Fresh off his double medal performance at the Canada Winter Games, North Battleford’s Matthew Hudec qualified to represent Canada at the IBU Cups 7 and 8.
After finishing in fifth in the 3 X 7.5-kilometre relay event in Prince George last Friday, Hudec headed straight to Canmore, Alta. to race again just two days later in the IBU Cup selection trials.
“It was a really quick turnover between races,” Hudec said. “It’s never easy to do four races in six days and then turn around and be ready to race again two days later. I honestly wasn’t expecting much to come out of the trials. My body felt pretty spent after the week at the Games.”
With five spots up for grabs, Hudec, feeling a little worn out, still managed to throw down one of the fastest ski times making up for four misses on the range and finishing as the fourth Canadian with a time of 28:18. 1:34 behind the winner.
“After the four penalties on the range, I crosse the finish line expecting to be well out of the top five,” he admitted. “Seeing the results after the race was definitely a pleasant surprise.”
Hudec is now in Canmore preparing for the IBU Cup 8 after participating in the IBU Cup 7 last weekend.
The event began with the 20-kilometre individual race yesterday and is followed by the 10-kilometre sprint on Friday and ending with the mixed relay on Saturday.
“It’s very exciting and I am honoured to be representing my country in such high caliber races,” Hudec said.
He went on to explain that the IBU Cup race is a sort of “B league” to the World Cup. He likened it to what the American Hockey League is to the National Hockey League, just one step below the “Big Leagues.”
Five World Cup medal-winning athletes from Germany and Norway expected to be in the field, and Hudec says he will mainly use the races to gain international race experience.
“The competition is very stiff,” he said. “There will be a lot of very fast guys. Guys who know how to win and who have won on the biggest stage of this sport. As a junior racuing up in Open Men I hope to do my best and just learn as much as possible.”
Live video streaming of all the races can be found at canmorebiathlon.ca.
