American River Radamus Earns First World Cup Podium
On Saturday afternoon under the bright, clear sky at the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup this weekend, American US Ski Team racer River Radamus finished third in the Men's Giant Slalom, his first time standing atop the podium at the finish line.
The US Ski Team shared their excitement on Instagram, writing, "Chills. River Radamus just earned his FIRST World Cup podium! THIS IS YOUR MOMENT!"
The race had it all: high-octane skiing from all countries represented, the loud ringing of cowbells from the large Swiss crowd in the grand stands, and even a few crashes to add to the suspense. The crowd was immense, and the cheering could be heard from the full parking lot as far over on the mountain as Headwall.
Radamus came down the 386-meter Red Dog course in 1 minute, 7.26 seconds in the first run, the third-best split. Marco Odermatt — who came into the race leading every season standing except slalom — held a 0.15-second advantage over Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen and was 0.78 ahead of Radamus.
But for Radamus' second run, the crowd went all out. It was hard to beat the sounds of the Swiss crowd, but the Americans gave it all they had.
Some men, towards the back, even ripped their shirts off as the announcer yelled for Radamus, revealing an All-American cowboy cheer squad that energized everyone in the stands.
When River's time was broadcast moments after he blazed through the finish, threw his poles down on the packed snow, and let out a claim of pure euphoria, the crowd went wild.
At that moment, River had the chance to win, with the best time so far. However, the top two still had to go down the course, and Marco, having won 6 races prior, had a good shot at first.
Radamus ended in third, with Swiss Marco Odermatt taking first and Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen in second, just 12 hundredths behind, Odermatt.
Still, this was a historic moment for River, as it was his first podium finish at a World Cup event.
Finishing third on home turf was a win not only for Radamus, but for the US Ski Team and all of the Americans in attendance.
River appeared emotional as he stood besides Odermatt and Kristoffersen while the national anthem played over the speakers.
Immediately after the podium awards, we caught up with River to ask him how it felt to stand on the podium.
River told Matt, "Ski racing is alive and well in the US. I knew I had to throw down and do everybody proud here. This is the stuff you dream about when you are a kid."
Radamus certainly made everyone at Palisades Tahoe, and the whole country, proud this weekend.
Congratulations, River, you earned it.
Related: UC Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Lab Calling For 6-9 Feet Of Snow This Weekend
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