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CALGARY -- John Kuceras career was shorter than he wanted but he leaves alpine ski racing knowing he achieved two firsts for Canada. The first Canadian man to win a world downhill championship and the Canadian skier to stand atop the World Cup podium in Lake Louise, Alta., announced his retirement from ski racing Thursday. Kucera won the mens downhill title in Val-dIsere, France, in 2009. He earned three career World Cup medals in super-G, including gold in Lake Louise in 2006. "Im just really proud I managed to take a very short career and do big things with it," the 29-year-old Calgarian said at Alpine Canadas headquarters in his hometown. "It was a great ride. It really was. "I did some things in this country that I was the first to do and Im really proud of that." Kuceras first four years on the national team were successful and promising. But a broken leg followed by a frustrating inner ear condition sidelined him for four of the last five seasons and also kept him from competing in two Winter Olympics. Vestibular neuritis -- an inner ear condition causing dizziness and nausea -- struck during a training camp in Chile last September and made it impossible to race through gates at 130 kilometres per hour. Kucera wasnt able to get back on skis to race at the Winter Games in Sochi in February. The symptoms still linger and the uncertainty over how long theyll remain, combined with an opportunity to join the coaching staff of the national development team, steered Kucera towards retirement. "Truth be told, Im not 100 per cent yet," he said. "I think my body just told me it was time to start doing something else. "This vestibular neuritis is tough because there is no time line. I could be good by July, but I could be good by next July and really, nobody can give me that answer. Who wouldve thought the thing that would have finally took me out was waking up dizzy one morning?" Super giant slalom, or super-G, is shorter than downhill but there are more gates on the course. The discipline requires a combination of speed and technical ability. At five foot nine and 185 pounds, Kucera wasnt as beefy as the top downhill racers early in his career, so he excelled in super-G. But on Feb. 7, 2009, he bested such heavyweights as Hermann Maier of Austria, Didier Cuche of Switzerland, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway and American Bode Miller to win on Val-dIseres difficult slope. "Val-dIsere was a course that obviously played into a lot of my strengths, very technical, very steep," Kucera recalled. "That being said, I felt like every year I was becoming a better and better downhiller. "I just hit the right track, the right conditions and the right time of my career to become a champion there." Kucera was the first Canadian to win in 26 years of World Cup racing at Lake Louise when he captured super-G gold in 2006. He drew the No. 1 start bib, so after crossing the finish line, the 22-year-old stood nervously in front of television cameras watching as skier after skier came down the mountain. "I remember being really cold. I think it was -35 C that day," Kucera said. "Coming down, having that great run, freezing, watching a lot of the people I looked up to growing up and me beating them, it was pretty exciting." Kucera dedicated that victory to his former coach and friend, Jason Lapierre, who was hit by a car while biking and died earlier that year. Kuceras successes coincided with those of teammates Erik Guay, Manny Osborne-Paradis and Jan Hudec. The "Canadian Cowboys" have given the national mens downhill team depth it hasnt had since Steve Podborski and Ken Read headlined the "Crazy Canucks" of the 1980s. Guay won the mens downhill title again for Canada in 2011, while Hudec took silver in 2007. Guay passed Podborski as Canadas most decorated World Cup racer with 22 career medals. Guay also won the overall super-G title in 2010. Osborne-Paradis collected nine World Cup medals, including three gold, between 2006 and 2010. Hudec tied for third and won Olympic bronze in super-G in Sochi. "As a group, now with Jans medal at the Olympics, weve really done it all," Kucera said. "The only thing I guess you could say we havent done is we dont have an Olympic champion yet. "As a group, we pulled off some special things. Weve kind of superceded the Crazy Canuck era and did something great. Weve set the bar pretty high for the next group coming up, but I think thats where it needs to be." Kucera won two World Cup medals at Lake Louise -- he took silver there in 2008 -- but the mountain was disastrous for him in the first race of 2009-10. He badly broke his left leg in the super-G and erased his chance to race in Whistler, B.C., at the 2010 Winter Games. Rehabilitation and subsequent setbacks kept him off his race skis for the next three seasons. "Obviously the last four years hadnt gone exactly gone the way I would have liked them to, but that being said, I felt the time was right to step away now," Kucera said. "Ive had a good run as an athlete. "Im walking away relatively healthy. Thats a good thing. Im excited and passionate about the next group, the guys Im going to be working with because Im going to be working with a pretty exciting group of 17- to 19-year-olds." Kuceras parents, Jan and Zdena, emigrated to Canada from the former Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s before John was born. Jan worked with the ski patrol at nearby Nakiska. John and his brother James began skiing at an early age. Haason Reddick Jersey . The England international raised his middle finger toward Manchester City supporters during Saturdays game at Etihad Stadium, which Arsenal lost 6-3. The incident was not seen by match officials at the time but the FA charged Wilshere retrospectively after a study of video footage. Pat Tillman Jersey . Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year. http://www.officialarizonacardinalspro.com/Customized/ . The judge sternly instructed the prosecutor to restrain himself and he apologized -- then went right back to trying to pick holes in the testimony of the double-amputee runner. It was a harsh day of cross-examination for Pistorius, challenged relentlessly about his account of the moments just before he killed Reeva Steenkamp, as well as circumstances related to several firearms charges against him, including the firing of a gun in a crowded restaurant. Christian Kirk Jersey . Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist each as the Sea Dogs extended the longest streak in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Chandler Jones Jersey . But defending champion Elena Vesnina of Russia held off a strong challenge to beat Shuai Peng of China 6-3, 6-4, and there was another hard-fought victory for 2012 runner-up Angelique Kerber of Germany, who defeated Alison Riske of the United States 7-6 (6), 6-4.With injuries, lineup changes and other roster moves affecting playing time, it is important to keep your fantasy lineup up-to-date. Here are some under-the-radar players to take a look at to fill in the final spots on your team, as well as some who no longer warrant ownership. Take a look at… Marcus Smart (PG – Bos) – 14.3% owned: The biggest (and only) trade of the NBA season so far sent Boston’s long-time point guard Rajon Rondo out of town. The keys to the offence are now handed to sixth-overall pick Smart, and it makes sense for the re-building Celtics to invest some time in him. He has struggled with injuries and hasn’t flashed any numbers since the trade, but the bumpy road is worth keeping an eye on long-term. Robert Covington (SF/PF - Phi) – 36% owned: Sometimes it’s fun to wonder if Covington would rather still be in the D-League than play for the lowly 76ers. Regardless, somebody has to score on Philadelphia and Covington has taken up the challenge. Along with grabbing a solid amount of rebounds, he is hitting threes at a 46.3 per cent rate this season. Since becoming a regular part of the rotation at the start of the month, Covington has averaged 16.8 points per game. Mason Plumlee (C - Bkn) – 23% owned: As long as oft-injured centre Brook Lopez remains sidelined, Plumlee should be owned in any format. Over his last five games, Plumlee has averaged 18 points and 10.2 rebounds per game along with nearly two blocks. It remains uncertain what will happen to the lineup once Lopez returns, but Plumlee’s strong play has been enough to warrant more playing time in the future. C.J. Miles (SF - Ind) – 5.3% owned: While the Pacers have experimented with different lineups throughout the season, Miles has put up good numbers when starting. Over his last four games, Miles is averaging over 20 points per contest and will contribute multiple threes on a nightly basis. He won’t provide much else on the boxscore, but those looking for a scoring bunch that includes shots from long-distance, Miles ccould be the answer.dddddddddddd Notables: Khris Middleton (SF – Mil), Mo Williams (PG – Min) Maybe say goodbye to… J.R. Smith (SG – NYK) – 21.9% owned: The timeline on a return from Smith’s foot injury still remains unclear even after he’s missed nearly two weeks because of it. The emergence of Tim Hardaway Jr. in his absence could further cut into Smith’s value when he comes back. Even before his injury, Smith’s output was extremely inconsistent, resulting in 41 per cent shooting and only 10.3 points per game. Those looking for scoring shouldn’t wait for Smith’s return and can look at other options. Corey Brewer (SF - Hou) – 20.4% owned: His trade to Houston moved Brewer from a starting role in Minnesota to the bench. While he has yet to suit up for the Rockets, there is no chance, barring injury, that he will start on this team. Brewer is not worth owning anymore, especially on a loaded Rockets squad. Courtney Lee (SG – Mem) – 29.8% owned: This could be a gamble and he should only be dropped in shallower leagues. Lee’s hot start was one of the early-season surprises, however he has cooled off as of late. Even though he is still shooting a great percentage, Lee’s points per game have dropped to single digits in December. He doesn’t provide much else on the stat sheet, and there have been a number of games where he has failed to hit a three-pointer. Lee could bounce back, but there are other players available. Jeremy Lin (PG - LAL) – 37.9% owned: When the Lakers reshuffled their starting lineup, Lin was one of the victims who got moved to a bench role. Since then, he has struggled to score in double digits but can still provide an admirable amount of assists. If there is a starting point guard available on the wire, now would be the time to make the switch. The Lakers season has been a disaster, and Ronnie Price’s play as a starter hasn’t exactly cemented his spot either. For now, Lin’s not worth owning. Notables: K.J. 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