Sport

Bell tolls for Florence in Giant Slalom

The 17 year old Irish skier misses a gate during first run and bows out

Ireland’s Florence Bell reacts after skiing out during the first run of the women’s alpine skiing giant slalom event at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre. Photograph: Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters
Ireland’s Florence Bell reacts after skiing out during the first run of the women’s alpine skiing giant slalom event at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre. Photograph: Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters
Malachy Clerkin
Tue Feb 18 2014 - 11:41

Ireland's Florence Bell struggled in dismal conditions in the women's giant slalom this morning, missing a gate and failing to finish.

With a mixture of snow and rain making the course extremely difficult, she took the wrong line at Gate 12 and missed the next one as a result.

Failing to finish her first run meant she was one of 16 skiers who missed out on a second run. "She missed the gate basically," said Chef de Mission Stephen Martin.

“She was meant to take a certain line and she didn’t. Probably a little bit of nerves in her first Olympics. They were tough conditions up there. Better skiers than Florence dropped out because of the conditions.

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“And some just took it very, very, very safely and just got down to the end. Florence didn’t want to do that. She could have easily just taken it very slow and careful and got herself down the mountain.

“She just made a slight error and that was that. Once you DNF, you don’t get a chance to do a second run.” Bell, who is 17, goes again in the slalom event on Friday.

Malachy Clerkin

Malachy Clerkin

Malachy Clerkin is a sports writer with The Irish Times