Ellie KoyanderPublished: 13.12.10
Ellie Koyander was born into a skiing family and doesn’t remember learning to ski! She started when she was 1 year 9 months old whilst away on a family holiday in Italy. Her earliest memory of skiing was when she was about 5, entering her first slalom race, which is when she won her first medal!
She joined the hugely successful Sharks Ski Club and trained as a Slalom racer under the expertise and care of Norman and Molly Gill, but always had a ‘thing’ for moguls and freestyle skiing. In 2002, whilst skiing with family friend (APC level II Coach) Gilbert Runcie, she decided to focus seriously on competitive moguls and hasn’t looked back since.
Her career has been impressive rising through the ranks of the Yorkshire Squad and the England Team, taking along the route the unprecedented titles of French National Female Moguls Champion (U16), Australian Youth Moguls Champion (U14), and British and Scottish Female Champion!
The 2007/08 season saw Ellie representing Great Britain at FIS Noram and Europa Cup level, racing against the world’s elite level mogul athletes.
The 2008 ski season triggered some brilliant results, taking two podiums on the notoriously steep and long Deer Valley course. As well as entering her first World Cup races in Sweden, coming 24th and 20th place consecutively and achieving 110 FIS points.
Ellie is now entering the 2009/10 Olympic season, which she has trained extensively for. The required Olympic qualification standards set by the IOC are for a top 30th finish in a World Cup Event and attaining over 100 FIS points. Ellie has fulfilled both of these criteria with a 4th place finish in the Australian New Zealand Cup, gaining her 250 FIS points.
On Tuesday 26th January 2010 the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced Ellie as a member of Team GB. Ellie will be competing in her first Olympic Freestyle Moguls Event at Cypress Mountain in Vancouver on Saturday 13th February. Good Luck!