Australian Paralympian Ben Tudhope comes from nowhere to steal bronze medal in Beijing

Australia has clinched its first medal of the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, with team co-captain Ben Tudhope winning bronze.

Gold medallist Matti Suur-Hamari of Team Finland (C), Silver medallist Garrett Geros of Team United States (L) and Bronze medallist Ben Tudhope of Team Australia. Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Australia has clinched its first medal of the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, with team co-captain Ben Tudhope winning bronze in the men’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2 on Monday.

The 22-year-old was stuck at the back of the pack for most of the race before overtaking Chin’s Sun Qi on the final straight to steal bronze at Zhangjiakou’s Genting Sports Park.

Tudhope finished 0.2 seconds ahead of Qi and 0.71 seconds behind silver-medallist Garret Geros from the United States of America, while Finland’s Matti Suur-Hamari won gold.

Suur-Hamari was also victorious in the event at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.

“I pushed and pushed and pushed, and I never gave up,” Tudhope told Channel 7 after the race.

“I thought I was gone at the start.

“I cannot describe it, it’s insane. It’s insane.

“I dedicate this everyone who supported me along the way.

“To any kid out there with cerebral palsy, with a disability, you can achieve anything. You saw me do it here.”

Ben Tudhope of Team Australia competes during the Men's Snowboard Cross SB-LL2 Qualification. Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

It is Tudhope’s first Paralympic medal in his third Games appearance. He first represented Australia at the Sochi Games in 2014, where he became the country’s youngest Winter Paralympian at 14-years-old.

Suur-Hamari and Tudhope are both members of “Team Unicorn”, an alliance of international riders who compete and train together.

Tudhope, the world’s No. 1 para snowboarder, proudly donned an Australian flag on the podium, beaming with delight.

BEN TUDHOPE GETS A BRONZE!!

Finally gets his first #WinterParalympics medal, what an awesome moment. Only grabbed third in the final straight, huge finish. #Beijing2022#ParaSnowboardhttps://t.co/nhje2JIDkY

— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) March 7, 2022

“I have come through the process of being the one hunting for a medal and now I’m kind of the one being hunted I guess. It’s a cool and different feeling for me,” he said earlier this week.

“There are some expectations I’m putting on myself now, compared to say Sochi, but I feel I’m in the best headspace I’ve ever been in.

“(Winning) a medal would sum it up. For me, it would make me feel completed.

“This journey, especially the past four years from Korea (PyeongChang) to now, has been a really long and challenging but rewarding one. To top it off with a medal at these Games, knowing I got the job done, would complete it.

“It would be an honour to do that in front of Australia, my team, and for everyone who has supported me on this journey.”

The Sydney-based athlete will also compete in the Banked Slalom, which runs on Saturday, March 12.