Dave Ryding is looking to make more history at the Winter Olympics

Dave Ryding is looking to make more history at the Winter Olympics after becoming the first Brit to win gold at the Alpine World Cup… and veteran skiier admits he doesn’t know how to spend his £80k prize because he’s a ‘tight a**e’

  • Dave Ryding took victory in the men’s slalom at Kitzbühel in Austria this weekend
  • Ryding became the first ever Brit to win a gold medal at the Alpine World Cup
  • As a result, the 35-year-old picked up by far the biggest payday of his career 
  • Ryding has picked up serious momentum going into his fourth Olympics
  • He placed ninth in the Pyeonghang Olympic Games four years ago 


With an extra £80,000 in his bank and a load off his mind, Dave Ryding is heading for the Winter Olympics at considerable speed after making history in Kitzbuhel, Austria at the weekend.

In a delightful and quite unlikely sporting tale, Ryding, the son of a market trader who learnt to ski on a dry slope in Lancashire, became the first ever Brit to win a gold medal at the Alpine World Cup on Saturday.

In conquering the most prestigious slalom race on the circuit, and simultaneously becoming the oldest winner of a World Cup event at 35, Ryding picked up by far the biggest payday of his career.

With an extra £80,000 in his bank and a load off his mind, Dave Ryding is heading for the Winter Olympics at considerable speed after making history in Kitzbuhel

‘I’m fortunate now since I’ve been in the top 15 to make a living,’ said Ryding. ‘I’m no footballer. The footballers earn more in a week than I do in a year. But I’m not complaining. If you are going to win one for prize money it is Kitzbuhel.

‘I am a tight a*** so I don’t know what I’ll spend it on. Maybe I don’t need to work a year longer in my life.’

More significantly, Ryding has picked up serious momentum going into his fourth Olympics, which start in Beijing on February 4. He was ninth in Pyeonghang four years ago, but after winning in Kitzbühel he will be seen as an outside shot at a medal in one of the showpiece disciplines of the Games.

Ryding became the first ever Brit to win a gold medal at the Alpine World Cup on Saturday

Ryding became the first ever Brit to win a gold medal at the Alpine World Cup on Saturday

As a result, the 35-year-old picked up by far the biggest payday of his career to date

As a result, the 35-year-old picked up by far the biggest payday of his career to date

‘Obviously I’ve shown how good I am this year,’ said Ryding, who had three previous podium finishes since joining the circuit in 2009.

‘You win a World Cup three weeks before the Olympics it’s natural for everyone to talk. The pressure and expectation will have ramped up but I won’t be defined by an Olympics.   

‘I’ve had an amazing career in Alpine skiing that I’ve been proud of. To win one it’s taken the weight off my shoulders.

‘No question I’ll be expecting myself to ski well but whatever happens I can go home knowing I’ve got a World Cup victory.’



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