Slalom skier Dave ‘The Rocket’ Ryding, who recently won Britain’s first ever world cup race in Kitzbuhel, was unable to replicate his history making heroics at the Beijing Olympics.
Dave Ryding
The 35-year-old made a small mistake during his first run which left him in 16th position. In the second run it appeared he may have pulled off something special as his time of 50.44 put Ryding at the top of the standings and in the gold medal position. But the gap to the first run’s frontrunners proved too much and saw him finish in 13th position.
His TEAM GB teammate Billy Major also had a disappointing day when he recorded a DNF after straddling a gate during the first run.
After the race Ryding, who was taking part in his fourth Olympics and was given the honour of being the TEAM GB flag bearer during the opening ceremony, said: “I started great in the first run but lost my rhythm. During my second run I knew I wasn’t quite flowing. Even though I took the lead I knew it wasn’t enough. You can feel it when you’re skiing. It felt more like a struggle than a flow.”
Billy major, aged 25, was lightning fast out of the start gate but the straddle brought his charge to a close and he was one of 36 skiers to post a DNF in the first run.
He said: “”I didn’t feel like I got off to the best start. This made me feel a little bit up against it and a little bit off with timing.
“Maybe I just had a bit of a feeling of needing to let it go coming onto the final section. I pushed it a bit too much and let the feet get away from me. I couldn’t make the next gate.”
Ryding now has another important date on his calendar to look forward to… his marriage to Mandy Dirkzwager in May. Together they have opened a cafe in his home county of Lancashire
Will the ceremony be in a ski resort – maybe Gurgl in Austria which is one of his sponsors? Ryding, who learned to ski on Pendle Dry Slope, said: “I’m not allowed to say where the ceremony is taking place but we’re doing it in the UK. The whole Covid situation means we’re playing it safe and doing it local.”
Billy Major