Channel 4.

2008

Alcott had a relatively poor start to the 2008 World Cup season, before finishing 16th and 17th respectively in the downhill and super combined events at St. Anton. Her performances then fell away, with the exception of a 16th place finish in the GS race in Maribor, Slovenia.[35]

At the British Championships in Meribel, France, Alcott won the downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom titles. She also finished second to 19-year-old Louise Thomas in the super combined.[36] The Championships also saw Alcott take the Overall title for the fifth time.

2009

Alcott finished 10th in the opening giant slalom of the season in Sölden, Austria. However, she broke her ankle during training for the next race in Canada, resulting in three months on the sidelines.[37] On her return to action, Alcott finished 15th in the GS at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and then 21st in the super G at Garmisch the following weekend.

At the 2009 World Championships, Alcott finished 21st in the super G. In the following event, the super combined, Alcott had to restart her downhill run after approximately one minute due to a fall from the previous competitor, Frida Hansdotter. On her re-reun, she finished 13th on her way to 19th overall.[38][39] In the actual Downhill race, Alcott finished 15th,[40][41] whilst she finished 29th in the giant slalom - the result of a fall during the second run.[42][43]

Alcott rounded off her season in style at the British National Championships (Meribel, France). She swept the board, winning the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined titles.[44]

2011

Alcott sustained a double fracture of her right leg when she crashed training for the World Cup downhill race at Lake Louise, Canada, on December 2, 2010, and will miss the entire season.[45]

Broadcasting

During her injury lay-off at the start of the 2009 World Cup season, Alcott joined Matt Chilton in the British Eurosport commentary box as guest commentator for several of the women's World Cup events.

Alcott has previously appeared on Channel 4's World Cup Skiing programme, with a regular feature called Fit to Ski,[46] in which she demonstrated different exercise techniques.

Personal life

She has been immortalised in song by the (now-defunct) UK indie band Three Litre in their composition "Downhill". The song featured as part of the band's "Alpine Suite" MP3 EP.[47] Sampling the famous BBC "Ski Sunday" theme tune, the song uses Alcott's "lack of success" at 2002 Winter Olympic Games in order to attack the UK government's lack of sports funding.

In June 2008, Alcott climbed Mount Kilimanjaro along with fellow ski racers Julia Mancuso and Lauren Ross, and Alcott's boyfriend Mark Weaver. The climb raised US$30,000 for international humanitarian organization Right To Play.[48][49]. She is currently an Athlete Ambassador for Right To Play, the world's leading sports for development charity,[50]

As of January 2009, she lives in Hove, Sussex, England.[51]

Results

World Cup Top-10 finishes

Season Date Location Discipline Result Notes
2010 18 December 2009 France Val-d'Isère, France Super Combined 9th [4]
2009 25 October 2008 Austria Sölden, Austria Giant Slalom 10th [5]
2007 3 March 2007 Italy Tarvisio, Italy Downhill 9th [6]
15 December 2006 Austria Reiteralm, Austria Super Combined 7th [7]
2004 18 January 2004 Italy Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy Downhill 9th [8]

World Cup Season standings

Season Overall Downhill Slalom Giant Slalom Super G Combined
Rank (Pts) Rank (Pts) Rank (Pts) Rank (Pts) Rank (Pts) Rank (Pts)
2011* injured 02-Dec-2010, out for season
2010 32 (175) 41 (10) (−) 26 (44) 18 (68) 8 (53)
2009 55 (117) 38 (20) (−) 28 (50) 36 (25) 25 (22)
2008 63 (76) 39 (26) (−) 28 (25) 42 (9) 28 (16)
2007 32 (249) 27 (84) (−) 21 (76) 33 (37) 13 (52)
2006 60 (82) 51 (11) (−) (−) 29 (66) 38 (5)
2005 78 (30) 42 (12) (−) (−) 43 (16) - (-)
2004 51 (139) 27 (68) (−) 39 (21) 39 (50) - (-)
2003 115 (4) (−) (−) (−) 50 (4) - (-)
*season currently in progress

Major championships

Event Date Location Discipline Result
XXI Olympic Winter Games 26 February 2010 Canada Whistler Creekside, Canada Slalom 27
24 February 2010 Giant Slalom DNF
20 February 2010 Super G 20
18 February 2010 Super Combined 11
17 February 2010 Downhill 13
2009 World Championships 12 February 2009 France Val-d'Isère, France Giant Slalom 29
9 February 2009 Downhill 15
6 February 2009 Super Combined 17
3 February 2009 Super G 20
2007 World Championships 13 February 2007 Sweden Åre, Sweden Giant Slalom 27
11 February 2007 Downhill DNF
9 February 2007 Super Combined DNF
6 February 2007 Super G 28
XX Olympic Winter Games 24 February 2006 Italy Sestriere, Italy Giant Slalom 22
20 February 2006 Italy San Sicario, Italy Super G 19
18 February 2006 Italy Sestriere, Italy Combined DSQ
15 February 2006 Italy San Sicario, Italy Downhill 11
2005 World Championships 11 February 2005 Italy Santa Caterina, Italy Slalom DNS
8 February 2005 Giant Slalom 35
6 February 2005 Downhill 19
4 February 2005 Combined DNF
30 January 2005 Super G 22
2003 World Championships 13 February 2003 Switzerland St. Moritz, Switzerland Giant Slalom 25
9 February 2003 Downhill 33
XIX Olympic Winter Games 22 February 2002 United States Park City, USA Giant Slalom 30
20 February 2002 United States Deer Valley, USA Slalom DNF
17 February 2002 United States Snowbasin, USA Super G 28
14 February 2002 Combined 14
12 February 2002 Downhill 32
2001 World Championships 19 January 2001 Austria St. Anton, Austria Super G 36
1999 World Championships 13 February 1999 United States Vail, USA Slalom DNF
11 February 1999 Giant Slalom 33

