“It’s down a hill, both of them”, she said. Doubled over at the waist.
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An instant after completing her run in yesterday’s Olympic women’s super-G, Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic stood motionless in the snow as she gazed at the scoreboard where her name was atop the list of finishers.
Ledecka’s versatility could be a result of her genes, as she hails from a successful sporting family. The skiing star – who has been critical of Donald Trump – found user after user mocking her for the finish, with many referencing “karma” for her poor finish. If she goes on to win snowboard parallel giant slalom gold on Saturday 24 February, her status as an Olympic legend will be guaranteed.
Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather took bronze. So Ledecka did. nothing.
‘If they don’t like me their loss I guess’. All the girls are just specialists and there was a lot of pressure on them. And nothing was happening, and everybody were screaming.
The 33-year-old US Olympian was a favorite in the Women’s Super-G race but landed herself in sixth place after a stumble on the last turn impacted her time.
Not just the same Olympics.
“I love this surprise that sport can provide”, said Italian Sofia Goggia, another contender.
However, it was another truly miserable day for world champion speed skater Christie as she followed up her earlier crash in the women’s 500m with a painful exit from her 1500m semi-final.
“Yeah, for sure”, she said Saturday. This is someone who has participated in only 19 World Cup skiing races in her entire career – Mikaela Shiffrin, in contrast, has been in 23 this season alone – and only once finished as high as seventh.
Vonn did make up for some of that by being fastest of everyone over the next quarter of the course, before the final error effectively eliminated any realistic chance at a medal.
He wasn’t alone. Her winning run shook up what looked like a set leaderboard – knocking Lara Gut of Switzerland off the podium.
Dubi described Ledecka’s win as “immense”, while International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said: “I think she’s already queen of the Games”. Veith had skied in 1:21.12. “I don’t have any make-up”, said the 22-year-old. “And then, ‘Yes, it is'”. She stared some more. Not merely any gold medalist, but one of the most unconventional and out-of-nowhere gold medalists in Alpine history.
When Ledecka arrived at her post-race news conference, mandatory for medal winners, she declined to take off her ski goggles. “Absolutely not. Nope. I have to win to be invited so – no, actually I think every United States team member is invited”.
The Czech Olympic team is calling it the “Miracle on Snow”, echoing the Miracle on Ice of 1980, when the USA ice hockey team beat Russian Federation.
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“Did God just give her a little nudge off course?”
