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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. Mike Shawaryn Red Sox Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Colten Brewer Red Sox Jersey . But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club. https://www.cheapredsox.com/1081z-eduardo-rodriguez-jersey-red-sox.html . They probably ruined Tim Duncans hopes of a career change, though. Duncan wants to be a point guard, coach Gregg Popovich revealed Saturday, a wish that wont be granted. Josh Taylor Red Sox Jersey . The Toronto Argonauts running back hurt his left ankle during the teams practice Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre. Bill Lee Red Sox Jersey . "He started putting me on the ice to strengthen them at the suggestion from a doctor," he said. Weight said it wasnt a pretty sight at the rink in St. Clair Shores, Mich. "I looked like Forrest Gump," he joked.CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bulls were open all over the floor, so Joakim Noah kept collecting assists. Jumpers for Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich. A dunk for Taj Gibson, another jumper for Butler, and on and on it went. The All-Star centre put on quite a show. Noah had 14 assists in his fifth career triple-double, leading the streaking Bulls to a 109-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday. "Its really all my teammates," he said. "I think were getting better every game." Noah also had 13 points and 12 rebounds in his second triple-double of the season, but it was his deft passing that really stood out. It was the most assists by an NBA centre since at least the 1985-86 season and a franchise record for his position. "What can you say? He is playing MVP basketball," Gibson said. "He is doing everything in all facets of the game." Chicago had seven players score in double figures and set a franchise record by committing only three turnovers in its ninth win in the last 10 games. The Bulls also reached 100 points for the fourth consecutive game for the first time since Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2010. D.J. Augustin had 21 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as Chicago (33-26) improved to 21-8 since Jan. 1 and a season-high seven games above .500 overall. Butler scored 19 points and Carlos Boozer had 14. "Weve hit a stretch where we have guys that are healthy playing that I think they know what to expect from each other," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I think theyre playing to their strengths." While the Bulls are galloping through the weak Eastern Conference, the Knicks are floundering. Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and Tyson Chandler had 22 rebounds, but New York dropped its sixth consecutive game. The Knicks (21-39) are just 6-16 since Jan. 14. "Its embarrassing," Anthony said. "Its frustrating and its embarrassing." Swingman Iman Shumpert had three points on 1-for-6 shooting in his return to the lineup. He missed five games after he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during New Yorks 98-91 victory over New Orleans on Feb. 19. Noah rolled his right ankle at the beginning of the second half and got it re-taped before comingg back in at the start of the fourth quarter.dddddddddddd He heard more chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" when he went 1 for 2 at the line to make it 89-70 with 9:26 to go. There were more loud cheers when Jimmer Fredette checked in with 3:08 left after joining the Bulls earlier in the day. The sharp-shooting guard drilled a long jumper on his first shot, making it 107-83 with 2:16 remaining. Fredette, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, was bought out by Sacramento on Thursday and cleared waivers on Saturday. His contract with the Bulls covers the rest of the season. "It was great. I mean, these guys did a great job the whole game and got a big lead and I was able to get into the game," Fredette said. Led by Noah, the Bulls jumped all over the Knicks right at the start. He capped Chicagos opening 16-1 run with a driving layup and rebound tip-in. It just kept getting worse for New York, which shot 32 per cent from the field in the first quarter. Butler scored 10 points and also found Gibson for a big dunk as Chicago jumped to a 37-16 lead, setting a season high for points for the opening period. "They came out with more energy than we did, took advantage of us," Chandler said. "On the defensive end, backdoor cuts that pretty much changed the game." The lead grew to 25 early in the second before Anthony and Amare Stoudemire started to heat up. Anthony made a nice pass to Stoudemire for a reverse layup that got New York within nine with 3:33 to go. Anthony drove the baseline for a smooth jam, but Noah found Butler for a jumper that lifted Chicago to a 59-48 halftime lead. Noah had 11 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds at the break. "You cant come on the road and start like that and expect to win," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. NOTES: Anthony has said he plans to become a free agent this summer, and there was at least one sign calling on him to come to Chicago. "I cant see next year," Anthony said. "I cant even see tomorrow at this point." ... Stoudemire and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 14 points apiece for New York. ... The Bulls improved to 14-2 this season when they score 100 or more points. ... The Bulls and Knicks have one more scheduled meeting, on April 13 in New York. ' ' '