ALPINE:

‘Inspired’ Hudec blazes comeback trail

Nov. 28, 2010 — Staff report     ♦ Photo: Jan Hudec and son revel in the finish area after his gutsy effort Saturday (Gordie Bowles) 

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta — Sometimes good guys do come out on top.

Eleventh place is not quite “on top,” but for Jan Hudec it might as well have been an Olympic gold medal. Hudec, who has undergone six knee operations in his career and is currently battling a bad back, electrified the hometown crowd at the opening World Cup downhill at Lake Louise with a gutsy top-15 effort.

“Words can't describe it,” said Hudec, who was greeted by his 4-year-old son in the finish area. “It was an inspired run. Short of a miracle, I don't know what else it was.”

Fog delays, intense back pain and pressure to resurrect a career marred with setback after setback were no match for Hudec on Saturday.

“I've been through so much crap in my last eight years of skiing ... personal life or on the ski hill,” said the 29-year-old. “(A fog delay), that's one of those things that barely fazes me anymore. If you can't overcome that, don't race. I just had to put that past me. I knew I could still have a good chance to come down and put up a fast one. It really was one of the best runs I've ever had.”

“My body's just been sore," said Hudec. "I've been skiing two days on, one day off, on soft snow. And now, skiing on pure ice, I did five days straight. It's just been a challenge.”

Hudec’s performance, from the 42nd starting position, was the highlight of the weekend for the decent-sized hometown crowd.

“It's almost impossible to describe. I was going up the chair this morning and I knew I could have a good run. I was thinking about what it would mean to get close to the podium,” said Hudec.

In the finish he leaned over and appeared to have a few words with himself before pumping his fists into the air in celebration. 

S-Magazine