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Dialuna 20 December 2021
Once a Jr. sensation, Radamus making an impact on World Cup
(AP) — There’s nothing direction. I take the points, across that line.’ I just man-
easy about evolving from take the result and I keep go- aged to and obviously it paid
a top junior skier into a ing forward.” off for me.” Radamus was
World Cup contender. inspired by U.S. teammate
The Gran Risa has everything Bryce Bennett’s first career
Just ask River Radamus, the that a giant slalom should of- win a day earlier in the Val
Colorado racer who won fer: steep pitches that wind Gardena downhill.
three golds at the 2016 Win- through the woods at the
ter Youth Olympics and four start, 180-degree turns and “It turned a lot of heads but it
medals (two golds and two even built-in rolls and flatter also gives the (entire) Ameri-
silvers) at the junior world terrain toward the finish that can team a little bit more
championships from 2017- sometimes result in small confidence,” Radamus said.
2019. jumps. “We’ve been around that guy.
We know what he’s been
The 23-year-old Radamus It’s a long course, too, leav- through to get to where he’s
has been pushing his body to ing racers winded toward the at and we know that we can
the limit this season, though, it feels good. I love this hill placed fourth in the opening finish. do it, too. We feed off each
and the results are starting to and getting sixth here is huge leg with the No. 18 bib. “It’s other.”
come — just in time for the for me,” said Radamus, who definitely a step in the right That may have been a fac-
Beijing Olympics in Febru- tor when Radamus crossed Alta Badia is where Radamus
ary. the line during his first run earned his first World Cup
in a deep crouch, just barely points three years ago.
Radamus matched his career- keeping it together as he lost
best World Cup result by ski- control then spun out in the “Everyone will tell you this is
ing through pain in his lower finish area, resulting in his the best GS hill. So I treat it
right leg to finish sixth in the leg issue. almost as a religious experi-
demanding Alta Badia giant ence coming here,” he said.
slalom on Sunday. “I was pushing it, pushing it, “You got to pay tribute to the
pushing it. I knew that last hill and so I always want to
He also placed sixth in the gate could be an issue but I come here and really execute,
season-opening giant slalom really wanted to leave it all have a good run and do it jus-
in Sölden, Austria, in Octo- out there, push as hard as I tice.
ber. could,” he said. “I came over
that thing a little bit surprised “If I was to design a GS, I
“Any time you can come here and a little bit wild but all I would design something like
and put two runs together had in my head was, ‘Get this. It’s just perfect.”
