HARPENDEN’S Max Baggio walked away from the Delancey British Alpine Championships in Meribel, France having retained and added to his collection of titles.

The 18-year-old British Junior Team skier won the British Under-18 Super-G and Downhill titles finishing ahead of numerous senior athletes in a field containing several members of the French World Cup team.

Baggio said: “This year for me has been really tough, with a lot of cancelled competitions due to poor weather conditions.

“We have had to work really hard to get the right amount of training and racing in throughout the winter, but I have accomplished what I set out to do at the start of the year by representing Team GB at the European Youth Olympics, improving my rankings and defending my national titles.

“The fact that I’ve added a couple of new ones is an added bonus and largely thanks to the support team I have around me and the equipment I’ve had from my sponsors this year, especially my speed skis from Atomic, which have been amazing.

“I am looking forward to next year already and pre-season where I have a lot of work to do as the challenge is even greater, but more exciting.”

Finishing off a highly successful National Championships, Baggio also won the Under-18 Giant Slalom Title, finishing ahead of close friend and British team-mate Billy Major.

In winning the Giant Slalom Title Baggio scored personal best FIS point results, providing the youngster with a much improved world ranking for next season.