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Dueck hits podium at World Cup finals

Kimberley sit skier earns third at Paralympic test event
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Josh Dueck

It hasn’t been a great season thus far for sit-skier Josh Dueck. Adjusting to equipment changes, he hasn’t regained championship form and has struggled in races, including a disappointing performance in the recent World Championships in Spain.

Next up were the World Cup Finals in Sochi, Russia, a test event for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

And in what may be a good omen for Dueck’s Paralympic chances, he earned a bronze medal in the slalom.

Course conditions were far from perfect in rainy weather. Dueck was seventh in his first run, and conditions were considerably worse in the second but he managed to fight his way to the podium and a third place finish.

“After my first run I knew I had skied well,” he said. “The conditions were poor, but I was able to kind of creep up the field. I knew going into the second run that I would have better conditions because of my start number, so I just charged it and thought, ‘Give all or end all,’ and was fortunate enough to be faster than the rest.”

““The second run wasn’t pretty, but apparently not many other sit-skiers had great runs either. It was definitely a game of attrition and I played it smart. I had good advice from the coaches on areas to be careful for. It was definitely a team effort.

“I enjoy these more challenging days with incremental weather. Today was a step in the right direction and a bit closer to how I’d like to be skiing.”

Monday was the final day of World Cup finals with the Super-G and another slalom scheduled. No results were available at press time.



Carolyn Grant

About the Author: Carolyn Grant

I have been with the Kimberley Bulletin since 2001 and have enjoyed every moment of it.
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