Alpine skiing

U.S. Skier River Radamus Places Fourth in Men's Giant Slalom on 24th Birthday

River Radamus, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday, narrowly missed a spot to medal in the men's giant slalom final and finished fourth. Switzerland's Marco Odermatt took home the gold in the race

American River Radamus, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday, narrowly missed a spot to podium in the men's giant slalom final and finished in fourth place.

Radamus' final run was clocked at 2:10.95. France's Mathieu Faivre, who grabbed bronze, finished with a time of 2:10.69.

"It's tough to swallow right now for sure, but I know in my heart that I did everything I could to prepare for today, I couldn't have asked for more," Radamus said. "I could have hoped for more, but I'm really proud of my work today and throughout the season, so I'll take pride in this result and carry it forward into the next races."

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, like all the skiers racing at Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre on Sunday, had to battle some treacherous weather conditions en route to winning the race's gold medal.

Inclement weather and poor visibility forced the second and final run to be delayed by 75 minutes.

A snow storm in Zhanjiakou, roughly 100 miles north of Beijing, covered courses lined with man-made snow for the Winter Olympics forcing the postponement or cancellation of at least two events.

Odermatt did not let the adversity get in his way, finishing with a time of 2:09.35 to claim gold. Žan Kranjec of Solvenia earned silver (2:09.54).

Who is River Radamus?

The Colorado-native is making his Olympic debut in 2022.

Radamus competes in three events -- slalom, giant slalom, and Super G.

He's expected to compete in the men's slalom competition Tuesday, Feb. 15. at 9:15 p.m ET.

Why did River Radamus dye his hair?

Radamus dyed his hair zebra-print before the 2022 Olympics to remind himself to "make sure I enjoy [skiing at the Olympics] and not let the pressure or expectations take away my love for it.”

Men's giant slalom final results

Skier Tommy Ford was the next closest American to Radamus on the leaderboard. Ford finished 12th in the men's giant slalom final with a time of 2:12.41.

Fellow Team USA members Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Luke Winters did not compete in the second run as only the top-30 finishers in the first run continued on. The two had received DNF’s after the first run.

After over a third of the field crashed out in blizzard conditions, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt won gold in men's giant slalom in a second run delayed by a snow storm. First-time Olympian River Radamus was the top U.S. skier in the event, placing fourth.
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