LISTEN: Perth skier selected for Winter Olympics

Perth slalom skier Charlie Guest insists her rehabilitation from a broken back in 2014 has proved more than worthwhile after she was selected for her first Winter Olympics in February.

The three time British Slalom champion’s career was on the rise in November 2014 and she had been pre-selected for the World Championships in America, but she broke her back in an accident while training.

She endured a six-hour, 155-mile journey to hospital on a stretcher following the accident, but her road back to full health would prove far more arduous relying on expert help to return to peak fitness.

Having returned to the slopes, Charlie has had a recent a first-place finish in an FIS race in Finland and a number of impressive World and Europa Cup results booked her place on the plane to South Korea. She was named as part of a record 25-strong ski and snowboard GB team on Thursday, January 25.

She said: “Winning is absolutely worth all of the sacrifice. There is no better feeling than having all your hard work pay off. To know that every single day, everything you did was for one goal and then achieving it, it’s like nothing else.”

“I can honestly say I wouldn’t be going to my first ever Winter Olympics without the sportscotland Scottish Institute of Sport. If it wasn’t for the doctors, physios, psychology staff and everyone at the institute who were there to pick me up and put me back through training I couldn’t have done it. I really couldn’t have done it on my own.

“Through my rehab, and I have had complications since, they’ve always been there for me. They’re the first people I turn to if I need something, or even if I just need to speak to someone. They’re amazing.

“The journey in sport is never easy and the path is certainly bumpy, but the dedication from sportscotland institute of sport has really made my return to sport much more manageable and success in Pyeongchang will largely be down to the commitment from all the staff over the last 4 years.”

Robbie Clyde, Chair of Snowsports Scotland, said: “We are immensely proud of Charlie and how well she has fought back from injury to qualify for this year's Winter Olympic Games.

“Both Charlie and Alex (Tilley) have progressed through the Scottish system to compete with the world’s best on the slopes of PyeongChang which is testament to their dedication and the support of both the Snowsport Scotland and sportscotland teams. Good luck Charlie and all our athletes at PyeongChang 2018"