Alpine Skiing Archives

‘I’ll be there’ – Ryding targets another Olympics after his most successful season to date

April 9, 2024

Dave Ryding looks set for a tilt at an incredible fifth Olympic Games in 2026, with the 37-year-old telling BBC Sport that Milan-Cortina was very much in his sights.

He’s Britain’s most decorated Alpine skier, with numerous World Cup podiums to his name along with that famous win in Kitzbuhel in 2022 his career highlight. But an Olympic medal is missing from his trophy cabinet, and while that will be a tough ask in the twilight of his career with so much competition in the men’s slalom, the Brit certainly seems up for the challenge.

He’s just finished with his best-ever season’s ending result, a joint-seventh in the overall slalom standings in what was his 15th world cup season. Age seems to be no barrier to success for Ryding – but money might be, with UK Sport cutting the Alpine team’s funding for this Olympic cycle. It was a decision that clearly irked the likeable skier, and one he has been refuting with his performances.

“I’ve got over the hump now of the Olympic cycle,” he said. “I’ve done two years, it’s actually less than two years now to the Olympics. I’m still able to do seasons that are better than I’ve ever done before.

“If everything goes to plan, I’ll be there… I never looked back with ‘what ifs’ but, certainly, I’m out there to prove myself and to prove those people wrong, whether they deemed me unfundable.

“I really want to prove them wrong, to keep trying to show that I am worthy and I am still capable of doing these great results even though I am 37 now.”

Dave Ryding celebrates wildly after winning the Kitzbuhel slalom

Image credit: Getty Images

By the time the next Olympics comes around, Ryding will be 39 years old but that is relatively youthful when you consider that Frenchman Johan Clarey won the men’s downhill in Beijing aged 41.

“I don’t really know, but I guess it’s something in the Northern grit,” said Ryding about how he is able to keep going.

“And just staying motivated, keeping on top of my body health-wise and I’ve done that for 20 years now, so maybe that’s paying off more so than, say, other athletes that haven’t taken care of themselves over the years as well as I have.”

Stream the 2023-24 winter sports season on discovery+.

Odermatt seals fourth crystal globe of season following ‘strange’ downhill finish

March 24, 2024

Marco Odermatt labelled his downhill crystal globe triumph as “strange” after the final race in Austria was cancelled due to poor weather, which meant he finished as champion.

With 100 points up for grabs going into the deciding race, the Swiss led France’s Cyprien Sarrazin by 42 points.

Odermatt prepared for the race knowing he could clinch his fourth globe of the season, after already sealing the top prize in the overall, super-G and giant slalom disciplines.

Although he became the first person since Austria’s Hermann Maier in 2001 to win four globes in one campaign, Odermatt said he would have liked the opportunity to “battle it out” with Sarrazin.

“For sure, it’s very strange to win a globe after such a tight battle with Cyprien,” Odermatt said after sealing his fourth title of the season.

“We both would have been ready for every decision. We saw it on the inspection. I’m not sure safety can be guaranteed.

“It’s a good decision for sure from my side, but I think as well for the sport it was a fair decision. But we would have liked to battle it out.”

Odermatt celebrates winning downhill title for fourth World Cup crystal globe

Sarrazin, 29, was completely understanding of the decision to cancel the race, despite missing out on the chance to pip his Swiss opponent at the last.

Although the season ended in disappointment, he said it was “an amazing journey”.

“For safety, it was a good decision, so there is no problem,” Sarrazin said.

“I wanted to have a fair race and a safe race and that’s how it is. We will enjoy tonight because it was an amazing season.

“I’m really happy. I’m proud of myself. I never stopped believing.”

Odermatt claimed victory in two of the eight downhills across the course of the season, while Sarrazin was victorious on three occasions.

Odermatt’s compatriot, Lara Gut-Behrami, could not match the 26-year-old’s achievement of four globes in one season, when she would have become only the fourth woman to do so.

Stream the 2023-24 winter sports season on discovery+.

‘I’m speechless’ – Huetter clinches first crystal globe of career with Saalbach win

March 23, 2024

Cornelia Huetter pulled off an unlikely double in the final race of the women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup as she took downhill victory on home snow in Saalbach, and grabbed the downhill crystal globe in the process.

Overall champion Lara Gut-Behrami looked well placed to add a third small globe to her large one – seeking to become just the fourth female skier to win four classifications in a season.

But she was unusually off the pace, with Huetter taking full advantage.

The Austrian produced the fastest time of the competition, crossing the line in 1:45.08 seconds, 0.17s clear of Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia.

“I’m really speechless,” Huetter said. “It’s amazing to have a home race with this ending, I never can imagine it.

‘It is amazing’ – Huetter revels in taking downhill globe after win at Saalbach

“This morning I woke up and I slept so bad, and I woke up and I thought, ‘Give your best, it’s the last chance today for this season,’ and I did it.”

Italy’s Nicol Delago completed the podium, while Gut-Behrami needed to finish ninth or better to be sure of taking the downhill crown.

She could only finish 17th though, allowing Huetter to take the small globe by 28 points.

Stream the 2023-24 winter sports season on discovery+

‘Uncertainty about everything’ – Kilde reveals ‘toughest part’ of horror crash recovery

March 23, 2024

Alpine skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde told Eurosport that he had been worried about not being “capable of living a normal life again” after a horror crash in January.

Kilde had been competing in the downhill race at the Alpine Ski World Cup in Wengen when he crashed into the barriers, suffering shoulder injuries and nerve damage to his calf.

The 31-year-old was airlifted to hospital and has spent the past couple of months recovering.

