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Kostelic tallies third medal in 4 alpine events
By Ray Grass
Deseret News Olympic specialist
DEER VALLEY — How many is enough? Janica Kostelic said after winning her combined gold medal last Thursday that it was enough. After her silver in the super-G three days later, "enough is enough," she said, "I don't need any more." Now, having won a gold in the slalom on Wednesday, her tone has soften.
If the 20-year-old Croatian were to win a medal in Friday's women's giant slalom, her place in history would be cemented. No alpine skier has ever won four medals.
"If it happens, it's good, and if it doesn't, it's good again," she said. "I just try to do my best as usual."
Second in the slalom was Laure Pequegnot of France and third was Anja Paerson of Sweden. Kostelic's time for two runs was one minute, 46.10 seconds. Pequegnot clocked a 1:46.17 and Paerson a 1:47.09.
The troubled American women fell into deeper despair. Not only did they not medal, but only one of four finished. The final event is the giant slalom on Friday. U.S. coach Marjan Cernigoj said he held out little hope for a medal. If the women do not medal, it would be the first time since 1972 the women have been shutout.
Kostelic came into the race as a contender for a medal. Three major knee surgeries over the past year, however, left some doubts. She erased them by winning the combined gold, then the silver in the super-G.
And now she's won three medals in four events. She did not ski in the downhill.
It is a storybook plot for a woman who, in her earlier years, while traveling to ski races with her father, Ante, who was also her coach, and her brother, Ivica, had to sleep in a car on cold nights and eat salami and pickle sandwiches.
And, in making her first podium appearance in Park City's America's Opening in 1998 — she finished third in the slalom — had to reach into her ski bag to produce a Croatian flag. No one expected her to win, so no one thought of ordering a flag.
After winning the 2001 overall World Cup title, thousands turned out to meet her when she returned to Zabreb, Croatia. Awaiting her was a bed of 1,256 roses; one for each point she'd earned that season. She also became the first sports personality in Croatia to have her own postage stamp.
When asked about her celebrity status back home, she shyly lowered her chin, lifted her eye and said she was not a celebrity . . . "Nothing has changed for me."
She admitted she didn't feel good about her two runs on Wednesday. "They were bad, but I guess everyone skied bad because of the course. Laure and I found the best way down," she responded.
The showdown in alpine for these Olympics will come Saturday in the men's slalom, when Ivica Kostelic, currently the points leader in the men's slalom, will challenge America's Bode Miller, currently No. 2 in the world and a silver medalist in the men's combined.
"Pressure will be off Ivica," said his sister. "I've already done 50 percent of the work."
The men's GS starts at 10 a.m. The women's GS on Friday is also scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
E-MAIL: grass@desnews.com
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February 21, 2002
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