9:10am Friday 30th January 2009
An officer cadet and her team took the title of overall Ladies winner at cross-country ski race in the Territorial Army Nordic Championships.
Former Royal Russel School student, Claire Szekeres, 23, joined team mates from the Oxford Universities’ Officer Training Corps (UOTC) as they battled it out in the British Army Nordic Ski Championships in the French Alps.
The team took part in a series of races, testing their skills at Nordic skiing and Arctic warfare in Exercise Spartan Hike, the British Army divisional skiing championships, eventually taking home two gold medals.
More than 220 competitors went head to head in the Nordic races, comprising of a series of long distance cross-country events, testing soldiers' stamina and ability to work both as a team and individually in extreme weather conditions.
Miss Szekeres and her team mates grabbed the gold in the Territorial Army ladies 4x5km relay and the 10km classic team race.
The team took to the foothills of the Alps in heavy snow, travelling more than 20km carrying Bergens and equipment weighing 40kg. They were judged on their turnout and preparation for the race before taking to the slopes in a tough test of mental and physical agility which saw them race through checkpoints, shoot targets on a 50m range, and ski across fields and bridges before climbing through wooded areas in deep snow.
Miss Szekeres, who is in her third year of a degree in educational theatre at Oxford Brookes University, said: “I enjoy Nordic skiing because it is much more physical than any other type of skiing. I prefer long distance races and in Nordic the races tend to be over quite a distance. The skiing itself is quite technical so it takes you a while to master it.
“I was in the army cadets at school and I always enjoyed it so I decided to continue with it and join the OTC at university. I particularly enjoy the adventure training and being given the opportunity to compete in events like this. For me, the highlight of Spartan Hike is always the Patrol Race because it’s the most military of the races and it tests you in lots of different aspects.”
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