SLOVAK snowboarder Radoslav Židek won Slovakia's first-ever medal at a Winter Games on February 17, taking the silver in the men's snowboard race at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Židek, 24, from Žilina, was beaten by a fraction of a second by favoured Seth Wescott (USA) in the four-man race. The bronze medal went to Paul Henri Delerue from France, the TASR news wire reported.
"After the first qualifying round, I was perhaps the biggest outsider. However, when it warmed up a little before the second round, we changed the wax on the board and it helped. In the final I went flat out. However, Wescott waited patiently for the mistake I made at the end of the race," Židek said shortly after the final round.
"I can't believe this success. Slovakia's historic first medal!"
Compiled by Beata Balogova from press reports
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