Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Sport
Anna Harrington

Tudhope ready for next medal tilt: coach

Coach Par Sundqvist says Ben Tudhope (pic) is good enough to win gold in Friday's banked slalom. (AAP)

Ben Tudhope is flying high after claiming his first Winter Paralympics medal but in coach Par Sundqvist's eyes, there's no reason he can't add gold in the banked slalom to his para snowboard cross bronze.

Tudhope enters Friday's banked slalom as one of the favourites after a stellar World Cup season.

"It's pretty much just stick to the game plan and go fast," Sundqvist told AAP.

"Stick to the lines, allow yourself to be calm and be patient and just stick to the game plan because Tuddy's really, really hard to beat in banked slalom.

"If he gets his line because it's a pretty long course, it's 21 banks, it's a proper leg burner.

"If he's able to hold up a good run all the way from start to finish, he's up there fighting for the medals."

Tudhope pulled off a gutsy comeback from fourth to snare bronze in the snowboard cross.

Sundqvist lauded his recovery from a difficult situation that couldn't be seen live.

"After that first turn he landed on Garrett (Geros), the American's snowboard," Sundqvist said.

"So to be able to not wipe out both of them he had to get on the heel edge.

"The only way to get off was to dig his heels in to turn away from him. With that move he lost all his momentum that he needed for that section.

"He tackled that situation well, he was still in the race and was able to get the board on again and created the momentum he needed for the lower section and just rode a tactical, smart race."

It's the type of mature performance Sundqvist believes will hold the young gun in good stead for Friday.

Few know the 22-year-old better than Sundqvist, who has headed up 'Team Unicorn' since November 2019.

Sundqvist originally started working with Tudhope, snowboard cross gold medallist Matti Suur-Hamari and Alex Massie as the assistant coach to close friend Mikko Wendelin in 2019.

After Wendelin suddenly died in November that year, Sundqvist took the reins, with Tudhope claiming back-to-back snowboard cross gold and Suur-Hamari and Massie reaching the podium at the World Cup in Finland less than a week later.

"That week was special because it was the worst week of my life and it was also the best week of my life if that makes sense," Sundqvist said.

"Because what we achieved as a group during the worst circumstances, we really got to know each other on a completely different level during that week.

"That week really set the tone for where we are now."

The dream now is getting all three of Tudhope, Suur-Hamari and Massie on Friday's podium.

"If all three boys have a good day, everything's possible because they are good riders, different styles of riders of course, but they are fast," Sundqvist said.

"That will be the biggest thing ever if they're to achieve that in the banked slalom."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.