Junior World Championships

Event Date Location Discipline Result
2002 Junior World Championships February/March 2002 Italy Sella Nevea, Italy Overall (Points) 4
3 March 2002 Italy Ravascletto, Italy Giant Slalom 13
1 March 2002 Italy Sella Nevea, Italy Slalom 22
28 February 2002 Italy Tarvisio, Italy Super G DNF
29 February 2002 Downhill 12
2001 Junior World Championships February 2001 Switzerland Verbier, Switzerland Overall (Points) 5
10 February 2001 Giant Slalom 19
10 February 2001 Slalom 8
7 February 2001 Super G 21
6 February 2001 Downhill 18
2000 Junior World Championships 26 February 2000 Canada Lac Beauport, Canada Slalom DNF
25 February 2000 Canada Stoneham, Canada Giant Slalom 21
22 February 2000 Canada Mt. St. Anne, Canada Super G 26
1998 Junior World Championships 1 March 1998 France Chamonix, France Giant Slalom 72
28 February 1998 Slalom 56
27 February 1998 Super G DNS

References

  1. ^ "Official Profile". Retrieved 2009-12-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Anstead, Mark (November 5, 2006). "On the move: Chemmy Alcott". London: timesonline. Retrieved 2009-12-31. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b c Wilkinson, Carl (3 October 2004). "'I never get sick of seeing snow'". London: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2009-12-31. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b c "Chimene Alcott". British Olympic Association. Retrieved 2009-12-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "Chemmy Alcott bio". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  6. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  7. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  8. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. 1999-12-28. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  9. ^ "World Artificial Ski Slope Championships". Lsersa.org.uk. 2000-05-28. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  10. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  11. ^ [1][dead link]
  12. ^ "biographie". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  13. ^ "BBC SPORT | Winter Olympics 2002 | Features | Alcott's all-round altitude test". BBC News. 2002-02-09. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  14. ^ "Chemmy Alcott". Team GB. BBC Sport. 21 January 2002. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  15. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. 2002-02-14. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  16. ^ Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct. "Chemmy Alcott 5th in World Juniors, 2002". Natives.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  17. ^ Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct (2002-01-18). "British Ski Alpine Champs 2002, Day 3: The British Land Downhill Championship". Natives.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  18. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  19. ^ Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct. "Alcott goes from strength to strength". Natives.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  20. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  21. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. 2004-01-18. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  22. ^ Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct (2004-01-20). "9th Place for Chemmy Alcott". Natives.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  23. ^ Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct (2004-03-21). "The British Land National Ski Championships Meribel". Natives.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  24. ^ "BBC Sport | Sport Homepage | Other Sport | Skiers fine tune their fitness". BBC News. 2004-10-10. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  25. ^ "biographie". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  26. ^ Ruscoe, Sybil (2005-01-17). "Foot problem hinders Alcott". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  27. ^ "Mickel and Alcott win Downhill". www.natives.co.uk. 26 March 2005. Retrieved 2009-12-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ "Alcott disqualified for ski error". BBC News. 2006-02-17. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
  29. ^ "biographie". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  30. ^ Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct (2006-03-28). "British Land British Downhill title decided by weather in Meribel". Natives.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  31. ^ a b Hart, Simon (2006-10-15). "Sadness that drives snow queen". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  32. ^ Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct (2006-12-08). "Chemmy Alcott recovers from surgery to place in top 15". Natives.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  33. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  34. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. 2007-03-18. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  35. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  36. ^ "biographie". FIS-Ski. 2008-03-30. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  37. ^ Thompson, Anna (2008-11-26). "BBC SPORT Alcott sidelined by broken ankle". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  38. ^ [2][dead link]
  39. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  40. ^ "BBC SPORT | Other sport... | Winter Sports | Women's downhill race postponed". BBC News. 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  41. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  42. ^ http://www.fis-ski.com/pdf/2009/AL/5616/2009AL5616RLR1.pdf
  43. ^ "resultats". FIS-Ski. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  44. ^ Benammar, Emily (2009-04-04). "Chemmy Alcott wins women's overall title; Ed Drake and Dave Ryding share men's". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  45. ^ "Chemmy Alcott ruled out of entire season". The Telegraph. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  46. ^ "World Cup Skiing — Fit to Ski". CHANNEL 4. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  47. ^ "Three Litre's myspace site". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  48. ^ [3][dead link]
  49. ^ "Chemmy Alcott climbs Killimanjaro for Right To Play". YouTube. 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  50. ^ "Right To Play: Meet Our Athletes".
  51. ^ "Alcott pulls out of comeback race". BBC. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-31. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

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