He was able to attend the World Cup in Saalbach as a spectator, and discussed his recovery from the crash.

“It’s going good,” he said. “It’s pretty good. A lot of progress the last couple of weeks, getting out of the wheelchair, starting to train a little bit more than it’s been in the last 10 weeks.

“So, definitely positive things happening. Just enjoying doing things that I actually like to do. It’s been hard for me to just lay in bed and not being able to move.

“Just to be around people you know, people you love and also be around the circles where you belong, right. It’s a very nice feeling.”

“I would say just the uncertainty of everything,” he said when asked what had been most difficult during the recovery process. “If I’m capable of living a normal life again. When there’s nerves involved, you never know.

“The foot could be hanging, I wouldn’t be able to even walk properly. I’m still struggling a little bit with walking, especially without shoes. My toes are still not really working.

“So that was the toughest part, not knowing what’s going to happen and what I’m capable of doing. So I really, really enjoy just being able to move again. But the hardest part was the uncertainty about everything.”

Kilde also revealed he would be pushing for the introduction of increased safety measures for alpine skiers, including airbags and cut-proof suits.

“We have to follow the International Ski Federation rules, right,” he said. “I think they have to set the bar.

“They have to set an example of okay, we want to do something different. Then if they start communicating that, everybody else is going to start working on it. I’m here now saying it, so that’s a good start.”

Stream top winter sports action live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Rogentin takes maiden World Cup win in Saalbach as Odermatt retains crystal globe

March 22, 2024

Stefan Rogentin claimed the first Alpine Skiing World Cup win of his career with victory in the super-G in Saalbach.

Rogentin led home a podium clean sweep for Switzerland, with Loic Meillard second and Arnaud Boisset third.

Rogentin hit the front early, his time of 1:13.36 edging out compatriot Meillard by just 0.03 seconds.

“I had a good feeling in the morning, and I just tried to ski very soft, it was a great run,” he said afterwards.

“The conditions were difficult, so the feeling was not so good, but in the end it was a good finish and a green light is always good.”

Surprisingly Marco Odermatt was not among the trio, with the overall World Cup champion finishing back in fifth spot.

That, however was enough to clinch the small crystal globe in super-G ahead of Vincent Kriechmayr.

Stefan Rogentin, Loic Meillard and Arnaud Boisset

Image credit: Getty Images

“Last season my super-G season was nearly perfect,” he said. “It was my first speed globe, so it was probably even a bit more special.

“But today I still had to fight for it. It was the first time I had to fight for the globe in the last race, we all know what can happen.”

Odermatt, competing in the downhill on Sunday, can still break his own overall season points record total set last season.

Cyprien Sarrazin was the only non-Swiss athlete in the top five, the Frenchman finishing fourth as he gears up for the final downhill race of the season this weekend, where he is the only person who could deny Odermatt a third small globe in addition to his overall victory.

Stream the 2023-24 winter sports season on discovery+

Rogentin takes maiden World Cup win in Saalbach as Odermatt retains crystal globe

March 22, 2024

Stefan Rogentin claimed the first Alpine Skiing World Cup win of his career with victory in the super-G in Saalbach.

Rogentin led home a podium clean sweep for Switzerland, with Loic Meillard second and Arnaud Boisset third.

Rogentin hit the front early, his time of 1:13.36 edging out compatriot Meillard by just 0.03 seconds.

“I had a good feeling in the morning, and I just tried to ski very soft, it was a great run,” he said afterwards.

“The conditions were difficult, so the feeling was not so good, but in the end it was a good finish and a green light is always good.”

Surprisingly Marco Odermatt was not among the trio, with the overall World Cup champion finishing back in fifth spot.

That, however was enough to clinch the small crystal globe in super-G ahead of Vincent Kriechmayr.

Stefan Rogentin, Loic Meillard and Arnaud Boisset

Image credit: Getty Images

“Last season my super-G season was nearly perfect,” he said. “It was my first speed globe, so it was probably even a bit more special.

“But today I still had to fight for it. It was the first time I had to fight for the globe in the last race, we all know what can happen.”

Odermatt, competing in the downhill on Sunday, can still break his own overall season points record total set last season.

Stream the 2023-24 winter sports season on discovery+

Ledecka takes final super-G of season as Gut-Behrami clinches small globe

March 22, 2024

Ester Ledecka claimed just the second super-G World Cup win of her career as she triumphed in Saalbach in the final race of the season in the discipline.

The Czech skier, who won Olympic gold in both skiing and snowboarding in 2018, topped the standings in the penultimate race of the Alpine Skiing World Cup season, ahead of Italy’s Federica Brignone.

Overall World Cup champion Lara Gut-Behrami came home in seventh place, but that was enough to add the small crystal globe in super-G to her collection.

“I’m super proud about that, super-G is a discipline I really love and to win the globe again is unbelievable,” Gut-Behrami said afterwards.

“Today was a challenging race because of the conditions, it’s incredible that we managed to have a course like that because it’s so warm. It was good to ski.”

Ledecka’s 1:15.94 was enough to put her in top spot ahead of the chasing pack.

She ultimately finished 0.28 seconds clear of Brignone, with Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway taking third.

Brignone had been the most likely candidate to deny Gut-Behrami the small globe, but ended up finishing 30 points behind the Swiss skier.

The World Cup season draws to a close in Saalbach with Saturday’s downhill, where Gut-Behrami will look to add a third small globe to her overall crown.

Stream top winter sports action live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Ledecka takes final super-G of season as Gut-Behrami clinches small globe

March 22, 2024