Opinion: Emotional Dave Ryding victory puts down real marker in wide open Olympic field in Beijing

If you ever talk to someone connected in some way to British skiing about Dave Ryding two things will happen. First, a warm smile will come to their face, a testament to the type of individual he is. The second occurrence will be an almost grimace of sorts.

Not out of dislike or anything like that. No, no. Out of frustration, almost an involuntarily reaction from the sheer will inside, wishing Ryding to succeed.

That frustration all came out on Saturday in one collective exhale, as Ryding finally ended 55 years of waiting for a British victory in a World Cup slalom. It was an astonishing, truly emotional moment as Ryding finally got over the hump, the demons who have plagued him throughout his career. Ad/> Because you see this isn’t a one-off occurrence.

Ryding is a seriously talented skier who, if he is being honest with himself, probably should have more than one World Cup win at the age of 35. Ask skiing fans how close he’s come prior and a wry smile will come to their face as they recall blistering first runs from Ryding, only to see him stumble, straddle or simply fall at the final hurdle when he looked poised for that elusive win. Beijing 2022When will Dave Ryding race at Beijing Winter Olympics? How to watch live? Can he win gold?AN HOUR AGO There were circumstances beyond his control as well of course.

He was very unfortunate to be skiing at his peak alongside the legendary Austrian Marcel Hirscher, widely considered to be one of the best skiers of all time, let alone his generation. Between 2013 and 2019 Hirscher won all but one of the Slalom World Cups. And even then that was partly so he could really focus on Giant Slalom to secure the Overall title.