Oscar skis to English championship podium place
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The English Alpine Championships, organised by national governing body Snowsport England, help provide an early glimpse of the stars of tomorrow.
And with 400 of the country’s best alpine skiers descending upon the Italian resort for the 20th running of the event, McCall - who trains with the British Ski Academy - had his work cut out for him.
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Hide AdBut he showed he was one of the ones to watch, coming a brilliant third behind Charlie Leach and Charles Rankin in the under-16 boys Giant Slalom event, just over a second away from an English national title.
And despite crashing out of the Slalom event later in the week and finishing 11th in the Super G race, the 15-year-old Churcher’s College School student was satisfied with a job well done in Bormio.
“I really wasn’t expecting to podium so I am very happy,” he said. “I haven’t been skiing very well this season, and this is definitely my best result so far.
“My ambition is to try to make ski racing my career. I try to spend significant spells training in the Alps with British Ski Academy.
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Hide Ad“This is a great result for me and is only going to help me in achieving my dream. Hopefully I can do even better in the future.”
The English Alpine Championships are an important step for any young skier, with British Olympians Chemmy Alcott and Dave Ryding both having competed at the competition.
Alcott, now retired from racing, took in the action all week from the sidelines, and she believes she has already seen several stars in the making.
She said: “The competition has been absolutely unreal so far. I’ve never seen such great skiing from British athletes of all ages.”
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Hide Ad* The English Alpine Championships, organised by Snowsport England, are run every year in the Italian resort of Bormio. Follow the action via www.englishalpinechamps.org.uk or @SnowsportEng on Twitter.
Want to get into skiing or snowboarding? Find your nearest slope offering value-for-money GO SKI GO BOARD sessions at www.goskigoboard.org.uk
JACK MILLER
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