By winning a silver medal in the inaugural Olypmic boardercross, Radoslav Židek became Slovakia’s first Winter Olypmic medallist. His achievement was unexpected, as he had only placed 11th at his World Championship début a year earlier, and he had never made it to the final at a World Cup event, finishing fifth on two occasions. In the Olympic final, he had been in the lead, but a small error meant he was overtaken by the favourite, Seth Westcott. While Židek has now become a regular top 10 finisher in World Cup events, he has yet to equal his Olympic performance; at the 2007 World Championships he came in 17th.
Slovakia