Kelowna skier brings home bronze at season ender

Kelowna ski racer, Ana Large finished off her alpine season by placing third in the Whistler Cup.

Representing the Team BC1 in the Giant Slalom, Large made third place on the podium behind gold medalist, Noa Szolas from Hungary and silver medalist, Tessa Foote from Ontario 1.

"Now it's time to go to work," said Large. "I want to get stronger through the off season because I have big goals with this sport and big goals mean hard work," said Large, 14 years of age.

Born and raised in Kelowna, Large has been hitting the slopes since she was three years old.

Now a member of the Apex Ski Club, she participated in the Big White Racing program until the U12 category.

Large has been coached by Jorgen Anderson and John Newton at Apex Mountain as well as Trevor Haaheim at Big White Racers.

Because of her training schedule, she attends the SD23 eschool program with support from her teachers.

"Her teachers and this program have been a wonderful fit for Ana as she trains four to five days per week from November to April," said Patricia Large, Ana's mom.

"It was always very clear Ana had a connection to the sport and was passionate about being in the mountains and skiing fast," she said.

Large's goal is to make the 2026 Winter Olympics as well as the World Cup at around the same time.

She's currently working on improving her racing in order to get picked up by the BC Team.

"Ski racing is my life," she says. "I love it. There is no better feeling than moving as fast as you can to get to the finish. Feeling out of breath and happy with a clean run is an amazing feeling," said Large.

The Whistler Cup is the biggest event for young racers before they're eligible to compete in the World Cup or the Olympics.

This year marks the Whistler Cup's 25th anniversary and it hosted more than 440 athletes from 23 different countries across the globe, making it the largest youth ski racing event in North America.