Brittany Hudak recovered and ready for Paralympic Winter Games season

CANMORE, Alta. – It doesn’t seem that long ago that Brittany Hudak was approached by a legendary Paralympian to give cross-country skiing a try.

Hudak’s path in sport remains closely tied with Colette Bourgonje, a 10-time Paralympic Games medallist in both Para nordic skiing and Para athletics. She first spotted an 18-year-old Hudak working in a Prince Albert, Sask. Canadian Tire store.

But here we are. Hudak, born missing part of her left arm, is on track for a fourth Paralympic Winter Games and still at the top of her game. One of Canada’s top medal hopes in Para nordic skiing in both the cross-country and biathlon events, she is also one of the Milano Cortina 2026 Canadian Paralympic Team’s co-captains.

With Bourgonje as one of her teammates, Hudak made her Games debut at Sochi 2014, racing in three women’s standing cross-country events. In 2018, at PyeongChang, she entered five events and collected her first Games medal with a bronze in the 12.5-kilometre biathlon.

Six races were on her schedule for Beijing 2022, and she collected bronze in the 15-kilometre cross country and 12.5-kilometre biathlon.

She’s also been a member of five world championship teams and a steady performer on the World Cup circuit for a decade. Through all those seasons, it is perhaps the 2024-25 campaign in which Hudak overcame her biggest challenge.

She injured her knee in the off-season, and the issue lingered far longer than she expected. Despite the setback, she continued to shine last year.

At the World Cup in Val di Fiemme, Italy, which also served as the test event for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, she took gold and bronze in the biathlon races. She also posted three fourth-place finishes at the Para biathlon worlds and two fifths at the Para cross-country worlds.

Hudak said the recovery process pushed her mentally and physically in ways she had never faced in her career.

‘’It was the longest injury I’ve ever had,’’ said the 32-year-old in an interview with CPC at the national team’s Canmore base. ‘’I still chose to compete, but I was on physiotherapy before and after races.

‘’There was so much work behind the scenes just to allow me to race.’’

The warm-up routines and the post-race recovery protocols were more detailed to manage the pain.

‘’Mentally that was the hardest part,’’ she said. ‘’Grappling with the idea that everyone else is training and my hours are cut back. But it also taught me the value of going back to basics and doing what you can, so your body is healthy.’’

But on CPC’s visit to Canmore two weeks ago, Hudak was energized by being able to train the way she prefers. Early season snow on the Frozen Thunder Loop has allowed the national team to get valuable technical time on skis.

‘’This is the point in the year where we’re trying to get race-ready,’’ she said. ‘’We’re doing more interval training, more high intensity, trying to get our speed and power up.’’

Brian McKeever, Canada’s Para nordic skiing team head coach and Hudak’s former teammate, is impressed with her work ethic.

‘’It’s been a long fight,’’ he said. ‘’She’s dug deep into her rehab, asking the right questions. Britt is incredibly meticulous at keeping track of what’s improving and what is still holding her back. That’s just one of her biggest strengths – keeping good records and being able to go back and re-read and sequence her approach.’’

More than two decades after that chance meeting with Bourgonje, the two are still in touch.

‘’We still check in,’’ Hudak said. ‘’Colette sent me a message just the other day after hearing me on CBC Radio. She was just such a huge part of my journey and my introduction to skiing. It’s really nice to still have that connection.’’

Having experienced such a trying season in 2024-25, Hudak is relieved to be back in her happy place on the national team.

‘’All I wanted last year was to train the same number of hours as my teammates and not have daily things cause pain,’’ she said.

‘’I’ll never take this sport for granted.’’