IRISH ski racer Florence Bell faced difficult conditions in her Winter Olympic debut in Sochi this morning, failing to finish in the women’s giant slalom.
Snow and rain made the course extremely challenging, and the Birmingham-based teenager took the wrong line at Gate 12 and missed the following one as a result.
She was one of 16 skiers from an 89-strong field unable to compete any further after failing to finish the first run.
Chef de Mission Stephen Martin said of the error: “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.
“She just made a slight error and that was that. Once you DNF, you don’t get a chance to do a second run.”
Slovenian skier Tina Maze claimed victory in the event, winning her second gold of the Games.
Florence previously represented Ireland at the first ever World Youth Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012.
This is not the end of her Olympic journey, however, as the 17-year-old will compete in the downhill slalom event on Friday.
