The Winter Olympics will “not define me” says Lancashire’s Dave Ryding after he finished 13th in the men’s slalom with France’s Clement Noel claiming the gold medal.
Ryding, 35, was competing in his fourth and potentially final Winter Olympics.
He was true to his “risk it for the biscuit” statement which he told the Guardian before the race.
However, despite a great start, a mistake due to his aggressive tactics in the first run finished his Olympic dream.
Ryding admitted he didn’t produce his best skiing but had no regrets with his tactics understanding the fine margins.
“To do it every run is fine margins, and it’s tough,” Ryding told BBC Sport.
“I left myself way too much to do,”
“I was missing my A game really.”
Legacy and Retirement
Before this Winter Olympics, Ryding was one of the favourites for the men’s slalom after his recent winning performance at the World Cup in Kitzbühel.
“The Olympics won’t define me because I have had a great career but you always want to top it off with something special.”
He did make it clear it is not the end of his career.
“I think I have got another year, we’ll keep going in the World Cup,” he added.
France’s Clement Noel claimed gold, after being sixth fastest in his first run he produced the quickest second run to finish with a time of 1 minute 44.09 seconds.
Austrian Johannes Strolz claimed the silver while Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag took bronze.
GB gold medal chances
Team GB’s final chance of a medal will come down to the curling with only three days left.
Captain of the men’s team Bruce Mouat has led his team into the semi-final, to be played later today.
Team GB’s women have also qualified for the curling semi-finals after Sweden beat South Korea 7-4.
(Featured Image: Author: Roland Osbeck Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
