Skiing: Campbell, Mcleod improving form in US

New Zealand's top two women alpine skiiers Nicola Campbell (Dunedin) and Erika McLeod (Auckland) have been making their presence felt at international (FIS) races in the United States.

Both are members of the national team and are being groomed for next year's Winter Olympics in Italy.

Campbell has been training in Switzerland and is ranked 334th in the world in giant slalom after a 32-point result in a university series in Switzerland.

This week she scored similar results at the Mammoth Mountain Spring series in the US.

In one race she was placed 16th overall, earning 31 points in a combined time of 2min 04.70sec while the winner Shona Rubens, of Canada, clocked 2min 02.24sec.

In the second event she was 18th (34 points) in a combined time of 2min 05.57sec, while Rubens was the outright winner in 2min 02.66sec.

McLeod, who has been training in Europe with Claudia Riegler, managed two personal best giant slalom results at Lutsen Mountain in the US, finishing in the top 10 in an international field.

She scored 33 points in each race which will improve her world ranking and reinforce her Olympic bid.

The first race saw McLeod finish sixth in a combined time of 2min 13.86sec with the winner Kelly Vanderbeek, of Canada, clocking 2min 10.15sec. She was eighth overall in 2min 11.38sec in the second race. American Allison Forsyth won in a combined time of 2min 15.04sec.

New Zealand junior team member Tim Cafe (Queenstown), who recently picked up silver and bronze medals in giant slalom and slalom races at a FIS alpine series at Jackson Hole, put in another top performance at the Mammoth Spring Series, which will promote him to the New Zealand national squad.

- NZPA