The podium after the first men's super-G of the CIBC Coupe Nor Am Cup was resplendent with Canadian colours Monday as Rossland, B.C.'s David Anderson and Banff's Jan Hudec blazed to gold and bronze medals respectively in Lake Louise, Alta.
Anderson, 23, charged the mountain to receive the fastest time of the day at one minute 30.39 seconds. American Jeremy Transue skied to a silver-medal finish with a time of 1:30.53, and Jan Hudec, 21, was right behind him at 1:30.57.
Anderson, a five-year Canadian Alpine Ski Team veteran, was 38th in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic downhill, then collided with a snowcat winch-cable during training at Snowbasin and sat the rest of the season out with serious injuries.
After a summer of intensive physiotherapy and knee surgery, Monday's win means he is again a contender and ready to start thinking about picking up where he left off.
“My knee feels okay now. It's still not perfect, but it's getting more manageable,” he said. “Things are coming together, I just need a few more days like this under my belt.”
Anderson ruled the Lake Louise racetrack during the same event last year, and walked away with three gold medals. As one of the senior members on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, he is anxious to rejoin his peers on the World Cup.
“Winning today was the only thing that was acceptable for me right now. I want to be at the World Cups with the rest of the boys but this is a good way to build confidence, and if things go well, I'm going to try to get back around the middle of January.”
Anderson says the whole Canadian team is very strong right now and he feels that the pressure from the younger athletes pushes him to go faster.
“I look at everyone around me and I feel like – I'm older, I should be winning, no contest,” he said. “At the same time, there's a really good group of younger guys there pushing for it, and I want to prove that experience pays off.”
This season for the adrenaline-junkie from Rossland, B.C. will be about adding to that experience and retrieving the top form that saw him race to two top-ten finishes at the 2001 World Championships in St. Anton, AUT.
“I want to qualify for this year's World Championship Team and lower my World Rankings to top-60 in super-G and top-80 in downhill,” he said.
A disciplined athlete, Anderson is a true fighter, and after a long recuperation period, he has a tangible testament to all of his hard work – his first gold medal on the comeback trail.
Jan Hudec is in his fourth year on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and he, too, knows what it's like to come back from injury – two seasons ago he was nursing a slipped disk, and three weeks ago, he strained his knee in training for the Lake Louise World Cup.
Pleased that his knee isn't giving him any more trouble, the Banff Mountain Academy racer is back in top form. The bronze medal that he won Monday will hang beside a silver earned in Saturday's downhill – two impressive results that will help bolster his morale.
“It was definitely my goal, coming into this race, to be consistent. Getting two podiums in the past couple of days really helps to build confidence, though,” he said. “It's really exciting, and it's good to be back to normal. I put in 110 per cent today.”
Hudec was excited to see Canada dominate Monday, with six racers in the top-15, and knew it was just a matter of time.
“We all knew we could do it. We just needed a couple of solid results on paper to start the fire going,” he said. “There are six or seven of us who could win the race on any given day. Everyone's working toward the same goal and we build off of each other's successes.”
And as for tomorrow?
“Hopefully, tomorrow there will be all Canadians on the podium.”
RESULTS – CIBC COUPE NOR AM CUP AT LAKE LOUISE
Monday, December 16, 2002
Men's super-G
TOP 10:
1. (12) David Anderson, Rossland, B.C. 1:30.39
2. (5) Jeremy Transue USA 1:30.53
3. (13) Jan Hudec, Banff, Alta. 1:30.57
4. (16) Alberto Senigagliesi ITA 1:30.74
5. (14) Paul Stutz, Banff, Alta. 1:30.78
6. (6) Eric Holmer USA 1:30.86
7. (28) Wade H. Bishop USA 1:30.90
8. (2) Peter D. Anderson USA 1:31.02
9. (4) Justin J. Johnson USA 1:31.04
10. (7) Travis Svensrud USA 1:31.21
CANADIANS:
11. (15) Brad Spence, Calgary, Alta. 1:31.22
13. (23) John Kucera, Calgary, Alta. 1:31.52
15. (22) Robbie Dixon, Whistler, B.C. 1:31.69
19. (67) Gareth Sine, Calgary, Alta. 1:32.28
20. (17) Alex Mach, Ottawa, Ont. 1:32.30
24. (21) Nick Zoricic, Toronto, Ont. 1:32.64
25. (30) Manuel Osborne-Paradis, North Vancouver, B.C. 1:32.76
26. (18) Sean Cochrane, Prince George, B.C. 1:33.04
27. (32) Luke Patterson, Banff, Alta. 1:33.09
28. (48) Jonathan Gillham, Duntroon, Ont. 1:33.18
31. (61) Marcus Waring, Vancouver, B.C. 1:33.30
32. (74) Ben Chaddock, Richmond, B.C. 1:33.31
33. (51) Caleb Dyck, Edmonton, Alta. 1:33.65
34. (60) James Finlayson, Whistler, B.C. 1:33.69
35. (37) Graham Kraft, Vernon, B.C. 1:33.80
37. (56) Trevor White, Calgary, Alta. 1:34.06
46. (27) Michael O'Flynn, Beaumont, Alta. 1:35.11
47. (55) Dustin McLeay, Calgary, Alta. 1:35.43
48. (36) Derek Mortson, Chestermere, Alta. 1:35.65
49. (65) Dustin Fraser, Quathiaski Cove, B.C. 1:35.74
50. (70) Momotaro Kagitani, Banff, Alta. 1:36.08
52. (52) Peter Ramey, Peterborough, Ont. 1:36.66
54. (69) Trevor Conroy, Truro Valley, N.S. 1:36.72
55. (77) Brady Leman, Calgary, Alta. 1:37.09
57. (75) Daniel Berry, Calgary, Alta. 1:37.89
58. (73) Jeff Patterson, Sherwood Park, Alta. 1:37.93
59. (79) Calvin White, Calgary, Alta. 1:38.47
60. (78) Graham Carr, Calgary, Alta. 1:38.54
61. (76) Jordan Kohn, Calgary, Alta. 1:39.60
62. (81) Ian Snowsell, Banff, Alta. 1:40.19
63. (87) James Lowe-Wylde, Calgary, Alta. 1:40.26
64. (83) Brett Haney, Calgary, Alta. 1:40.40
65. (62) Cameron O'Donnell, Calgary, Alta. 1:4083
66. (86) Cobi Druxerman, Toronto, Ont. 1:44.48
67. (80) Benjamin Hurtig, Calgary, Alta. 1:46.42
DNF Francois Bourque, New Richmond, Que.
DNF Aaron Civitarese, Trail, B.C.
DNF Adam Law, Burlington, Ont.
DNF Cameron Barnes, Canmore, Alta.
DNF Nathan Crompton, Calgary, Alta.
DNF Cameron Stuart, Calgary, Alta.
DNF Jeff Crompton, Calgary, Alta.
DNF Nicholas Sinclair, Nanaimo, B.C.
DNF Spencer Tonkinson, Calgary, Alta.
DNF Geoffrey Massing, Calgary, Alta.
DNF Julian Simmerling, West Vancouver, B.C.
DNS Everett Findlay, Collingwood, Ont.