Queenstown teenage ski racer Alice Robinson has earned an impressive win against a strong international field in a giant slalom in a Nor-Am Cup Series race in Canada at the weekend.
The 16-year-old jumped from fifth place after her first run, laying down a blistering second run which saw her snatch the win from Netherlands competitor Adriana Jelinkova by 0.08ssec.
Robinson’s 8.70 FIS point result is the best a New Zealand athlete has achieved in their first year of senior competition.
It is on par with some of the sport’s most successful athletes, such as United States racer Mikaela Shiffrin, at the same age.
Having positioned herself as one of the world’s best skiers in the junior age groups with wins in top-level youth events in Europe and the US, Robinson began competing in senior competition during the 2017 New Zealand season and earned the New Zealand national titles for Giant Slalom and Slalom as well as the overall National Championship title.
She claimed the Snow Sports NZ’s 2017 breakthrough season award.
