Steve Podborski

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameStephen Gregory "Steve"•Podborski
Used nameSteve•Podborski
Born25 July 1957 in Don Mills, Ontario (CAN)
NOC Canada
Medals OG
Gold 0
Silver 0
Bronze 1
Total 1

Biography

A member of the “Crazy Canucks”, a band of Canadian alpine skiers who became prominent for their fast and reckless skiing in World Cup events in the 1970s and 1980s, Steve Podborski was the only one of them to win an Olympic medal: bronze in the downhill event at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Prior to that he had been a member of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team since 1973, making his first World Cup appearance the following year at the age of 17. Two years later he became the first North American to win the World Cup season title in the same event and, when he retired after the 1984 Winter Olympics, he had won a total of eight World Cup downhill events.

Podborski has kept busy since his retirement, working for Telus in British Columbia as Director of Sports Marketing. He has also worked as a sports commentator, covering Winter Olympic events for CBS and NBC from 1998 through 2006, and was a member of the organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics, focusing on international relations, in addition to participating in the torch relay. In 1982 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, and Canada’s Walk of Fame in 1985, 1987, 1988, 2004, and 2006 respectively.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1980 Winter Olympics Alpine Skiing (Skiing) CAN Steve Podborski
Downhill, Men (Olympic) 3 Bronze
1984 Winter Olympics Alpine Skiing (Skiing) CAN Steve Podborski
Downhill, Men (Olympic) 8

Special Notes