ROBERT Holmes may be just 15 but proved again this week that he’s one of skiing’s brightest stars with a gold in the English Alpine Championships super-G.

The Nelson teenager displayed his class to beat the rest of the field in the first super-G, sponsored by Rossignol, on Sunday, before repeating the result on Monday.

Holmes topped the podium after starting first in the event and recording a lightning-fast time of 48.30 seconds, 0.68secs ahead of nearest rival Jack Cunningham.

“It was super, super quick, really difficult and physically tiring but it’s really quick and nice, the conditions are great here,” said the Park High pupil.

“It’s hard work controlling all your speed, being on a nice line and making mistakes, plus all the training takes it out of you.

“I maybe could’ve run it a little bit straighter in the mid sections but it was a good run.

“I’ve been here the last three years and you only get two runs in a year so it’s just getting to know the slope a little bit better every year you do it.”

The 22nd edition of the Championships are taking place in Bormio, Italy, this week and feature the next generation of English alpine stars in the same week many of us are keeping an eye on the senior stars competing in PyeongChang.

And Holmes, who trains at Pendle Ski Club - the home of Olympic slalom skier Dave Ryding - will compete in today’s slalom and tomorrow’s giant slalom as he continues his rapid progression on the slopes.

“You get more confident the more time you spend on each piste at an event,” he added.

“I’m doing the slalom and the GS later in the week which should be good, I’d like to win both!”

Holmes, who has been skiing since he was a toddler, has set his sights on competing at the highest level.

“I do athletics and other stuff to keep fit for skiing because it’s my main sport really,” he said.

“I always used to go on ski holidays with my parents and then I went up to the local dry slopes in Pendle and I started racing, so I’ve been skiing my whole life really.

“Hopefully in the mid-term I’d like to go to the junior world championships and then when I’m older I’d really like to go to a World Cup.”

* For this winter Olympics season Snowsport England has launched ‘PyeongChang to Piste’ www.pyeongchangtopiste.org.uk featuring events and taster sessions run by various clubs and slopes throughout the country along with tailored downloadable resources for school.