Hudak pushes herself in bid to improve

"I want to get some personal best results and that's always the goal."

Canadian Brittany Hudak is preparing for a tough couple of months in South Korea and Germany, as the up-and-coming cross-country skier looks to gain more international experience.

The 22-year-old World Cup winner is currently in PyeongChang, South Korea, for the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Asia Cup, a new competition that aims to grow the sport in the region ahead of the Paralympic Winter Games in 2018.

Along with the rest of the Canadian team, Hudak was excited to see what it will be like and this trip is seen as a chance to prepare for 2018.

“That's the main reason we wanted to go because we wanted to test the skis in the conditions over there and this will help us have a better idea about what to expect when it comes to the Winter Paralympic Games,” explained Hudak.

It is her first time in the host city, and it will be a chance to see what the culture is like, as well as the trails.

"It should be interesting. We raced in Japan last year and we spent the first night over in Tokyo and we walked around one night and there was so many people so it's really cool to go see what it's like in new places," she said.

Hudak and the team will then make their way to Finsterau, Germany, for the next stage of the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country World Cup held 24-28 February.

Hudak missed the first edition of the World Cup in Tyumen, Russia, as she raced back in her new home, Canmore, Canada.

After moving there just after the summer break, Hudak admitted she felt the strain.

“Definitely at the start of the season I felt more tired than usual because I had moved in September so I felt like my body was more fatigued trying to get used to the altitude,” she said.

“In the first race of the season you don't really know what to expect but I was happy being able to race again and seeing where I was at.”

Last season Hudak finished top in the overall women’s cross-country standing World Cup. She also made great strides in the biathlon and made it onto the podium twice at the final World Cup event in Surnadal, Norway. This year she will be looking to compete in as many races as possible.

"I want to get some personal best results and that's always the goal. I will definitely be competing in several races. For me this year I think the more races that I do, the better it will be for me because it is such a huge learning opportunity with every race that you do and I feel like I learn something from every race.

“I know which distances are probably my strongest but it is still great to do sprints which is not my best distance. I prefer to have an open mind and compete in as many races as I can."

The Asia Cup in PyeongChang runs until 1 February 2016. Results are available at IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing website.