She even had the honour of being a flag bearer for the nation at the opening ceremony, and will race in the women’s giant slalom on Sunday (local time) and the women’s slalom next Wednesday.
Piera Hudson in action at a World Cup slalom event in 2021. Photo / Getty Images
The Hawke’s Bay-raised athlete’s journey to the Winter Olympics has been as painful as it has been remarkable.
She has overcome four knee surgeries and “lost count of the broken and fractured bones” she has suffered over the years.
The heartbreak of missing selection for the New Zealand team at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Games also hurt.
To finally compete at the Winter Olympics is a dream come true.
“It genuinely means everything to me,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today from Italy.
“This has been my dream since I was a child.
“Mum and Dad put me on skis at the age of 4 and by age 8 I was already in love with ski racing.
“I’m not just doing this for myself, I’m doing it for my whole family, and my wider community, who have supported me through the highest highs and lowest lows one can face in sports.
“I owe everything to the ones who have always believed in me, including myself.”
Piera Hudson says it is a dream come true to be competing at the Winter Olympics. Photo / Instagram
Hudson said the opportunity to represent the UAE came about after shifting to Dubai.
“I’ve had family in the UAE for decades now and spent a lot of time there growing up.
“A few years ago, I moved to Dubai to have a base closer to Europe so I didn’t have to make the long trek back to NZ so much.
“I met the team at the UAE Winter Federation and at Ski Dubai and they welcomed me with open arms.”
When not training in Europe, she has been training at the indoor Ski Dubai facility.
Missing out on New Zealand selection at previous Winter Olympics played a part in her decision to switch allegiances once she was eligible, she said.
“I represented NZ for most of my career but you get to a point where you’re putting in years of blood, sweat and tears, literally, and you’re not receiving any support, resources or funding in return.
“It became very clear that they weren’t going to support me in my Olympic dreams and … when the opportunity came to represent the UAE, a country that supported me from day one, and listened to my needs as an athlete, I would’ve been silly not to run full speed at it.”
She is one of just two athletes in UAE’s first Winter Olympics team.
Hudson has been vocal in the past about her goal to be the region’s first Winter Olympian.
“Being Hawke’s Bay’s first Winter Olympian is such a huge honour.
“The people and the land in the Bay raised me and made me who I am today.
“My parents and I often joke, how did a little country kid that grew up on a farm in Tikokino, nowhere near the mountains, or the desert end up living out this crazy dream and merging those lives together?”
Hudson attended Havelock North school Woodford House as a teenager.
As for her goal at the Olympics, she does not have a definitive rank in mind.
“Obviously, a medal is the big dream, but I can only control what I can control, and ski racing is a sport of very fine lines.
“I want to go out there and leave nothing on the table and if I cross that finish line knowing I couldn’t have done anything more, then I will be happy with whatever the outcome is.”
Her main event is the women’s slalom, where athletes ski down a course, weaving through a series of gates.
Hudson has won multiple NZ titles for both the women’s giant slalom and women’s slalom.
When to watch Piera Hudson from NZ:
The women’s giant slalom event will be held at 10pm on Sunday, February 15 (run 1) and 1.30am Monday, February 16 (run 2).
The women’s slalom event will be held at 10pm next Wednesday, February 18 (run 1) and 1.30am next Thursday, February 19 (run 2).