Rochdale snow star Daisi Daniels may have skied her way to the top of the podium at the Delancey British Children’s Championships on Monday, but that’s not to say she was satisfied with her performance on the piste.
Taking place from April 3-7, the Delancey British Children’s Championships will welcome almost 300 of Britain’s most talented young skiers to the slopes of the French Alps.
Competing in the Under-16 Slalom in Tignes, Daniels had originally secured the silver medal, but after the fastest skier was disqualified following the race, the 14-year-old was bumped up into top spot.
Daniels’ combined time of 1:43.26 bettered that of Siena Horton and Isabelle Lander in second and third place respectively, allowing her to lift the Southampton Ski Club Cup aloft.
Yet as the Beech House School pupil continues to chase her dreams on the slopes, she insists improvements are still to be made.
“I’m not too happy with the performance, there are a few positives I can take but there are negatives too,” said Daniels, who trains with the British Ski Academy.
“My coach told me about the course but I didn’t really take it in, which I should have. I knew about all the combinations, but I just don’t feel that I did what worked.
“I’m performing in the year above so it’s good to have won. My coach said my hips were more forward which is something we have been working on a lot in training recently.
“It’s just been an amazing experience to race against so many people who are older than me.
“I was very scared about competing against people older than me. I’ve raced against them all before, but being two years away from FIS races, I knew I needed to perform.
“My aim in skiing is to be as good, if not better, than Chemmy Alcott, she’s a very big idol of mine.
“Another thing on my bucket list is to race against Mikaela Shiffrin. It’s a big ambition, and I really hope I can achieve it.”
A regular feature on the Delancey British Children’s Championships podium in 2016, Daniels is keen to continue her winning streak as the week goes on.
And with one eye already on the Overall title, she is determined to enjoy every second of her time on the Tignes hills.
“I love the British Championships because of the way the staff handle the races. It’s always so well organised and everything they do is always so in order,” she said.
“I love the atmosphere here and it’s so amazing to be able to see my friends and the different coaches.
“My big aim this week is to take away the overall title, and hopefully I’ll be able to pull that off in my next races.
“I won every race at Under-14 level last year so hopefully I can carry that on this year.”
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Image courtesy of Racer Ready, with thanks.