Super Dave to keep Ryding after slalom 13th

Alpine Skiing 16 Feb 22

Dave Ryding fell short of his Olympic ambitions at the fourth attempt but confirmed he’ll ride on at the top of alpine skiing for at least another year.

The 35-year-old was left to rue a first-run mistake for finishing 13th in the slalom in Beijing, 0.78 seconds shy of the medal he coveted.

But Ryding, who became the first Brit to strike World Cup gold at Kitzbühel last month, harbours no regrets.

"I still feel like I could ski Kitzbühel now like I did three weeks ago," said Ryding.

"It's not like anything's wrong. It's just on the day, I was on the wrong side of everyone rather than the right side of everyone. I wouldn't change anything.

"We always do what we can, it's easy to look back and pick on things. Day by day, we've done everything we can out here and it's just what it was today."

Ryding stormed out of the start gate on his first run and sat in gold medal position for the first half of an icy course.

The problems came when he went from the flat section onto the steep and an error saw him thrown onto his heels for some of the tougher turns.

That saw him bleed speed and cross the line in a time of 55.13s, much more than a second shy of a medal.

A solid second run of 50.44 saw him briefly assume top spot but he quickly cascaded down the standings once top contenders went again, ending 0.78 off bronze.

"It was a C plus day," said Ryding. "I started great in the first run and lost the rhythm. My second run I knew that I wasn't quite flowing enough.

"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 today.

"I still feel like I could ski Kitzbuhel now like I did three weeks ago. It's not like anything's wrong. It's just on the day, I was on the wrong side of it."

Ryding was the oldest member of the top 15 vying for a medal having traded blows in the twists and turns of a remarkable slalom season.

He ruled out another crack at the Olympics but it seems at least another year β€˜disco dancing' on the top-level circuit awaits.

"I am sure I will do one more year and I'll be training hard in the summer," said Ryding.

"Another Olympics, I don't think so. It was so easy to target this Olympics because I'm 35, another year and you give it your all.

β€˜I'll see what I'm like after next year. Respect my body, respect my family and my fiancée back at home who sacrifices a lot.

"If I carry on, I will expect my performances to be as good as they can be every race. I am always critical of myself and that's how you stay at the top. If I lose that, it's game over."