Skiing: Alice Robinson tipped as Olympic contender

Kiwi ski sensation Alice Robinson's coach predicts the 17-year-old will be contending for at least two medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Queenstown skier produced a stunning performance to win silver behind overall World Cup champion Michaela Shiffrin in the giant slalom at the World Cup Finals in Andorra yesterday, beating world champion Czech Petra Vlhova into third.

Following on from placing 17th at the senior world championships in Sweden last month, when she clocked the fastest time in the second run, and her gold medal-winning performance at the junior world championships in Italy, Robinson has announced herself as one of alpine skiing's brightest prospects.

Her coach, Tim Cafe, believes she will establish herself in the top five of the giant slalom in the next World Cup season starting in late October, with her world ranking now up to 19.

"It moves her start position up, which can make a big difference if the course conditions deteriorate. With a start position like that, she can look at getting consistent top five results, and from my perspective, before January 15 next year, I would like to see her in the top five on the ranking list." Cafe said.

Even more significant for Cafe was a result that went largely unnoticed a few days before Robinson's stunner in Andorra.

She finished second in the Europa Cup super G finals in Italy. It's the second tier of Alpine skiing below the World Cup circuit but Cafe believes that result puts her among the world's top 40 super G skiers.

"She got second at a Europa Cup super G with almost no super G training at all. What she's proving is she has got more than one discipline, and going into the next Olympics, I think she will be a medal contender in more than one discipline."

Robinson returns home this week after four months in Europe and Cafe knows when she returns for the next Northern Hemisphere campaign, she will no longer be able to fly under the radar.

"Everything is going to change now; she will have sponsors behind her and will have different staffing and more pressure that goes along with that, and because of the results, that brings pressure." Cafe said. "But in my opinion, she has the mental toughness and is competitive enough to not let that affect her."

Snow Sports New Zealand have indicated in consultation with High Performance Sports New Zealand that some funding will now be made available for the country's latest winter sports sensation.

"We will take all the support we can get and people want to get behind someone who is successful and a great story," Cafe said.

"Everything changes now and it's uncharted territory for her and her family, learning about the whole process of sponsorship.

"She's at the level now where the little extra things they can do matter, and that's what it's about now."