Team GB skier says France move was key to success

A Team GB skier who moved to the French Alps aged six said the "daunting" lifestyle change was the fuel behind their sporting success.

Makayla Gerken Schofield's family upped sticks and left Chelmsford in Essex so she and two siblings could have a future on the slopes.

She is due to battle it out in the women's mogul skiing event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old, who came eighth at Beijing 2022, said: "I want to try and have fun on my skis and enjoy it, because that's when I do my best."

In mogul skiing, athletes ski down a steep course full of bumps and combine technical turns, jumps, tricks and speed.

Gerken Schofield trained for the first time in Livigno, Italy, on Monday ahead of the competition.

The career path was perhaps inevitable, inspired by a family skiing holiday their parents enjoyed so much that they moved everyone to the Alps.

Recalling the move to France, the skier said: "It was really scary, to be honest. I don't think I realised at first what was going on.

"The first day of going into the French system in school... the whole school surrounded us and talked in French.

"That was quite daunting as I had no idea what they were saying."

Gerken Schofield remembered saying goodbye to family members and school friends in England as particularly difficult, and initially felt homesick.

"Now I'm super grateful to have gone through that and be where I am today - It's made me the person I am," she added.

While Gerken Schofield was proud of past success in Beijing, she insisted she was not overly fixated on topping it.

She has been enjoying a more vibrant atmosphere this time round as there are no Covid-19 restrictions in place.

"I'm pretty excited second-time around - it's completely different to the first time," she said.

"The snow looks really good, it's blue skies, and I couldn't really ask for better conditions."

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