Radamus en route to Olympics
SSCV alumnus is youngest member of U.S. men’s Alpine team
The U.S. Olympic Alpine ski team will bring six men to the Beijing Olympics, and one of them is River Radamus. The Edwards athlete joins Mikaela Shiffrin, Nina O’Brien and Paula Moltzan as the other local Alpine skiers to have punched their tickets to China.
“It’s for sure crazy,” Radamus said from his Edwards home, where he is making final preparations for the Games.
“Being here and getting that call and knowing I’m about to go and represent my country in a couple of weeks is pretty overwhelming. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of hard days. I’m thrilled to enjoy the fruits of that labor.”
The SSCV alumnus joins Luke Winters, Travis Ganong, Bryce Bennett, Tommy Ford and Ryan Cochran-Siegle on the men’s team.
“Getting to share that experience with Ryan and Tommy Ford especially, who have been leaders on the tech team for the years that I’ve been on the team, and then also Luke Winters, whom I’ve developed with and shared a lot of my time on the team with is going to be really special,” he said regarding the group’s composition.
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After Ted Ligety’s retirement, the 23-year-old giant slalom specialist is considered to be the U.S. medal hope in the event. Radamus, the youngest member of the team, may have some good fortune on his side: the Olympic giant slalom will be contested a day after his birthday.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the sole medal hope, but you don’t go the Olympics unless you think you can win it, is my feeling,” he said, noting Ford has three World Cup podiums, including a win at Beaver Creek in 2019, and should be a threat as well.
“And so, I’m all in, and feel like I’ve done all the work I can to prepare for this moment and I think if things break great, I do have a real shot at a medal.”
Between his 2016 Youth Olympics and 2019 World Junior Championships, Radamus has five international golds. Since then, the junior level sensation has gradually established his presence in the senior ranks. He spent his rookie season struggling to earn second runs (rewarded to the top 30 athletes at a competition), but last year he improved to finish 28th in the giant slalom season standings. This year, he has notched two sixth-place finishes as well as a 10th-place finish and is ranked ninth in the giant slalom standings.
“I really do feel like I’ve done everything I can to prepare, and if things break the right way, I do think anything is possible,” he said about his medal chances. The favorite is Marco Odermatt, the current overall and giant slalom leader, who is having a generational campaign, according to Radamus.
“He’s the dominant force in our sport right now,” Radamus stated. A lack of knowledge surrounding the Beijing venue has leveled the playing field. One known element, however, could provide Radamus with a kind of “home-field advantage.”
“We’ve heard most reports that the snow in China will be dry and grippy and very rippable — a lot like Colorado,” he said, hence the decision to hit the midseason reset button back home. “So, we’re excited to be training here and getting a sense for the snow because I think it will correlate a lot.”
Radamus said that Winters and Ford, both of whom hail from notoriously wet and icy slopes of Oregon, have taught him to embrace bad conditions, a mindset he believes will aid him in Beijing.
“It’s like, bad condition days give you the advantage. As far as snow, or what we’re going into in China — just the unknown — the more I try to embrace that and be excited for whatever comes, the better off I’ll be on race day,” he said.
The Alpine team headed to China will be the smallest of its kind for the Americans since 1984, the last Winter Games before the super-G was added. Only six men and 11 women earned quota spots through the FIS allocation lists. The nature of the FIS quotas made qualifying for the men’s team more difficult than the women.
“It’s definitely tough for a lot of the guys that I think are really talented on our team that aren’t going to get the call up to the Games this year,” Radamus empathized.
Even though the myriad of protocols and empty bleachers will make for an unconventional Olympics, Radamus remains optimistic about the inherent advantages, knowing the support from back home will still be felt.
“I think I’ll be able to focus and lock in and have fewer distractions as well,” he said about not having family present. “Ultimately, I’m there to perform and to represent my country the best way I possibly can.”
Even with the pressure, Radamus remains glued to his primary objective and definition of success.
“I really do believe that if it all goes right, I have a chance at a medal, but I don’t want to be outcome-based,” he said.
“To me, it’s more important to know that I’ve done everything I can to prepare and I’m going into it without regret no matter what because I’ve put in that work and I’m ready to execute and things can happen but I feel like I’m in a good place right now.”
Before he heads overseas, he’ll hone his skills on the mountain where it all started.
“It’s some interesting symmetry to me,” he said.
“Vail is the place where my career started and it’s the place where I’ll get my final training running up to my first Olympics. I’m excited about that.”
Radamus will remain in Edwards until the end of the month, when he’ll meet his teammates in Los Angeles on Feb. 1 before flying out to Beijing.
“I’m excited for whatever this journey holds; I’ve worked for this for a really long time,” he stated.
“First and foremost, I want to put my best foot forward. I’m thrilled for whatever comes and to experience this Olympic moment however it presents itself.”
