20 Facts About Steve Podborski

Stephen Gregory Podborski was born on July 25,1957 and is a Canadian former World Cup and Olympic downhill ski racer.

Steve Podborski joined the Canadian alpine ski team in 1973 and made his World Cup debut in 1974 at age 17, scoring two top ten finishes in his first World Cup season.

Steve Podborski was due to make his Olympic debut at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, however he ruptured two knee ligaments in an accident just before the Games.

Steve Podborski was a member of the Crazy Canucks, and won the bronze medal in the downhill at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

In 1982, Steve Podborski became the first North American to win the World Cup season title in downhill ski racing.

Steve Podborski retired following the 1984 season at age 26.

Steve Podborski was on the podium in World Cup races 20 times in approximately 100 races with 8 victories.

Steve Podborski's racing career and successes led to many accolades, including being honoured with the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

In 1982, Steve Podborski was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Steve Podborski was inducted to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985, Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1986 and Canadian Sport Hall of Fame in 1987.

In 2006, Steve Podborski was inducted into the Ontario Sport Hall of Fame and his former team the Crazy Canucks were honoured on Canada's Walk of Fame.

Steve Podborski participated in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament in 1987.

Steve Podborski was on the bid committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, responsible for international relations; he worked as a sports newscaster in Salt Lake City.

Steve Podborski worked as a commentator for American television for three Winter Olympics.

Steve Podborski covered freestyle skiing for NBC in 2006 and 2002, and snowboarding for Olympics on CBS in 1998.

Steve Podborski covered the Olympic Games in Athens for NBC doing play by Play with Paul Sherwen for Cycling as well as play by play for Tae Kwon Do.

Steve Podborski's endeavours include senior leadership roles in the corporate and non-profit sectors.

In 2003, Steve Podborski joined the Telus telecommunications firm, leading to a position of National Director, Community Sports and remained with the organisation until June 2017.

Steve Podborski was named the Chef de Mission for the Canadian Olympic Team for the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014.

In June 2017, Steve Podborski became President and CEO of Parachute, a Canadian charitable organisation which focuses on injury prevention.