Justin Brisbane BANFF
Olympic alpine skier Jan Hudec plans to return from a back injury this weekend in Kitzbuehel and suit up for Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in February.
The 32-year-old former Banff resident herniated a disc in his lower back last week midway through a set of frog jumps in the gym.
“I was a paraplegic for a day,” Hudec said. “The day I was supposed to fly out to Europe, I tweaked (my back) in the gym. I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t roll over in bed.”
Hudec has overcome seven knee surgeries over the stretch of his career, but initially thought the back injury, which struck his L3 and L4 vertebrae, might be the end of it all.
“When it first happened, I was fairly devastated. I thought that was the end of my season … and maybe my career,” Hudec said.
For three days he could hardly move, requiring a walker and cane to get around. But then he launched into rehabilitation mode, received injections for the swelling and met with a chiropractor. After an aggressive week of physiotherapy, he tested his back on Sunday (Jan. 20) at Nakiska, and said it held up fine during a few hours of free skiing.
This is the second time Hudec has herniated a disc in his back, which usually requires a significant amount of recovery time. He believes the injury is somewhat related to stress, as the trials of ski racing internationally, preparing for the Olympics, running a business and raising a child built tension in his tender back. The extra week of rest was needed physically and mentally, he said.
“It was a culmination of stress I had that came to a head,” Hudec said. “Knowing it was stress-related, knowing I could get back into shape, in one sense it was brutal timing, but on the other side it was a blessing in disguise. There was stuff I wanted to have organized before I went to Europe and this gave me a chance to do it.”
He contends that his back is progressing quickly, but that he’ll need plenty of pain killers for the overseas flight before deciding where he’ll race. He doesn’t want to sacrifice Sochi just so he can race in Kitzbuhel, which is the hardest, most dangerous course on the world cup circuit.
“I’m still planning to race the super G in Kitzbuhel, then make a decision on St. Moritz and from there to Sochi. The Olympics is a huge focus. Kitzbuhel will be there next year. The Olympics is just once in a while. I’m not going to sacrifice them,” Hudec said.
Hudec currently sits third in world cup super-G rankings, is considered a medal hopeful on the powerful men’s alpine speed team, and is confident a speedy recovery is in his future.
“I’ve had similar issues before and undergone similar therapy with positive results,” Hudec said. “If I say I’m ready, I can’t see (the coaches) saying no. Usually it’s the other way around. If you’re hesitant, they want to push you.”
