‘Old dog’ Olympic hope Ryding storms to historic slalom gold

WINTER SPORT: Slalom star Dave Ryding became the first British skier to win a gold medal in the 55-year history of the Alpine World Cup on Saturday with a storming run that will send a pulse of optimism through Team GB ahead of the Winter Olympics.

The 35-year-old (pictured) was sixth after his first run in Kitzbuhel, Austria, but in a stunning second descent of 49.86sec he dipped ahead of the Norwegian pair of Lucas Braathen and Henrik Kristoffersen.

After becoming the oldest winner of a men’s World Cup slalom event, and indeed at the most prestigious staging post of the circuit, Ryding dropped down and kissed the snow.

Ryding made his World Cup debut in Alta Badia in 2009 and was competing in his 97th race Saturday. ‘There’s life in the old dog yet,’ he said. ‘I’m 35 now but I never stopped believing, I never stopped trying. I always believed I could do it, I always thought I can do this but my races were getting fewer and fewer and doubt is always there.

‘My team never stopped believing, they kept pushing me. My fiancee always supports me, my family is always there and I’m not the easiest to deal with all of the time. I hope they are popping a prosecco at home.’ The win is a huge boost to Team GB before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on February 4.