An Ipswich woman whose love of skiing started in a primary school project on mountains has won the World Cup season in Telemark skiing.
Jasmin Taylor, who is based in the Suffolk town, was crowned the FIS Telemark Overall World Cup Winner as well as the Sprint World Cup winner in the 2023/2024 FIS Telemark season, taking away two crystal globes.
The World Cup series involved many races across the winter, where winning places gain points.
Taylor won the final World Cup race and collected the greatest number of points throughout the season, meaning she was World Cup champion and overall winner in all three disciplines, along with winner of the Sprint discipline.
Four wins at the start of the season set her up for an overall win at the finishing event on March 15, held at Pra-Loup resort in France.
"Winning the season was my dream," Taylor said.
"It is my first World Cup globe, finishing the whole season as the winner.
"It was just amazing to finally achieve that. My mum, dad, and grandma made it to the World Cup finals and seemed to enjoy themselves.
"I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support."
The 30-year-old was born in Colchester, but learned to ski in Ipswich at the dry slope at Suffolk Leisure Park, competing for many years in the Suffolk Viking race team.
Taylor studied sport and exercise science at the University of Suffolk, and has been supported in her wins by the university's psychologist Manos Georgiadis and physiotherapist Daniel Donnelly as strength and conditioning coach.
Her parents moved to Ipswich when she was 18, and now she spends her summers in the town and her winters in Europe for the sport.
Her love of skiing - which went on to become an interest in Telemark - started with a primary school project.
Taylor said: "In primary school, we had to do a project that involved a speech on a certain mountain.
"I had two best friends at the time, and one of my friends chose Mount Kilimanjaro, so had I worked with that friend on the project I would never have skied.
"Instead, I worked on the Whistler Mountain in Canada, which is where the Olympics were set to be held at the time, and I got totally enthusiastic about this project.
"My parents noticed my enthusiasm and took me for skiing lessons at the dry slope. It changed my life."
Now, Taylor estimates she has 56 podiums and four World Championship medals.
She joined the British Ski Academy as an athlete aged 12, competing as an alpine skier, and became the youngest British Ski Cross Champion ever at 15 years old.
She competed in her first World Junior Telemark Championship in 2011, and started international Telemark ski racing in 2011, aged 18.
She trains under the watchful guidance of British Team coach Sebastian Mansart.
Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing, having originated in Norway’s Telemark region in the 1800s.
It includes aspects of alpine skiing, cross-country and ski-jumping.
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