0.38 seconds, 55 years. Dave Ryding won the men’s slalom in Kitzbühel on Saturday, 0.38 seconds ahead of Lucas Braathen. No British skier had won a World Cup race in the 55 years of the competition. Ryding is 35, which makes him the oldest winner of a men’s World Cup slalom.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave RydingGBR | GBR | — |
| 2 | Lucas Pinheiro BraathenNOR | NOR | +0.38 |
| 3 | Henrik KristoffersenNOR | NOR | +0.65 |
Sixth, 0.81 back
Ryding started 15th and was sixth after the first run, 0.81 behind Alex Vinatzer. In a slalom field that close, 0.81 is usually a top-ten finish. It turned into a win because the second run was the hardest of the season. It was snowing heavily and the light was flat. More than a third of the field failed to finish, and 11 went out in run two.
The list of casualties tells the story. Giuliano Razzoli straddled near the finish. Sebastian Foss-Solevaag straddled. Vinatzer, the first-run leader, went out. Clément Noël was all over the course. On a day like this you win by keeping the skis on the snow and the hands forward through every rhythm change, and not by attacking blind. Ryding finished the run. Most of the field did not.
The 0.38 margin over Braathen is real speed, not just survival. Henrik Kristoffersen shows how good the second run could be. He was 24th after the first run and finished third, a jump of 21 places.
Record
- First British World Cup race win since the World Cup began 55 years ago.
- Oldest winner of a men’s World Cup slalom, at 35.
- Ryding’s previous best slalom result was second, also in Kitzbühel, in 2017.
One British win in 55 years of World Cup racing, and it came from sixth at half-time on the hardest slalom second run of the winter.