Radamus Scores Career Best Fourth in Adelboden GS
Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete River Radamus posted a career best World Cup finish in the Adelboden, Switzerland giant slalom, taking fourth place, just a mere 0.12 seconds out of a podium spot.
The Adelboden crowd is always a highlight on the tour and this year they did not disappoint. The hollers and singing could be heard from the start on run one.
“This is one of the most famed races on the circuit,” said Radamus. “The crowd is electric and you feel like you're a part of history here, so every time I show up I want to put on a show."
The conditions were solid but with a little snow shower overnight, the jury decided to move the start lower down. Radamus raced to 20th place first run and Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Tommy Ford was 18th. Swiss superstar Marco Odermatt snagged a commanding lead in the first run, ahead by over a second.
The crowd came back even louder for the second run as the snow began to fall once again, making for a scenic January World Cup race. Radamus raced down first for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men and he sent it. He skied aggressively and cleanly to take first by a large margin of over a half-second ahead of his competitors. He was able to get comfortable in the leaderboard chair as no one knocked him out of the top seat for many racers.
“Right now I don’t want to ski to finish; I want to ski for a top-level performance. I know I have the speed to compete with those top guys so I need to take risks and and send it and see what happens,” said Radamus.
Croatian skier Filip Zubcic knocked Radamus out of the top spot, but Radamus stayed near the top of the ranks of the result sheet. It was down to the wire for Radamus on if a podium was within reach, but Odermatt knows this hill and he did not let the Swiss fandom down. Odermatt raced into first place by 1.24 seconds with Norway’s Aleksander Kilde securing his first giant slalom podium in second and Zubcic in third. Radamus claimed the win on the second run and his best finish to date in fourth.
“I was disappointed in my performance first run. I did not put my best foot forward, so in the second run I wanted to ski more fearlessly, push the limit and see what was possible,” said Radamus. “That was some real skiing and I am proud of that skiing. I'm hoping to put two runs of that for a chance at the podium.”
Ford ended up in 17th place. Brian McLaughlin, George Steffey and Isaiah Nelson also raced but did not qualify for a second run, landing in 32nd, 40th and 41st respectively.
The next giant slalom race will be held in Schladming, Austria on Jan. 23. The slalom team will race in Adelboden on Sunday.
RESULTS
Men's giant slalom
HOW TO WATCH
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, Adelboden, Switzerland, first run – skiandsnowboard.live
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom, Adelboden, Switzerland, second run – skiandsnowboard.live
