For the love of Nova
Super G gold medallist inspired by five- month- old daughter
KRASNAYA POLYANA — Josh Dueck’s bucket list is finally complete.
The one- time freestyle skier, who has had to do his skiing from a sit- ski bucket since becoming a paraplegic 10 years ago after a freestyle crash, had a world championship title and a handful of World Cup podiums.
And he had a Paralympic silver medal from the home Games in 2010 and another from the downhill in Sochi a week ago. But he didn’t have the only bauble that truly counts — a Paralympic gold medal.
He got that Friday under gloomy late afternoon skies at Rosa Khutor, posting the fastest Super G run to come from fifthplace after Tuesday’s slalom run to win the super combined event at the 2014 Games.
He is only the second Canadian to earn gold in these Paralympics. Visually impaired cross- country skier Brian McKeever has two.
“I’m stunned, speechless, to the moon,” said the frecklefaced, 31- year- old Dueck, who was born in Kimberley but lives now in Vernon. “This is definitely the one kind of achievement that was missing on my bookshelf. I can’t wait to hear the ( Canadian) anthem ring loud and clear.
“It’s something I’ve dreamed
This is definitely the one kind of achievement that was missing on my bookshelf.
JOSH DUECK
CANADIAN SUPER G GOLD- MEDAL WINNER
of for a long time. I don’t like to put words to it and I don’t like to focus on the outcome of what’s going on. But I wanted this. And it feels frickin’ great.”
And it will give him a great story to share down the road with his daughter Nova, who was born five months ago to Josh’s wife, Lacy.
Dueck had proudly pulled a tiny headshot photo of Nova from inside his ski jacket after winning silver. He had to have her over his heart, he said.
On Friday, he admitted he’d lost that photo, but had another one, just as precious, in the outer jacket that he’d shed in the start hut. It was that picture that he used for inspiration.
“( It) was just five hours after she was born and just the pure look of love in Lacy’s face, and just the stunned, kind of ‘ wow’ look in my face was something that helped to ground me and calm me when I was in the start box.”
It’s clear that fatherhood has given Dueck new perspective and maturity. He has shorn his former shoulder- length locks, chopped them off, he said, before a motivational speech he gave to a major corporation. He says he just felt he should be more professional.
And with a giant slalom to race Saturday, he’ll put off party time.
“This is for my team ... for my country. If it was about me, it definitely would be a late night tonight.”
It can sometimes seem that there is a rehearsed, manager-speak feel to an interview with Dueck. All week, he has been sure to mention that he wouldn’t be at the level he’s at without the support of Alpine Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the team that worked to develop a better shock absorber on his sit ski.
But he does put some thought into what he has to say. And when he talks about Lacy, the then- girlfriend who spent hours at his side in hospital 10 years ago, and fatherhood, there is a genuineness beneath the Hallmark card phrasing.
“I’m going to celebrate here today with everybody that’s been a part of it, but I think it’s truly going to sink in on a whole new level when I get home and get to hold my girls. It’s theirs as much as it’s mine. This is our journey.”
“This is about love. For those of us who are fortunate enough to have kids and who have been involved in that process, you have a pretty good idea of what real love is all about. Tapping into that energy at the start played a big role in how I was able to manage the terrain today.”
Perhaps. But technically, Dueck has developed a riding style that has allowed him to take full advantage of his stateofthe- art sit- ski. He has easily been the smoothest rider in the speed events, never looking as dangerously out of control as some of his competitors.
His slalom time of 59.93 seconds left him just 1.22 seconds behind leader Roman Habl of Austria Three other skiers sat between the two.
When Dueck laid down a fast, but controlled Super G run of one minute, 18.27 seconds, the four men in front of him knew they would have to take risks if they wanted the gold medal. None were up to the task.
“This hill favours a guy like me,” said Dueck, who finished .89 seconds ahead of silver medallist Heath Calhoun of the U. S. and two seconds ahead of bronze medallist Habl. “I don’t necessarily create the same energy from my speed the guys in front of me do. And the conditions were soft.
“It was about being smooth and smart. The other guys pushed it, which was awesome, but maybe more than the hill would allow for. As a result, today is my day.