A YOUNG Chester skier looks set for big things after successfully defending her crown at the European Junior Indoor Skiing Championships in Manchester.

Lottie Mayer, from Great Boughton, overcame a strong field to take the slalom title and repeat her success in the same event last year.

The victory represented another giant step for the talented teenager in her bid to represent her country on the senior world stage.

With the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Austria on the distant horizon, Queen’s School student Lottie, 14, is now working towards cementing her place in the Great Britain squad which will allow her to test herself against the planet’s best up-and-coming skiers.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have won the competition,” said Lottie, who is Great Britain’s top junior seed in the slalom. “It is by far my best achievement so far. To come first in such a strong field was amazing.

“I’m aiming for the Winter Youth Olympics in 2012. There will be three spots available in the Great Britain team and I want to occupy one of them.”

A member of the Telford, Queen’s School and Great Britain ski teams, Lottie trains twice a week at the state-of-the-art Chill Factore in Manchester. She has also recently trained in Switzerland in preparation for European junior competitions in Austria, Andorra, Switzerland and France, all taking place in January.

“My ultimate aim is to turn professional and keep progressing as far as I can,” said Lottie. “I love the sport and love competing. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.”

Lottie’s father Chris said: “Lottie has been skiing since she was four years old. She went on a family holiday, had a go and immediately took to it. She hasn’t looked back since.

“We are immensely proud of her and she has worked so hard to reach this level of success. Lottie has won many competitions over the years but this is her biggest achievement yet.”