Jan Hudec


Jan Hudec Jr. is a Czech alpine ski racer who previously represented Canada until 2016 and specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. Beset by injuries for several seasons, he returned to World Cup form in 2012 at age 30 and gained his second victory. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Hudec won the bronze medal in the super-G at Rosa Khutor. It was the first Olympic medal for Canada in men's alpine skiing in 20 years.

Early life

Born in Šumperk, Czechoslovakia, Hudec defected in a homemade raft with his parents to West Germany while an infant. The family moved to Canada in 1986 and settled in Red Deer, Alberta, where Jan Sr. was a ski coach. In 1993 the Hudecs, now a family of four with younger brother Phil, moved to Banff where both parents worked at the Banff Mountain Ski Academy.

Career

Hudec emerged as a World Cup downhiller in February 2007; he won the silver medal in downhill at the 2007 World Championships in Åre, Sweden, followed up with a fifth place at Garmisch, Germany. That November he won his first World Cup event, a downhill in Lake Louise, but suffered a season-ending knee injury while training in Switzerland two months later. In January 2009, Hudec had a comeback at the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, where he finished eighth, but three weeks later an injury at the 2009 World Championships downhill in Val-d'Isère, France, ended his 2009 season.
In the following two seasons, Hudec battled injuries and had just one top-ten result, a tenth-place finish in March 2011. His results improved significantly in the 2012 season, which included his second World Cup victory in February at the Kandahar downhill in Chamonix, France. Later that month he ascended his first World Cup super-G podium as the runner-up at Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
At the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Hudec competed in several events, and was twentieth in the downhill. Hudec next competed in the super-G and won bronze, tied with Bode Miller. After the race he noted to local media that had buried a lucky loonie at the finish line of the race. Upon commenting he noted to CBC Sports that "Who cares if it helped. That loonie is worth more than a buck now, I can tell you that." The medal was the first for Canada in alpine skiing at the Olympics in twenty years.
Left off Canada's team for the 2016–17 season, Hudec competed for the Czech Republic at the 2017 World Championships and 2018 Winter Olympics.

World Cup results

Season standings

Top ten finishes

SeasonDateLocationDisciplinePlace
2005Nov 27, 2004Lake Louise, CanadaDownhill7th
2007Feb 24, 2007Garmisch, GermanyDownhill5th
2008Nov 24, 2007Lake Louise, CanadaDownhill1st
2008Nov 25, 2007Lake Louise, CanadaSuper-G8th
2008Dec 3, 2007Beaver Creek, USASuper-G9th
2008Dec 14, 2007Val Gardena, ItalySuper-G9th
2008Dec 29, 2007Bormio, ItalyDownhill3rd
2009Jan 17, 2009Wengen, SwitzerlandDownhill8th
2011Mar 11, 2011Kvitfjell, NorwayDownhill10th
2012Nov 27, 2011Lake Louise, CanadaSuper-G4th
2012Dec 16, 2011Val Gardena, ItalySuper-G10th
2012Jan 21, 2012Kitzbühel, AustriaDownhill10th
2012Feb 3, 2012Chamonix, FranceDownhill6th
2012Feb 4, 2012Chamonix, FranceDownhill1st
2012Feb 24, 2012Crans-Montana, SwitzerlandSuper-G2nd
2012Feb 25, 2012Crans-Montana, SwitzerlandSuper-G5th
2012Mar 8, 2012Kvitfjell, NorwaySuper-G6th
2012Mar 14, 2012Schladming, AustriaDownhill8th
2013Dec 1, 2012Beaver Creek, USASuper-G10th
2013Mar 2, 2013Kvitfjell, NorwayDownhill6th
2014Dec 1, 2013Lake Louise, CanadaSuper-G10th
2014Dec 6, 2013Beaver Creek, USADownhill7th
2014Dec 20, 2013Val Gardena, ItalySuper-G2nd
2014----
2014----

Videos

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