GB Snowsport 20/21 Season World Cup And Europa Cup Alpine Squads Announced

Apr 21, 2020·Alpine Skiing

SESTRIERE, ITALY - JANUARY 18 : Alex Tilley of Great Britain in action during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Giant Slalom on January 18, 2020 in Sestriere Italy. (Photo by Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom)

GB Snowsport today announced the World Cup and Europa Cup Alpine Ski Team for the 2020/21 season which will mark the start of Olympic qualification. A total of four World Cup athletes and ten Europa Cup athletes make up the two squads.

Slalom specialist Dave Ryding (33, Lancashire) will be chasing qualification for his fourth Olympic Games and competing in his 11th season in World Cup Alpine Skiing. Ryding finished the 2019/20 season 13th in the World Cup Slalom standings making it four years in a row that he has finished the season in the top 15 in the world.

Laurie Taylor (Basingstoke, 24) joins Ryding in the squad and will be competing in World Cup events for the fifth season in a row. Taylor competed in PyeongChang for Team GB and has become a regular on the World Cup circuit. Taylor showed his potential by finishing 24th in a strong field at the Kitzbühel World Cup earlier this season.

Alex Tilley (26, Aberdeenshire) will again be one to watch for the 2020/21 season alongside teammate Charlie Guest (26, Perthshire). Tilley and Guest will be looking to qualify for their second Olympic Games in Beijing 2022 and complete the World Cup squads alongside Ryding and Taylor. Guest goes into the season in good form after winning her second Europa Cup event last season in Hasliberg and securing two other Europa Cup podium finishes.

Ten athletes will complete the Europa Cup team with eight in the men’s squad and two in the women’s category. Giant Slalom specialist Charlie Raposo (24, London) heads up the men’s squad alongside Billy Major (23, Essex) Roy Steudle (Berkshire, 26), former Youth Olympic Team GB star Rob Poth (Potters Bar, 22), brothers Owen and Zak Vinter (Glasgow, 18, 21 respectively) and the experienced Jack Gower (Chichester, 25). The men’s squad will be completed by FIS Squad graduate Leo Karavasili (Chester, 20) who impressed selectors last season.

The women’s Europa Cup squad is made up of Cara Brown (26, London) who’s 2019/20 season was hampered by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained in January. Joining Brown will be Europa Cup debutant Reece Bell (Colorado USA, 18) who will be hoping to make an impact in her first season of skiing at this level having competed well in the Continental Cup in the US.

GB Snowsport CEO Vicky Gosling OBE said: “We are delighted to name a really strong squad for the 20/21 season across both World Cup and Europa Cup events.

“This is a really crucial season as athletes look to secure qualification for the Beijing 2022 games and we are hopeful that the squad we have selected, aided by our outstanding coaching staff, can deliver great results.”

The International Ski Federation (FIS) is due to announce the dates for the Alpine season this month.

The Alpine FIS Squads will be announced before the 31st May 2020.

2020/21 Alpine Squads are listed below:

Men’s World Cup Squad: