Charlie reaches Olympic standard
Determined Alpine skier Charlie Guest has qualified for next year’s Winter Olympics after solid World Cup.
The former Strathallan School student, originally from St Martins near Balbeggie, met the qualification criteria for Pyeongchang in South Korea after posting good times at events in Maribor, Slovenia and Falchau, Austria.
Charlie has battled her way back to the top after a career-threatening crash on the slopes in late 2014 left her with four broken vertebrae.
Her commitment and fighting spirit saw her return to action a mere six weeks after the accident.
In an 18 month-long journey back to full fitness, she was crowned British Ladies National Slalom Champion after a triumphant win at the Delancey British National Alpine Ski Championships in 2016.
And at the start of the month, competing on the International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine World Cup tour, she finished just 0.8 seconds away from making her first top 30 finish, illustrating her performance level is heading in the right direction.
She said:“Over the first two split times I was ranked 35th and gaining, unfortunately I made a mistake coming into the finish over the last roll and dropped back to 42.
“I am obviously disappointed not to be in the top 30 but to take home another Olympic qualifying result is a massive positive for me.”
The official selection for the Olympic team won’t be made until this time next year, and Charlie remains focused on her next result.
She explained:“I now have a couple of days recovery and a good block of training before heading back into the European Cup circuit.
“The next races will be in Melchsee Frutt, Switzerland, and Bad Wiessee, Germany. I am looking to be firmly inside the top 10 there and they will be important to gain confidence and good form in the run up to the World Championships in February.”
Reflecting on her qualification, the talented local athlete added: “Qualifying for the 2018 games has been on my goal sheet for as long as I can remember, so it is really special to get that box ticked and now I can keep concentrating on improving my performances over the next month heading into the World Championships in St Moritz.
“I have such an amazing team around me and they are key in every step of the way, so a massive thank you has to go out to them for their support over the last years.”
●To follow Charlie’s progress, visit www. charlieguest.com