Wanaka skier Ben Barclay is still pinching himself after finishing second at the latest Slopestyle World Cup in France.
The 19-year-old produced a stunning final run to secure silver and give his hopes of being named for next month's Beijing Winter Olympics a major boost.
Heading into the final World Cup event before the Games, Barclay's sole focus was to push his case for selection and his final run of the day did much more than that - securing a first ever World Cup podium.
"I just didn't quite believe what was going on," Barclay tells Newshub. "It was multiple years in the making that came down to one day of skiing."
The 19-year-old's career best performance also pushed him into the top 30 in the world to earn an Olympic quota spot, which is expected to be enough to see him named to the NZ Winter Olympic team later this week
"I've left it pretty much as late as I could've to qualify for these Games," Barclay admits. "This was the last event on the last day."
Should Barclay be selected to go to Beijing, he'll head there with his tail up, with his latest success in France only fuelling his drive to succeed.
"It gives me a lot of confidence knowing all these people I've looked up to my entire life I can finally be competitive with," says Barclay.
Barclay's now hoping to do it on the biggest stage of all, as his selection for the Winter Olympics edge closer.
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