A win for Charlie Guest, a career best for Reece Bell that bettered the impressive results her father scored at the same age and a host of other personal best results by British racers in the final rounds of the 2018 ANC Cup, meant that there is a wave of optimism spreading through British Alpine ski racing this summer.
The final race of the four race series in Mount Hotham, Australia saw Reece Bell take second place but more impressively score a 21 FIS point result. Bell finished just under half a second behind the winner Neja Dvornik from Slovenia. Jess Anderson took seventh place and Daisi Daniels 11th.
In the men’s race there were more impressive results for Owen Vinter, Jake Doyle, Diaco Abrishami and Charles Rankin.
When the series headed back to New Zealand, Alex Tilley opened up with a second place in the Giant Slalom in a strong field. Jessica Anderson took eleventh, posting a sub 50 point result, Charlie Guest was just behind her and Sarah Woodward taking the next place. The strength in depth of the British Women’s technical skiing is getting very exciting. Reece Bell and Olivia Foster placed in the top twenty as well, scoring solid results but also scoring ANC points. With the series winner having a guaranteed World Cup start, the depth of talent racing in these races is growing each year.
Race two for the ladies was not as successful as Olivia Foster scored the top British result in 9th place as Tilley crashed out on the second run. For Foster however, the results she has scored in New Zealand and Australia this summer will stand her in great stead come the northern hemisphere season.
The British men racing in the ANC Giant Slalom’s could not replicate the success of the women.
The win for Charlie Guest in the second of the two Slalom’s saw her score her first sub ten point slalom result and followed on from finishing fourth in the first of the two races. This was Guest’s best result in the last two and a half years as she has been battling back problems.
Reece Bell followed up her 21 point result in Mount Hotham by scoring a 27 point result in the second of the two races as she finished in 7th place. Sarah Woodward placed ninth and comfortably beat her best slalom result by over 20 points in the process! Olivia Foster scored a career second best result in the same race in placing 11th. There was also a career second best result for Lucinda Dilworth.
Despite having the likes of 2010 Olympic Slalom Champion and Mr GS in the fields, the tough Men’s races were not a happy hunting ground for the British guys. Great experience but not one for the results list!
In the Overall standings for the ANC Cup, Sam Todd Saunders placed 40th in GS with Owen Vinter best of the British in Slalom and overall in 41st in the Slalom and 55th in the Overall standings.
For the Women Reece Bell was sixth overall after finishing fourth in the Slalom standings and 14th in the Giant Slalom standings. Charlie Guest finished just behind her overall, finishing in 5th and 23rd in Slalom and Giant Slalom respectively; Jessica Anderson was 8th, 10th in Slalom and 8th in GS; Olivia Foster was 13th Overall, 24th and 9th; Sarah Woodward pipped Alex Tilley for 16th with Daisi Daniels taking 28th overall.
Results