“He’s kind of the man,” Tudhope said. “He’s been on the tour for four years and he’s got a rich history in snowboarding before this… Everyone is now more competitive for him being here so he’s good for the sport.”
Tudhope competes again later in the week in the men’s banked slalom.
“I’ve got a lot of friends and family here so I’ll definitely celebrate with them. I don’t know if I’ll be on the beers,” he said.
Earlier in the day, his teammate and two-time summer Paralympic gold medallist, Amanda Reid, was transported to hospital after a crash left her face down in the snow and stretchered off the course. Reid will receive scans on her lower back. It was her second crash on the course in three days.
Australia’s two-other athletes in the snowboard cross, Sean Pollard and Aaron McCarthy, placed ninth and 12th respectively.
Pollard’s goal had been to make the top 10: “The category is pretty tough, so I’m versing people just missing one hand, and I’m a double amputee. So yeah, fastest no-handed man on the planet.”
This masthead has travelled to Cortina as a guest of Paralympics Australia
The Winter Paralympic Games is broadcast on the Nine Network, 9Now and Stan Sport.