By Ryan Bangs                    

Published: 09/02/2010        

Andrew Musgrave (left) and 

Andrew Young at Canmore.

The 19-year-old cross-country skier has suffered a frustrating campaign, with a personal best performance in the opening World Cup race of 2010 in Austria followed by a disastrous showing in January in the junior world championship at Hinterzarten in Germany.

Musgrave is the first Briton to earn a top-10 place in a world-class cross-country event – coming ninth in the world junior championships in France in 2008.

He describes his progress as two steps forward and one step back. But with his biggest yet challenge now firmly on the horizon in Canada, Musgrave is determined to finally solve his inconsistencies.

He said: “I’ve felt like I’ve taken two steps forwards and one step backwards at times, so I’m progressing, but I keep having a blow to deal with every now and then.

“I enjoyed a couple of good World Cup races and went into the world junior championships full of confidence and ended up doing terribly.

“I was really disappointed and I just couldn’t put my finger on what had gone wrong.

“If I could identify it, then I would be winning almost everything, but at the moment I’m not sure.

“Earlier in the season I followed up one of my worst races with one of my best races ever so it really is just a little bit haphazard at the moment.

“I’m hopeful I can do the right things in Vancouver. I’m hopeful I can take the disappointment of the world juniors and pull out one of my best performances.

“I definitely want to finish higher at the Olympics than I did at the world championships, which was 45th.

“I’m 19, which is still very young for a cross-country skier.

“I’m still going to be one of the youngest competitors in the field.

“I’ve got perhaps the greatest learning opportunity you could ever wish for as an athlete coming up and I’m determined to make the most of it.”

While Vancouver is still very much work in progress for Musgrave, the Scottish skier is already dreaming of Sochi in 2014 and, more importantly, winning a medal.

His performances at Liberic in the Czech Republic in the world championships in February last year may suggest that he still has some improving to do – but Musgrave intends to make the world’s finest sit up and take notice.

He added: “I want to be in a position to compete for medals in 2014 and I will only be able to do it if I try to gain as much experience as possible from Vancouver.

“It really gives me a lot of confidence in a way that I am already competing in World Cups and I’m not yet 20.

“I’m going to the Olympics and very few people my age are able to do that, so it is definitely a huge confidence boost.

“If I can keep improving the way I have been then I have to be confident that I can win an Olympic medal.

“But I have been working very hard and I know I have to keep up all that hard work if I am to win medals.”

Lloyds TSB is a proud partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and supporter of Team GB on its journey to Vancouver. Visit:

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