Bethany Widdup is getting ever closer to a podium in a major British FIS race. Widdup, 18, has taken a break from her studies to spend a year seeing how she far she can get with ski racing and on the performance in the NJR English Championship Slalom, the work that the coaches from Ambition are putting in with her, she could go a long way. Widdup finished fourth overall, behind three Italian racers in the race in Bormio - just three hundredths kept Widdup off the race podium! Darcie Mead, recently selected for the World Junior Championships placed seventh overall and was second British racer with Nicole Ritchie in 11th taking the third British racer. Sofia Iglina took the prize for the third English racer home.
Conditions in Bormio for the racing were not great, for the tourists heading to Bormio, the constant snow falling will be music to their eyes but for the racing the snow and then the fog that drifted in and out meant that these were tough conditions for the young racers. When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
Widdup has had an immense season and the hard work she has been putting in has seen her FIS points head in the right direction. Fourth place in this race meant that she scored a 56 point result, a career best in all disciplines and follows up her 58 result five weeks ago in Bad Wiessee in Germany. If ever Britain needs a racer to raise the banner in the Slalom races, Widdup is starting to show that she could be heading in that direction.
Widdup started the second run in tenth spot, just behind her English compatriot, Darcie Mead. Mead is one year younger but could not cope with the speed shown by the Ambition racer. While a number of the leading racers crashed out on the second run, Widdup kept her nerve and battled her way to the finish. Mead also finished but did not make as big a jump up the results that Widdup did.
Full results
Picture: Bethany Widdup competing in the NJR Slalom at the English Championships in Bormio. Credit & Copyright RACER READY