Cortina 2021 a boost of confidence for McAdam ahead of Alpine Junior Worlds debut

Less than two weeks ago, 20-year-old Hugh McAdam was in the start gate of the Cortina 2021 Giant Slalom race, making his official debut at the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships. Later today he will get a start in his second World Championship event of the year, the Junior Worlds which get underway in Bansko, Bulgaria, with the Men's Super-G race.
 
McAdam's teammate Henry Heaydon will also start in the event, whilst Madison Hoffman will only arrive in Bansko for the women's races next week, due to the staggered athlete arrival designed by the organisers to mitigate the risk of COVID-19.
 
Two weeks on, the excitement of a World Championships debut hasn't waned yet for McAdam.
 
"Being in the start gate [at the Cortina 2021 World Championships] was pretty remarkable," McAdam said. "It was one of those things I had always seen on TV and to actually be there, pushing out of the start gate, was very cool."
 
For McAdam, Cortina 2021 was all about gaining precious international experience. He was one of the athletes who had to go through the Qualification races to earn his World Championships debut, which he did with a brilliant fifth place finish in the GS preliminary selection. Despite not being able to repeat the result in slalom the following day, McAdam was still stoked with the result.
  
"I was definitely happy with how the GS qualification race panned out and I took a lot of confidence with me from that race into the final. In the week leading up to the event I was skiing well in training and I set quick times against some good Europa Cup and World Cup-level skiers, so I knew I was capable of putting down some fast skiing.
 
"It was such a good feeling to actually do it in the GS qualification race," McAdam said.
 
Even though the logistical challenges of the Northern Winter meant that not all Australian alpine athletes were able to attend, McAdam still had the opportunity to be inspired by some remarkable skiing from teammate Greta Small. The two-time Olympian and Australia's top alpine skier made yet another impressive return from major injury this year, scoring her best result ever at a World Championships with a 15th place in the Combined and finishing 28th in the Downhill - Australia's best women's result in the discipline at the World Championships.
 
"It was really cool to see Greta skiing fast in her races throughout the week and that was definitely some extra motivation for my events. Personally, I had nothing to lose and so I didn't feel any pressure," Mc Adam said.
 
After a few difficult days at the beginning of the Championships, when poor weather conditions caused speed events to be rescheduled, Cortina eventually lived up to the athletes' expectations.
 
"The atmosphere in Cortina was full of energy, it has to be the most beautiful place I've visited. We were all lucky that eventually the weather really switched on for the event," McAdam said.
 
"It was nice because even though spectators were not allowed along the course due to COVID-19, you could still feel the energy from the people in town. It was also cool being next to the best skiers in the world, having lunch with them and seeing how they prepare leading into the biggest race of the season.
 
"Of course we had to go through many COVID tests throughout the week, but I think we should give full credit to the organisers for putting on such a good event during this time," he said.
 
For a young athlete, participating in a major international event for the first time also demystifies some of the aura surrounding these great appointments.
 
"Even though [the GS course] was very long, steep and icy, it wasn't too different from what I had skied in other races before. Now I know what to expect from races like these in the future," McAdam said.
 
In some respect, Bansko 2021 will be a sort of second debut for McAdam at the Junior World Championships. Despite being on the team for last year's edition, held in Narvik, Norway, he didn't get to compete as the event was interrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak. This time he will approach the races with the additional confidence and motivation he took away from Cortina 2021.
 
"It was great to be competing on the world stage [in Cortina] and it has definitely motivated me to train even harder.
 
"I could see first-hand how those athletes have all worked extremely hard to get to the top of the sport. It doesn't happen by magic, it takes hard work. So I look forward to doing the same and being competitive in future World Championships," he said.
 
McAdam will start with bib 43 in the Super-G which starts at 8pm (AEDT), with teammate Henry Heaydon racing with bib 26. Many Australians will follow their races online via the official website (https://bansko2021.ski/), cheering for the young talents donning the green and gold.
 
"I just wanted to thank everyone back home for the support. We really appreciate it. Stay tuned for Bansko!" McAdam said.