Australian skier the cream of the crop

Twenty years ago Katya Crema clicked into skis for the first time. Fast forward two decades and the Victorian is on the verge of her second Olympic appearance and targeting a top-10 finish.

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The 25-year old Australian believes that the green-and-gold Olympic team will be one of the strongest yet.

"It's great being part of such a strong field of women," she says.

"Hopefully we will bring some medals home for Australia."

Crema knows what it is like being at the pointy end of the field. She garnered a top-15 finish at the Vancouver games and wants to better that result in Russia. 

When she hasn't been studying her Masters in property development the 25-year-old has had her eyes locked on Russia.

"The build up to Sochi started when Vancouver ended. You never stop. You are always doing something," she says.

To achieve that kind of form Crema's mental preparation is as integral as the daily two-hour gym sessions.

"Believing in myself and believing I am as good as the three girls next to me. It is a mental game and it is nerve racking," she says. 

The Victorian native never underestimates the physical side to ski cross, an event that is still in its Olympic infancy. Sochi will be just the second time it has been included in the five-ringed sporting apex.  

That juvenility means athletes are pushing the boundaries.

"It's meant to be a non-contact sport. It can be dangerous and there are crashes but it is all part of it," the 25-year-old says.

For Crema her journey towards this point and her support base is truly international. Her first overseas skiing camp was at just 12-years-old, in Italy. 

With two Italian parents (her mother from Sicily and her father from the Veneto region) it is a part of the world the 25-year-old feels comfortable in.

"I love spending time in Italy. It kind of feels like a second home. I speak the language, I can relate to the culture and the food is amazing," she says.

With Italy unlikely to have a representative in the women's ski cross in Sochi, Crema will have two nations cheering her on. 

Athlete Bio

Name: Katya Crema  
Age: 25
Olympic Campaigns: Two (Vancouver, Sochi)
Event: Women's Skiing (Ski Cross)
Lives: Australia and following the World Cup circuit
Twitter: @katyacrema


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2 min read

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By Nick Vindin
Source: SBS

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