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Picabo's heartfelt farewell
Deseret News editorial
Scriptwriters would have written a different ending to this chapter of Picabo Street's life story. She would have stood atop the medals stand as an Olympic medal was draped around her neck. At the completion of the national anthem, fans would have alternately cheered "Peek, Peek" and "USA, USA, USA . . ."
It didn't work out that way. On a day a nation held out collective hope that Street would end her career medal in hand, she instead placed 16th in the women's downhill at Snowbasin Tuesday afternoon.
Instead of feting a medal-winning performance, Street championed her devoted parents and her many fans. She blew kisses, telling family, friends and fans, "This is the best day in my ski racing career and it's because of you. Thank you."
What a refreshing, grateful display. What a graceful way to cap a successful career. In a strange way, Street's bid to be the first American women to win three Olympic skiing medals ended in a manner that gave the world a more meaningful glimpse of her maturity and character.
While Picabo is beloved by the sporting world, people in the Intermountain West tend to think of Picabo as theirs alone. They are every bit as proud of her Tuesday as they were when she won the silver in the downhill at Lillehammer in 1994 and a gold in the super-G in the 1998 Games.
Perhaps no other competitor in the 2002 Games downhill had overcome as much to even qualify for these Games. Following her gold-medal performance in the Nagano Winter Games, she broke her left leg and mangled her right knee in a crash. She was off skis 21 months. Yet, the prospect of an Olympic farewell on home snow motivated Street through her third comeback from serious injury.
Street returned to competition in impressive form. She had two top-10 finishes in World Cup downhills this season, and she marked the fastest time on the Snowbasin Wildflower course in Olympic training runs conducted this past weekend.
On Tuesday, Street got off to a good start, posting the best time at the top of course. But she flew a bit high at the first of the course's jumps and then struggled to maintain her balance. Then, she also was too high off the second jump, which cost precious time.
After she crossed the finish line, she stared at the scoreboard in disbelief and then lowered her head. Moments later, she waved her hands and saluted the crowd.
To hear Street tell it, she was mostly relieved to be done with world-class competition. "I'm not going to have to live without skiing," the 30-year-old Street told Associated Press. "I'm just going to have to live without trying to be perfect on my skis every day, which is wonderful."
As Street moves on to other adventures in life, which include a planned marriage and many professional opportunities, this page joins the Intermountain West in saying thank you for many fond memories of her athletic feats. More so, Street will be remembered for her sportsmanship and sheer determination to rise above difficult challenges. These are the marks of a true champion.
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February 13, 2002
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