On his own territory, at Blue Mountain Outdoor Adventure Centre, Matthew Hudec finished first in the youth men biathlon at the Western Canadian Championships. The local biathlete now has a national silver medal to add to that after finishing second in the 2013 Canadian Biathlon Championship in Whistler, B.C. in March.
Hudec has been in search of a national medal for years and came close to finishing fourth before, but this time he would not be denied.
"The medals have always been a goal for me and I always knew I would be able to get there with some good races," said Hudec, who is currently training full-time in the Battlefords after graduating from high school.
Hudec earned a silver medal in the youth men 12.5km individual event. It was his third of four races between March 16 and 20 with the top biathletes from across Canada.
"It was a dream come true. It is something I have been working towards for a very long time. For this to finally happen was pretty special. Winning a medal was extraordinary for me." said Hudec.
Next season, Hudec moves up a category and says that will give him a lot of motivation, as he knows the competition will be even better. Hudec will be a junior biathlete next season competing with 19-, 20- and 21- years olds.
Last summer, Hudec spent July and August in Canmore, Alta. training and plans to reapply to do that again this season, as he says being an Olympian is his ultimate biathlon goal.
At nationals, Hudec's first race resulted in a sixth place finish in the 7.5km sprint. March 17, he finished fifth in the 10km pursuit race. March 20, Hudec was the anchor for the Saskatchewan relay team and helped them to finish fourth, nearly 40 seconds off the podium. Saskatchewan did earn the bronze medal because two Alberta teams finished ahead of them and only one was eligible for a medal.
Hudec's commitment to biathlon training has taken him from the trails at Holy Family Park, to Blue Mountain to Whistler this year and even Halifax in 2011 for the Canadian Winter Games. He hopes to qualify for the next winter games in 2015 in Prince George, B.C.
But for now the trainings continues, as he has done some cross training in the past as a cross-country runner with the John Paul II Collegiate team and has made a commitment to continue to push on and go as far as possibly on his skies.
