Are: Notebook: Hudec vows to improve training runs

Downhill silver medalist Jan Hudec needed to win a qualifying run in training Friday to secure his spot, and an injury to teammate Francois Bourque may have opened the door for him a bit more.
ARE, Sweden — Downhill silver medalist Jan Hudec needed to win a qualifying run in training Friday to secure his spot, and an injury to teammate Francois Bourque may have opened the door for him a bit more.
    Bourque, who finished a solid fourth in the downhill portion of the super combined event  Thursday before struggling in the slalom to end up 17th on the day, injured a thigh muscle in a crash during that training run, thus failing to earn a spot. With Bourque out, Hudec was one of five skiers (instead of six) vying for four spots
    “I knew [Bourque] was really fast in the traininjg runs, and he’s an amazing skier,” Hudec said. “So I knew it would mostly be up to me and Johnny [Kucera]. Then Francois hurt himself in training so Johnny [ended up qualifying] as well.”
    Erik Guay finished fourth and Manny Osborne-Paradis ninth to back Hudec in a powerful showing by Canada. Kucera finished 31st. Bourque, meanwhile, is day-to-day with the injury and will be reevaluated before Wednesday's men's GS.    
    Hudec was the only racer of the four in Sunday’s race without a World Cup podium in his career. His bronze medal should help Hudec sleep better in the team apartment here in Are.
“I was the guy sleeping on the floor because I was the only guy without a podium yet. So I think that was a little motivation for me so next race I get two bedrooms,” Hudec said with a laugh.
    Hudec added that he could help his coaches sleep better by performing better in downhill training runs
    “I did have a little bit of pressure in the last training, but it’s race day that counts,” he said. “One thing I need to work on is being faster in training. When I’m really far behind it makes the coaches nervous. I don’t mind because I know I’m fast in the race, but it’s just to not make the coaches nervous around me.”

Bookend medals for Jaerbyn
    Patrik Jaerbyn became the first Swedish male to win a World Championships medal since 1996 in Sierra Nevada, Spain when … Jaerbyn won the silver in super G behind Norway’s Atle Skaardal.
Skaardal is now the FIS referee for the women’s World Cup tour while Jaerbyn is still grinding it on the men’s tour.
    “I didn’t think I’d be the next guy from Sweden to get a medal because it’s been 11 years, but I’m very, very proud of it,” Jaerbyn said.
    The 37-year-old Jaerbyn also is especially proud to have won considering he was kicked off the Swedish team to start this season because he wasn’t producing. Jaerbyn found refuge with the U.S. and Norwegian teams and paid all of his own expenses to travel and train this season on the World Cup. He finished third in a super G in Lake Louise, Canada, in November.
    “I must thank the U.S. Ski Team with helping me out with training, and the Norwegian team for helping me from the start of the season. Without those two I probably would not be sitting here,” Jaerbyn said at the post-race press conference.  
    Asked how much of his own money he had spent on financing his career, Jaerbyn declined to give a figure but said Sunday made it all worth it.
    “It’s a lot of money, but on a day like this it’s worth twice as much,” he said.