Giselle Gorringe: Welsh teenager can reach Winter Olympics, says Chemmy Alcott

She is a rising star of British skiing who can be heard singing Michael Jackson with Chemmy Alcott at the start gate.

And such is 17-year-old Giselle Gorringe's promise that she will feature in the opening title sequence for the BBC's 2022 Ski Sunday programme.

Gorringe, who was born in London but represents Wales, is being coached by four-time Olympian Alcott and her husband, fellow alpine ski racer Dougie Crawford.

Alcott, one of Britain's finest ever skiers, says Gorringe is an Olympian in the making.

"I recognise myself in her. We're starting to get there. She's had a massive breakthrough, not with me but with my husband, in the last few weeks," Alcott told BBC Sport Wales.

"Once she gets there, there will be no ceiling to her talent because of her dedication. I've always been impressed by her talent.

"We're similar in our temperament and how we are as athletes. Our attitude to the world and our strengths and our weaknesses are the same. Both of us want to be perfect, we want to do everything the best we can.

"I didn't win an Olympic medal and I believe that if I had the right kind of mentoring and coaching I could have got there."

Before retiring in 2014, Alcott recorded five top-10 World Cup finishes. She is the only able-bodied female Briton to have won a run in a skiing World Cup downhill race.

She finished 19th in the women's downhill at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014.

Gorringe is hoping to make the Great Britain Under-18s team this year, with the Winter Olympics a longer-term goal.

"I think she can get to the British team and then get to the Olympics - there will be a pathway of success for her ahead, " Alcott said.

Giselle Gorringe is hoping to make the Great Britain Under-18s ski team this year

Although the 2020 season was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gorringe is as determined as ever to continue racing and become full-time next year.

She focuses mainly on slalom and giant slalom but has recently started super giant slalom racing, with the hope of doing downhill in the future.

"Because Chem has been (to the Olympics), it's quite nice to be able to aspire to that. I know what level I'd have to be for it, so that's definitely the goal," Gorringe said.

"This year is tricky because it's a huge balance between doing school work and skiing and training and it is a bit tiring, so next year it will be exciting to be able to focus on skiing."

Alcott is excited by the future of female ski racing, but says as a female coach she finds herself in the minority at races.

"We rocked up in Finland, in this resort and all the coaches were having a meeting. I sat down and they said 'okay when's Gigi's coach coming?' and I said, 'oh I'm here' and they said, 'oh no, you must be the physio, when's the coach coming?'," Alcott said.

"We couldn't believe that because that doesn't happen anymore, but actually in some areas in the world they don't see females as having that role.

"I went in guns blazing when I heard them say that. It frustrated me. So there is still, in pockets, that kind of attitude. But quite a lot of the European movement is towards more female coaches, which is amazing.

"It would be great to have more female coaches. I would have loved to have had a female coach, especially after my mum passed away because she was such a strong factor in me getting to a high level in the sport.

"Then at 23 I didn't have any women around me at all."

Chemmy Alcott competed at four consecutive Winter Olympic games

Alcott believes the differing coaching styles of her and her husband make them work well together.

"I can read Gigi, I can wake up in the morning and go, 'oh she's she's good today, I don't need to say anything', or I can see when stress is becoming too much and we need to focus on that and be playful," Alcott said.

"One of the races it was quite embarrassing because we were singing Michael Jackson at the start gate and everyone's staring at us.

"But it was what we needed to do, and it takes confidence to do that.

"Because I've been there and I can see, I think, I don't want to be sexist and say that female coaches have a more emotional understanding, but in our relationship it is true."

Gorringe is part of Snowsport Cymru Wales' Dragons Alpine ski squad. Although not born in Wales, she is proud of her heritage and to represent the nation.

Her grandmother was from Barry Island, while her father hails from Usk, meaning frequent holidays to Wales to visit family and friends.

"I've grown up as Welsh in the strange sense that I grew up in London, but my dad was intent on making sure I knew I was Welsh," Gorringe said.

"Then when I went into skiing you put down whether you're Welsh, Scottish, English or Irish and my dad was just like 'she's going down as Welsh', so I've always grown up with that mentality.

"I take languages for my A-levels and my aim for next year is to learn Welsh."