Georgia’s leading female skier returns to competition

One of Georgia’s leading female skiers has returned to competition racing after recovering from injury.

Nino Tsiklauri, Georgia's National Alpine Skiing Team member and bronze medal-winner of the 2015 Women's Giant Slalom race in Austria, returned to the slopes in Japan this month to compete in the Far East Cup competition.

Tsiklauri, 22, missed much of last season due to injury but she performed well in Japan despite not being back up to top form. 

She finished 23rd among 69 competitors in the competition’s Women's Giant Slalom event, which took place on March 3 at the Nozawa Onsen winter resort in Nagano, Japan.

Tsiklauri gained her first FIS ranking points for 2016 after appearing in the Japanese competition. Photo from Nino Tsiklauri/Facebook.

The following day Tsiklauri placed 24th among 66 skiers on race day two of the same category.

The two results saw Tsiklauri gain her first International Ski Federation (FIS) points this year, contributing to her global rank.

Born in 1993, Tsiklauri participated in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

Tsiklauri was part of Georgia's National Alpine Skiing Team and worked at the Kronplatz Racing Centre international project that provided training to international athletes. Photo from Nino Tsiklauri/Facebook.

The 22-year-old also competed at the 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Garmisch, Germany and the 2014 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup in Schladming, Austria.

Last year Tsiklauri raced in the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail, United States, and she claimed a bronze medal at the 2015 FIS Women's Giant Slalom in Reiteralm, Austria before she was side-lined with an injury.

Tsiklauri was part of the Kronplatz Racing Centre international project that provided training and management to individual athletes as well as national ski federations.