 Podborski in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stephen Gregory Podborski (1957-07-25)July 25, 1957 (age 68) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Canada |
| Sport | Alpine skiing |
Medal record | |
Stephen Gregory PodborskiOC (born July 25, 1957)[1] is aCanadian formerWorld Cup andOlympicdownhillski racer.
Born inToronto,Ontario, Podborski startedskiing at the age of two and a half atCraigleith Ski Club inCraigleith, Ontario. He joined the Canadian alpine ski team in 1973 and made hisWorld Cup debut in1974 at age 17, scoring two top ten finishes in his first World Cup season. He was due to make his Olympic debut at the1976 Winter Olympics inInnsbruck, however he ruptured two knee ligaments in an accident just before the Games.[2] He was a member of theCrazy Canucks, and won thebronze medal in the downhill at the1980 Winter Olympics inLake Placid.
In1982, Podborski became the firstNorth American to win the World Cup season title in downhill ski racing. In total, he won eight World Cup downhill races, including the notoriousHahnenkamm inKitzbühel,Austria, which he won twice (1981–82). In 34 more races, he finished in the top 10. He retired following the1984 season at age 26. Podborski was on the podium in World Cup races 20 times in approximately 100 races with 8 victories.
Erik Guay is the only other male Canadian ski racer to win a World Cup season title (Super-G, 2011) (Nancy Greene won two overall World Cup crystal globes as well as two discipline titles in giant slalom) with 5 World Cup career wins, 1 in Downhill.Ken Read came close to winning the World Cup Downhill title (downhill, 1980) finishing second.
Podborski's racing career and successes led to many accolades, including being honoured with theQueen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and theQueen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 20 | DNF2 | 33 | not run | 7 | — |
| 1980 | 22 | — | — | 3 | — | |
| 1982 | 24 | — | — | 9 | — |
From1948 through1980, theWinter Olympics were also theWorld Championships for alpine skiing.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 22 | — | — | not run | 3 | not run |
| 1984 | 26 | — | — | 8 |
In 1982, Podborski was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada.
Podborski was inducted to theCanadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985,Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1986 andCanadian Sport Hall of Fame in 1987.
In 2006, Podborski was inducted into theOntario Sport Hall of Fame and his former team theCrazy Canucks were honoured onCanada's Walk of Fame.
Podborski participated inPrince Edward's charity television specialThe Grand Knockout Tournament in 1987.
He was on the bid committee for the2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, responsible for international relations; he also worked as a sports newscaster inSalt Lake City. He worked as a commentator forAmerican television for threeWinter Olympics (2002–2010). He coveredfreestyle skiing forNBC in2006 and2002, andsnowboarding forOlympics on CBS in1998. Podborski also covered the Olympic Games in Athens for NBC doing play by Play with Paul Sherwen for Cycling as well as play by play for Tae Kwon Do.
Podborski's endeavours also include senior leadership roles in the corporate and non-profit sectors. In 2003, Podborski joined theTelus telecommunications firm, leading to a position of National Director, Community Sports and remained with the organisation until June 2017.
Podborski was named the Chef de Mission for the Canadian Olympic Team for theWinter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014.
In June 2017, Podborski became President and CEO ofParachute, a Canadian charitable organisation which focuses on injury prevention. Podborski describes his move into the injury prevention field as a natural extension of his athletic training: "I was the guy who wanted to win, and you can’t win when you fall and get hurt. I was an early, dedicated fan of preventing injury."[3]Podborski retired as CEO in May 2019 but continues to serve on Parachute's Board of Directors.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
