Steve Podborski
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
 Steve Podborski during 2010 Olympics torch relay |
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| Alpine Skiing | ||
Competitor for  Canada |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 1980 Lake Placid | Downhill |
Stephen Gregory Podborski, OC (born July 25, 1957) is a Canadian former World Cup and Olympic downhill ski racer with Ukrainian ancestry.
Contents |
[edit] Racing career
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Podborski grew up in the Don Mills community and started skiing at the age of two and a half at Craigleith Ski Club in Craigleith, Ontario. He joined the Canadian alpine ski team in 1973 and made his World Cup debut in 1974 at age 17. He was a member of the Crazy Canucks, and won the bronze medal medal in the downhill at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
In 1982, Podborski became the first North American to win the World Cup season title in the downhill. In total, he won eight World Cup downhill races, including the notorious Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, Austria, which he won twice (1981-82). In 34 more races, he finished in the top 10. He set magnificent speed result of 220 km/h at Hahnenkamm downhil race. He retired following the 1984 season at age 26.
[edit] National honours
In 1982, Podborski was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
[edit] After racing
Podborski is on the organizing committee of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, responsible for international relations; he also works as a sports newscaster in Salt Lake City. He has worked as a commentator for American television for the last three Winter Olympics. He covered freestyle skiing for NBC in 2006 and 2002, and snowboarding for CBS in 1998.
Podborski was previously married to Ann Rohmer. He currently works for Telus in Vancouver and Whistler as Director of Sports Marketing.
[edit] External links
- FIS-ski.com - race results - Steve Podborski
- FIS-ski.com - World Cup season standings - Steve Podborski - 1975-84
- Ski-db.com - results - Steve Podborski
- Canadian male alpine skiers
- Alpine skiers at the 1980 Winter Olympics
- Alpine skiers at the 1984 Winter Olympics
- Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
- Officers of the Order of Canada
- Sportspeople from Ontario
- Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inductees
- Sportspeople from Toronto
- 1957 births
- Living people
- Olympic medalists in alpine skiing
