Louis Muhlen-Schulte has defied the elements and put Australia in the top 25 after an incredible performance in the men's giant slalom at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre.
In extremely challenging conditions the Olympic debutant finished 23rd in a field of 89 racers, equalling Australia's best ever giant slalom result set by Zali Steggall in 1992.
Louis went down the track known as the ‘Ice River' and he was subjected to heavy snow falls, with it falling sideways and swirling due to the wind. Visibility was down to only a few gates in the distance.
But the handpicked surface underneath covered with the fresh powder made sections of the track extremely icy and difficult for even the best competitors to race.
However Louis, originally from Melbourne, put in a terrific performance and held his nerve with incredible skill to put up a time of 1:08.44 for run one and 1:10.04 in run two.
With the combined time of 2:18.48, just 9.13 off the pace of the gold medal, Louis finished 23rd overall. The result is even more impressive as nearly half the field failed to complete both runs.
"It's tough with the weather which makes it all the more challenging." Louis said.
"I felt good, I was pretty happy with a lot of the skiing. I made some mistakes here and there but that's just the way it goes.
"One turn can just ruin your day, but I was able to make the most of it and fought through to the end which was good.
"I felt a bit more comfortable on the second run for sure, just settled into it a bit more and found my rhythm a bit better.
"It was tough no matter what but I tried to get that flow and feel it in the moment.
"I'm really happy with the skiing and the result as a whole and it's just the start. I'm going to take the positives and head into the slalom feeling confident and feeling strong.
The outstanding performance sets gets his Olympic campaign off to a cracking start. He now turns his attention to the slalom which takes place on Wednesday 16 February.
olympics.com.au
Shannon Knaus
In extremely challenging conditions the Olympic debutant finished 23rd in a field of 89 racers, equalling Australia's best ever giant slalom result set by Zali Steggall in 1992.
Louis went down the track known as the ‘Ice River' and he was subjected to heavy snow falls, with it falling sideways and swirling due to the wind. Visibility was down to only a few gates in the distance.
But the handpicked surface underneath covered with the fresh powder made sections of the track extremely icy and difficult for even the best competitors to race.
However Louis, originally from Melbourne, put in a terrific performance and held his nerve with incredible skill to put up a time of 1:08.44 for run one and 1:10.04 in run two.
With the combined time of 2:18.48, just 9.13 off the pace of the gold medal, Louis finished 23rd overall. The result is even more impressive as nearly half the field failed to complete both runs.
"It's tough with the weather which makes it all the more challenging." Louis said.
"I felt good, I was pretty happy with a lot of the skiing. I made some mistakes here and there but that's just the way it goes.
"One turn can just ruin your day, but I was able to make the most of it and fought through to the end which was good.
"I felt a bit more comfortable on the second run for sure, just settled into it a bit more and found my rhythm a bit better.
"It was tough no matter what but I tried to get that flow and feel it in the moment.
"I'm really happy with the skiing and the result as a whole and it's just the start. I'm going to take the positives and head into the slalom feeling confident and feeling strong.
The outstanding performance sets gets his Olympic campaign off to a cracking start. He now turns his attention to the slalom which takes place on Wednesday 16 February.
olympics.com.au
Shannon Knaus
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