Steve Podborski (born July 25, 1957 in Don Mills , a suburb of Toronto ) is a retired Canadian ski racer. He was one of the Crazy Canucks ("crazy Canadians"), a group of Canadian skiers who ended the dominance of the Europeans in the 1970s and early 1980s and who were best known for their breakneck but very successful skiing style.
At the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid , Podborski won the bronze medal in the downhill, behind the two Austrians Leonhard Stock and Peter Wirnsberger . He also won a total of eight World Cup runs, including the famous Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel twice , and was able to place in the top 10 a further 34 times. His first victory on January 6, 1979 in Morzine came about after the disqualification of his compatriot Ken Read , who had worn a racing suit that did not comply with the regulations. In the 1981/82 season he won the Downhill World Cup ; like the Swiss Peter Müller, he had 115 points and 3 wins, but obviously the higher number of cancellation points (33 compared to 17) was the decisive factor for the Canadian that he won this discipline. Podborski won three Canadian championship titles (giant slalom 1977, downhill 1983 and 1984).
In 1982 he received the Order of Canada , the highest honor in his country for civilians. Today Podborski is a member of the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver , where he is responsible for international relations. Podborski is an athlete ambassador for the development aid organization Right To Play .