Jasmin Taylor, 18, has already beaten the French at their own game and now she wants to conquer the world.

The Ipswich-based junior is Great Britain’s overall number one Telemark skier and is already 20th in the world, quite an achievement considering there are no facilities for her to train in this country.

Incredibly, Copford-born Taylor only took up the sport just over a year ago, while working as a trainee at the British Ski Academy, where she is now an Alpine ski coach.

“During my time as a trainee we had a Telemark week and I was asked by Seb Mansart, who is now my coach and the French national team coach, to have a go at Telemark,” recalled the teenager.

“I began training with his team and then the French regional and national team and then became the first female to qualify for the British team, finishing tenth in my first World Cup event.”

Jasmin, who attended Stanway School, in Colchester, is preparing for her first full season in Telemark at her training base in Mount Blanc and looking forward to a number of World Cup events in Europe before the World Championships at the end of the season.

The former art student is already highly-regarded around Europe and has designs on making great strides up the rankings in her first full season.

“The World Cup is a series where you earn points and gain an overall standing in the league table,” said Taylor, who has qualified as a personal trainer.

“I am probably looking at a halfway finish in that but I am expecting to improve as the year goes on, culminating in the World Championships at the end of the season, which is what I am aiming for. I want to put down a good mark for that.

“I have already won French national races in all the age groups that I competed and that was a great feeling as I was beating them at their own game.

“There are no facilities for me to train over here so to beat them on their own soil was twice as fun!

“Overall, I am 20th in the world and 10th in my age group and I would like to cut both those down by half come the end of the season.”

Taylor is certainly not hanging around and has lofty ambitions that have been backed up by her coaching team.

She also has one eye on a future spot at the Winter Olympics but says the World Cup series remains her priority.

“My ultimate ambition is to be world champion and I would like to be the first British lady to not only win a medal but to also win a World Championship,” said the youngster, who first took up skiing at the Suffolk Ski Centre, seven years ago.

“My coaches believe it is possible to make the top five in the world and if I can do that, then I see no reason why I can’t make number one.

“We are trying to get Telemark in at the 2018 Games which, for my age, would be perfect but I am not so bothered about that.

“The World Championships are the ultimate as there are more people able to compete, so finishing 20th in the worlds would be better than finishing 20th at the Olympics for instance.”

Taylor could compete in the British Championships, held in Austria, later next month.

She is grateful for the support of her sponsors but is always looking for new ones to help fund such things as her travel to World Cup events in the USA that are currently too expensive to attend.