ALPINE SKIING: Australian alpine ski racer Lavinia Chrystal has transformed 18 months of huge trials and tribulations into ecstasy today when she won her second National Slalom Championships in three years at NSW's Thredbo resort in day two of the National Snowsport Championships.

The 24-year-old Chrystal triumphed in more ways than one when she finished the day with a combined time of 1:29.28, 0.84 of a second faster than Poland's Katarzyna Wasek, with Danish racer Charlotte Techen Lemgart a further 0.41 second back in third place.

Chrystal is on the comeback trail, chasing valuable points to achieve her dream of making the Australian team at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia after recovering from a succession of massive setbacks that would have broken the spirit of many athletes.

Among all the alpine athletes competing in the National Snowsport Championships, Chrystal has the most at stake.

She is one of three alpine women chasing a place in Australia's team and needs points more than any other Australian women's alpine athlete due to a lengthy time away from competition.

In September 2011 Chrystal was warming up for an event, representing Sydney University where she has studied for a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Social Sciences and a Masters of Management, when her ordeal started.

A freakish accident resulted in an injury which was at first incorrectly diagnosed, however, that was only the start of Chrystal's torment.

After an initial recovery period, she went to Europe to compete in December, only to experience unbearable pain in her injured left leg.

Further medical examinations discovered that her knee required surgery to her ACL and not the medial ligament identified in the original diagnosis. It was at this point that she was told that her leg had also been fractured, the tibial plateau, just above her knee.

Throughout her rehabilitation, leading up to competing in December 2011, she was skiing and running with a fractured leg and a torn ACL.

Chrystal said that after undergoing surgery, she knew there was still a problem so she sought further medical advice.

Further examinations revealed a blood clot that required three treatments a day for four months.

She said that she was able to channel her energy throughout her rehabilitation, to make sure that the challenges of the past 18 months were put to good use.

And today she reaped the best dividend possible, in what she described as the best day of her career, celebrated at the end with a clear outpouring of emotion.

"There were a few tears of joy and relief with friends and family today. I'm on cloud nine, you've got no idea. I just can't believe it after everything I've been through," she said.

"It's probably the sweetest victory I've ever had. It means a lot more when you've been through what I've been through.

"I've been working so hard in the gym that it made me want it so much more.

"I've done two to three hours every day in the gym in between classes at Uni.

"Not being able to get back does cross your mind but you have to believe in yourself.

"To be here again, skiing at my best and up with the girls is a testament to all the hard work I have done in the gym and wanting it so badly.

"I had nothing to lose today and I just wanted to prove to myself that I could get back to my best form. I'm just so excited."

Organisers staged two events in the one day, with race one of the Australia New Zealand Cup, which is part of the Continental Cup, preceding the National Championships.

Event favourite, Australian 17-year-old Greta Small, endured a day that did not go to plan. She finished second in the ANC, which ended her run of seven consecutive wins on Australian snow. She was beaten by Norway Rikke Gasmann-Brott while Canada's Randa Teschner was third.

After a short break, Small's hope of winning the National Championship for a third year in a row was dashed when she was disqualified for missing a gate after leading the event going into the second run.

In the men's events, the United States' David Chodounsky notched two wins for the day, with compatriot Tim Kelley in second place and Sweden's Anton Lahdenperae third in the Nationals, while American Will Brandenburg and Lahdenperae finished second and third respectively in the ANC race.

Australians Ross Peraudo and Mike Rishworth reversed their misfortunes on Tuesday by finishing fifth and sixth in the ANC and fifth and fourth respectively in the Nationals.

The Snowsport Championships continue tomorrow with the second ANC race and the National Mogul Championships at NSW's Perisher resort.