GB’s Dave Ryding Misses Out on An Olympic Medal
16th February 2022
Last modified on February 27th, 2022
After a disappointing first run Dave put in a good second run that propelled him to the top of the leaderboard for a while. But he finished outside the top 10, in 13th place.
Dave’s brief lead was never going to last.
He was eventually overtaken as the faster skiers on the first run came down the course.
After the first run he was 16th – it was a possibility but he left himself a mountain to climb that even one of his famous second run charges couldn’t help.
He exploded out onto the top of the course for his first of two runs, but one mistake at the halfway point proved costly and he never quite recovered.
“I think he’s probably too far down for a medal, the race will be decided by the top eight who are all within half a second of each other,” the BBC commentator and Olympian, Graham Bell, said after his first run.
“The top three are all separated by 100ths of a second and in a game of 100ths he is over a second back.”
Dave Ryding in his first run at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics – photo © David Pearce/Team GB
In his second run he clocked 50.44 and left the others a target of 1.45.57.
His eventually 13th place was down from his previous best at an Olympics. He was 9th in Pyeongchang in 2018.
“It was OK. I left myself way too much to do and for some reason I didn’t have my best skiing, it’s disappointing, it is very tight and I was missing my A game really,” Dave said to BBC Sport.
“No regrets in my career. I always do what I can, put out what I have got. Olympics won’t define me because I have had a great career but you always want to top it off with something special. I think I have got another year, we’ll keep going in the World Cup.”
Clement Noel of France is the Olympic Champion.
Austria’s Johannes Strolz won the silver and Sebastian Foss-Solevaag the bronze.
There had been high hopes for Dave after he took his first World Cup win – and the first for a British skier – in Kitzbühel in January.
It will be a disappointment for Dave and a disappointment for Team GB who are still without a medal with only days to go until the Games end.
On snow, the main hope left is Zoe Atkin who goes in the ski halfpipe on Thursday.
Elsewhere it is the men’s curlers who are through to the semi-finals and need to win one more match to be guaranteed a medal.
Overall, it has been a disappointing performance so far, and serious questions will need to be raised about the team’s preparations and performance.
For many though Beijing has been a pleasure to watch Team GB competing for medals and Top Ten positions, even if they failed to deliver on the podium.
You can read more news from Beijing in our rolling Olympics blog:
Update:
We have had reaction from PlanetSKI readers.
These two seem to sum it up:
Scott Green – Still 13th best IN THE WORLD 
! I wish I was 13th best in the world at something! Well done that man.
MAIN PHOTO: Dave Ryding © David Pearce/Team GB
