Twickenham's Chemmy Alcott tamed the most difficult downhill in Olympic history and insisted she couldn’t wait for more.

Alcott placed an encouraging 13th in her first event at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

She was an early starter on the difficult Franz’s Run piste, where icy conditions made life treacherous, with several big names suffering spectacular falls.

But Alcott, who is competing at her third Olympics, defended the course against suggestions it was too tough - insisting ‘the harder, the better’.

“It was a real challenge and I loved it,” she said, after American pre-race favourite Lindsey Vonn raced to gold.

“The conditions were awesome. It’s icy and it’s bumpy and it is very challenging. An Olympic downhill shouldn’t be just like another World Cup event, it should be unique.

“I made a couple of errors on the top section and that is where I lost it.

"There was a lot of soft snow on the top and I tried to take a more direct line. I tried to go fast but I forget to use my head sometimes.”

Alcott’s best hope will come in the women’s super-G, where she has been posting some impressive World Cup performances this season.

“I’m doing a few events here, so that was an amazing way of getting rid of some cobwebs,” she added.

“I’ve been thinking about Vancouver ever since Turin and now it’s finally here and it feels great.”

Alcott was cheered on by a large contingent of friends and family, including her two-year old niece and nephew, who she has promised to teach to ski between competitions.

Her father was watching at home after a recent operation and she dedicated her performance to mum Eve, who died suddenly following the 2006 Olympics.

“She would have found it very difficult to watch me on a course like that,” admitted Alcott.

“She would have been here but I thinking she would have been hiding someone until I’d safely finished.”

Meanwhile, Kingston speed skater Sarah Lindsay’s third and final Olympic appearance ended in tears and heartache in Vancouver.

Lindsay was devastated after she was controversially disqualified in the quarter-finals of the 500m, after twice colliding with home skater Jessica Gregg.

The decision left British coach Nicky Gooch fuming - labelling the call as ‘outrageous’ as he argued with referees, while Lindsay tearfully left the arena.

It was a sad end to a third Olympics for the 29-year old, who was hopeful of bringing the curtain down on her career in style, following her sixth place at last year’s World Championships.

“It always gets rough but I don't know why the Canadian was given the right of way,” she fumed.

"As far as I'm concerned, until you're on the track, nobody has the right of way.

“I was already at a disadvantage being on the outside. We both crashed, but she fell. It's not my fault she's clumsier than I am.

“I’m not sure what happened, I’ve never seen it before. I was in a World Cup race a few years ago where the race was restarted five times.

“It's a tight space and everyone is aiming for the same spot."

Lloyds TSB, proud partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supporter of Team GB on their journey to Vancouver 2010. Visit LloydsTSB.com/London2012