Winter Olympics: Last Kiwi competitor finishes 31st

New Zealand skier Mickey Ross overcame difficult conditions and a big mistake on his first run to finish 31st in the slalom event at the Winter Olympics at Sestriere, Italy, yesterday.

Wanaka-based Ross, ranked 60th in the world in the event, fell on his side midway through his first run, but got back up and completed the course.

His time of 1m 3.30s left him well back in 49th position and meant his chances of a finish anywhere near the top-20 had vanished.

He fought back well in his second run, being timed at a slippery 54.50s.

His second effort was the 28th fastest and gave him a combined time of 1m 57.80s, 14.66s behind the brilliant Austrian Benjamin Raich, who won the event comfortably.

"I'm disappointed," said Ross, 25. "I wanted to finish the first run in the top-30 and have a nice clean run the second time. But those plans went out the window when I fell over."

He said it crossed his mind to withdraw at that stage, but because it was the Olympics he decided to continue.

There were 97 entries for the slalom, but the attrition rate was high.

Thirty-one competitors, including eight of the top-20 in the rankings, came unstuck in the icy conditions and failed to complete the first run, including the favourite, Italian Giorgio Rocca. Another 12 did not complete the second run.

Ross completed New Zealand's involvement in the Winter Olympics.

- NZPA