Text of an article that appeared in the Daily Telegraph 17th January 2005
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Britain's Chemmy Alcott could miss the World Championships after suffering a serious inflammation of her feet. The 22-year-old has bunions on both feet after years of pressure from her ski boots. Her right foot had only just healed when, this weekend, her left foot flared up.
"I have notoriously wide feet and I call my bunions my sixth toes," she said. "The skin is really traumatised and we don't really know why. It could be from when I was younger when I didn't take enough care of my feet.
"Doing a couple of seasons in America I got frostbite which has harmed my circulation," added Alcott who is battling to prevent the infection spreading to her bones and blood.
"I had an X-ray on Saturday and that was OK, but I'm now trying to get help from an Austrian skin specialist. It's so frustrating because it's not a proper ski injury, like a knee or leg, and I don't abuse my feet. I take really good care of them."
Alcott has been skiing in slightly bigger boots to combat the problem, but that has affected her technical ability and hindered her training. "I've just been turning up, doing an inspection run and then racing," said Alcott, who managed a 22nd place in the super-g in Cortina d'Ampezzo last week before pulling out of competition.
Alcott has been told by doctors not to ski for 10 days, but she is determined to be fit for the World Championships, which start in Santa Catarina, Italy, on Jan 29. "Realistically this is a big problem, my foot has ballooned and it's a tough time. But I will get fit. I will be there," she said.
© Copyright The Daily Telegraph 17th January 2005