Edi Podivinsky

Edi Podivinsky was Canada’s top male downhill and super-G skier for more than a decade in the 1990s, winning the country’s first Olympic medal in a men’s alpine event in decades when he claimed bronze in Lillehammer, Norway.

A 13-year veteran of the national team, Podivinsky competed from 1989 to 2002. He first drew international attention in 1989, when he became the first Canadian to win a medal in the downhill at the FIS World Junior Championships, taking gold in Alyeska, Alaska, at age 19.

Edi went on to a highly successful competitive career. A four-time Olympian, he captured bronze in downhill at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer and finished fifth in the event at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.

In World Cup competition, he recorded 21 top-10 finishes in 141 starts, including six medals and one victory — in Saalbach, Austria, in 1994 — sharing the podium that day with teammate Cary Mullen, who placed second.

After retiring at 31, Edi transitioned to finance. While still racing, he studied for his chartered financial analyst designation and spent off-seasons on trading floors. He is now director of global equity sales for the Royal Bank of Canada and a father of four — all skiers.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 1988 – 8th, downhill, FIS junior world championships, Madonna di Campiglio, Italy
• 1989 – 1st, downhill, FIS World Junior Championships, Alyeska, Alaska
• 1991 – 9th, combined, FIS World Ski Championships, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria
• 1994 – 1st, downhill, FIS World Cup, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria; bronze, downhill, Olympic Winter Games, Lillehammer, Norway; 4th, downhill, FIS World Cup, Aspen, Colo.; 5th, downhill, FIS World Cup, Vail, Colo.
• 1995 – 4th, downhill, FIS World Cup, Kitzbühel, Austria; 5th, downhill, FIS race, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria; 4th, super-G, FIS World Cup, Whistler, B.C.; 3rd, downhill, FIS World Cup, Bormio, Italy
• 1996 – 5th, combined, FIS World Cup, Kitzbühel, Austria; 2nd, super-G, FIS race, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 4th, downhill, FIS World Cup, Bormio, Italy
• 1997 – 4th, super-G, FIS World Cup, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 3rd, downhill, FIS World Cup, Kvitfjell, Norway
• 1998 – 3rd, combined, FIS World Cup, Kitzbühel, Austria; 5th, downhill, Olympic Winter Games, Nagano, Japan; 1st, downhill, U.S. national championships, Jackson, Wyo.
• 1999 – 3rd, downhill, FIS World Cup, Val Gardena, Italy
• 2000 – 3rd, downhill, FIS World Cup, Wengen, Switzerland; 5th, downhill, FIS World Cup, Bormio, Italy

Note: The information gathered in this biography was compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. For personal and/or educational use only. All rights reserved.