Lindley student Fiona Hughes chases Olympic ski dream

May 6 2009 By Neil Atkinson

TEENAGE ski sensation Fiona Hughes is after Olympic glory.

The 19-year-old student from Lindley is chasing a single spot in Britain’s Winter Olympics squad for Vancouver 2010.

And she aims to represent her country at the arduous sport of Nordic skiing.

Fiona, a former Greenhead College student, has just completed the 2008-09 season as the top-ranked female in the country.

She is now very close to selection for the Vancouver squad and believes one good race early next winter could secure her a place on the plane.

During the past few months Fiona has raced in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, France, the Czech Republic and Finland.

In January she took part in her second World Junior Championships, finishing 47th, and has targeted a top 25 finish next time around.

A month later, she was chosen as the first woman to represent Great Britain at the World Nordic Ski Championships – watched by many thousands of people in Liberec, in the Czech Republic, and followed around the world on TV.

Fiona, who is hoping to take up a place to study engineering at Cambridge University next year, admits it’s a hard challenge.