A Springboard to Success: River Radamus Recalls Winning Three Golds at Winter Youth Olympic Games Lillehammer 2016

It stands as the greatest individual performance in alpine skiing at the Winter Youth Olympic Games. If experience gained at the YOG is meant to be a catalyst for future athletic success on higher levels, then River Radamus is the poster boy. 

Radamus charged to three gold medals in the opening three skiing events at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lillehammer 2016 – in super-G, combined and giant slalom. Having turned 18 on the day of the Opening Ceremony, the Colorado ski racer quickly became the ‘golden boy’ of the second Winter YOG.

His accomplishments on the mountain at the Hafjell Olympic venue and invaluable experience over 10 memorable days in Norway were a springboard to his current FIS World Cup career with the U.S. Ski Team. Radamus proceeded to represent Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, finishing fourth in both the GS and mixed team parallel event.

The 25-year-old athlete responded with swagger when recently asked to define his early career success at Lillehammer 2016, and also a strong performance on the world stage in China.

“I definitely pride myself as a big event skier – I think the U.S. has a history of rising on the biggest stages and I definitely think that is true for myself,” Radamus said. “I am able to push myself to the limit.”

That mindset was clearly evident eight years ago in Norway, even as Radamus was still in his formative teenage years.

Exuding confidence, composure and displaying technically proficient skiing, Radamus stormed to his third gold medal at the Lillehammer YOG in the men’s giant slalom on just the fifth day of competition. He won the race by more than a second.

“It’s been really surreal and there’s nothing I can compare it to – it’s something that will stick with me forever,” Radamus said, about his Winter YOG accomplishments and experience, in an interview in February 2016.

“It’s been really great to be clicking on this stage and have the success that I’ve had the past few days,” said the 18-year-old rising athletic talent.

Swiss Olympic downhill champion Dominique Gisin presented Radamus with one of his gold medals in Hafjell. She correctly predicted at the time: “I’m sure we will hear a lot about him. His skiing is fantastic, it’s really Bode-style.”

Radamus once again reflected upon those memorable moments, summarizing what the Youth Olympic Games ultimately meant for his athletic career taking on the world’s fastest ski racers, and steepest and iciest slopes.

“Lillehammer was my first exposure to international racing, but I proved to myself that I could do this and have the potential to make it a viable career,” Radamus said, in an interview a few years ago. “It motivatedme to make sure that the success there is a footnote in my career and not the defining part. 

“It was a really special time, getting to meet elite athletes from all over the world and being exposed to that kind of environment. It motivated me to want to go and race in the Olympic Games, for sure. 

“I also celebrated my 18th birthday there, so that was unreal – a pretty special start to a very special week,” he said.

River’s experience became even more special as his mother Sara arrived in Norway just in time to witness her son capture his third gold medal. His father Aldo also made the overseas trip, catching his final two races.

Despite waves of disappointment and fluctuations of performance amid lofty expectations ever since the Lillehammer YOG, Radamus appears on the verge of uncorking greater world cup performances.

“A big goal of mine has been to be very consistent and have consistent top 15 performances this season – not DNF’ing. With that I want to reach the top level of hitting podiums,” Radamus said, prior to the start of the 2023-24 season.

Radamus narrowly missed landing his first world cup podium in Adelboden, Switzerland, on Jan. 6, just 0.12 seconds off the mark. He charged from 20th after the opening run to a fourth-place GS finish, having blazed to the fastest second run on the physically demanding Chuenisbaergli course. 

“This season I feel the fittest and the most mentally strongest that I’ve ever felt – I put in the hours this summer in Park City in the gym,” Radamus informed. “I feel strong, I feel hungry, I feel motivated, and a little more at ease and confident in my preparation.”

Further evidence to his assertion about thriving at big events, the three-time YOG champion also posted a fourth-place finish in alpine combined at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships last season in France. An impressive showing, but there was a much sweeter taste in his mouth one week later as he combined with Tommy Ford, Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien to bring home a bronze medal for Team USA in the mixed team parallel slalom.

Although 2023-24 is a non-world championship and Olympic season, more major competitions await the highly-determined and still improving Radamus. Next February, the FIS Ski Alpine World Championships are slated for Saalbach, Austria, while the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are now just two years away.

If the unforgettable Lillehammer Winter YOG of eight years ago are any indication, Radamus will once again rise to the occasion.