Wednesday, 23 September: At just 17 years old Sweden’s Emma-Nellie Ortendahl is fast becoming the new rising star in Ski Ladies and leads the title race by nine points as the UIM-ABP tour heads to Liuzhou for the Grand Prix of China on 3-4 October.

In pursuit of the teenager is a formidable pack of three, three-time heat winner Estelle Poret, defending World Champion Jennifer Menard and 2014 European Champion Sandra Fernandez.

Ortendahl’s rise from championship rookie to title challenger is meteoric; her debut outing in Italy in 2014 was marred somewhat by a penalty that robbed her of her first heat win. In Qatar earlier this year the youngster from Alvangen grabbed third overall but stole the headlines winning the Slalom beating both Poret and Menard. And in Italy she proved what an all-round racer and competitor she is, finishing second in heat 1 to Poret and then winning heat 2 to take overall victory and her maiden GP title.

Of her immediate challengers 26-year-old Menard could be the one to pose the biggest threat. The Paris resident was hampered by an ankle injury in the first half of the season, but now fixed she is coming back to her best.

In the European Continental Championship she grabbed three heat wins and two event victories to finish third overall behind Jonna Borgstrom and Beatriz Curtinhal and recently closed out the French Championship winning the title for a third time.

Liuzhou could be pivotal in the title race, Menard is the defending Grand Prix winner, Ortendahl is racing there for the first time.

other news:

Spain’s Sandra Fernandez will be hoping to get her challenge back on track, the Qatar winner faltering in Italy but has enjoyed success in the Spanish Championship.

Kylie Ellmers, the New Zealander living in Australia and racing on a Russian licence will be looking to improve on two fourth-placed finishes last time out in Italy and heads to China on the back of winning her class in Thailand and with her ski running more to her liking!