KRANJSKA GORA, Slo. – Britt Richardson has made no qualms about her upcoming World Cup debut in super-G.
She doesn’t think the course will kill her and she might finish in dead last, but it makes perfect sense to see what she’s made of.
Despite being the current national champion in super-G, a race which top skiers can go more than 100 km/h, Richardson mainly competes in giant slalom (GS) at the World Cup, but an opportunity to start in the one-run speed event this weekend (Jan. 12-14) in Alternmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, was too good to pass on.
“It will be the first World Cup super-G that I will do in my career,” said the talented 20-year-old skier.
“It sounds like this hill is pretty flowy. Nothing super crazy or huge jumps or intense break-overs like that and I think that’s why it’s going to be my first super-G race because it’s not anything crazy that I’ll kill myself on,” Richardson added, with a laugh.
The youngest member of the national ski team, the Canmore skier is quickly making a name for herself on the technical side of the White Circus.
Earlier this season, Richardson recorded a career-best 15th place in the two-run GS in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, and she started 2024 with a 19th in Kranjska Gora on Saturday (Jan. 6).
For three seasons in a row, the Slovenian track has been good to Richardson, where she’s managed to land inside the top-25 since 2022.
“Funny enough, the Kranjska Gora is the World Cup track I’ve raced most on,” said Richardson. “I felt super comfortable on that hill and I actually understood where the rolls are and kind of knew what was coming up compared to other races where I feel super blind going into it and my first time skiing it is during the race. So having a couple more races gave me the extra confidence to push.”
Slushy conditions weren’t ideal to race in, which saw teammate Cassidy Gray of Invermere, B.C., wipe out seconds into her second run.
Though, the 20-year-old from Canmore still pushed the limits and threw down two solid runs, looking comfortable in her execution.
Canadian Valerie Grenier won gold in the race for a second consecutive year at the track.
“I think it’s my favourite hill for sure, it seems to really suit me. I don’t know why, there is just something about it. I love it here,” said Grenier, 27, in a media release.
Drawing inspiration from her gold medallist teammate, Richardson said spending time overseas with someone she looks up to has helped her as a professional.
"I’m hungry for more and I think I can achieve even better results, but for sure, it was a good way to start off the new year," said Richardson.
