(Twitter, Canadian Paralympic Committee)

By Jeff D’Andrea

P.A. Paralympian

P.A.’s Hudak heading to Beijing for third Paralympics

Jan 30, 2022 | 8:18 AM

Even when Prince Albert’s Brittany Hudak was still wrapping her head around getting a “surreal” opportunity to go for her second Paralympic games in 2018 in Pyeonchang, she was already looking forward to the 2022 games in Beijing believing she could perform even better with another four years of training. She even medalled in Pyeongchang, getting a bronze medal in the 12.5-km biathlon.

“I remember when I had qualified for Pyeongchang which would have been my second games, I was actually looking ahead to Beijing. I knew for Pyeongchang, I was still quite young in the sport. Cross country skiing is such an enduring sport and it takes years to really master it,” Hudak said. “I had many discussions with my coach that I would be more of an elite athlete come Beijing, because that’s just how long it takes in this sport.

“Now that the time has come, there’s been so much great work that’s been put in this last quad and I’m really excited and honoured again to be able to represent Canada.”

Hudak will now get that chance in her prime age at 28 to represent Canada in her third Paralympic Games in Beijing, scheduled for March 4-13.

Even though she lives and trains out of Canmore, Alta., Hudak still has a ton of support and ties back to her hometown of Prince Albert.

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“I know I have a really good following and tons of people supporting me back home, but really everywhere I go, lots of people are interested in my journey. Really what makes it such a great experience for me is I know tons of people are there supporting me, regardless of what happens at the games,” Hudak said. “Obviously, I’m always striving for those personal best performances and wanting to end up on the podium, but at the end of the day, I’ve grown so much through sport and that matters more to me than anything.”

Hudak was introduced to the sport while working in the Prince Albert Canadian Tire. Paralympic legend Collette Bourgonje approached Hudak while and encouraged her to get involved in the sport.

“Collette was a huge impact on me for the first couple years of my career. She linked me to the kind of people I needed to get in touch with in order to progress in this sport and she just really helped me lay out a clear pathway for how I was going to improve.”

Hudak’s coach, the experienced Robin McKeever, has also been a big key in allowing her to grow and improve as an athlete.

“He has been such a huge influence for me. He understands me well as an athlete and takes the time to work on technique and make himself available if something is going wrong,” Hudak said. “We’ve had a lot of conversations on what we can do to make me better as an athlete. I’ve worked very closely with him.”

Hudak is expected to compete in all three biathlon events, the 12.5-m, 10-km and 6-km, as well as the 15-km cross country classic, and the 10-km cross country skate technique race. Hudak could also compete in the team relay again, as well.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW