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Dream dies Kostelic crashes out of combined at worlds
ST ANTON, Austria (Reuters) -- Janica Kostelic awoke from her dream season with a thud on Friday when she crashed out of the women's combined at the 2001 world championships. Gold medal favorite in an event that combines downhill and slalom times, Kostelic made a stunning error in a discipline where she reigns supreme after winning all seven World Cup slaloms this season. Despite trailing chief rival Renate Goetschl of Austria by more than a second entering the first leg of the slalom, Kostelic was still expected to sweep to victory on the floodlit Sonnenwiese piste. But showing her inexperience at handling the pressure of a big event, the 19-year-old Croatian lost control after just 10 seconds, crumpling to the snow in disbelief. The error marked only the third time in her professional career that Kostelic had crashed out of a slalom, the last coming in 1998 at Mammoth Mountain. "I skied pretty good the first few turns but then my skis just flew into the air and I fell back," said Kostelic, who has consistently downplayed the importance of the championships. "That happens. It's just good it happened at this moment. It's better here than in the World Cup for me. "I'm not disappointed, life goes on. Crying changes nothing -- it would be stupid to cry. There's more races to come." The mistake may also cost the teenager her chance of a gold medal in next Friday's slalom after injuring fingers in the fall. "I hurt my fingers, I don't know if they're broken but they're sore," said Kostelic, who is one victory away from equally Vreni Schneider's record of eight consecutive World Cup slalom wins. Hurtling out of the start hut on a bitterly cold night, Kostelic, with a picture of rival Goetschl plastered to her shin-guard, attacked right from the opening gate. She appeared in control until suddenly losing her balance and failing to regain it, ending any hope of giving Croatia its first world championship title. "She just wanted too much in the opening gates," said Kostelic's father and coach Ante. "She should have been more cautious. "But that's her style and her age." Kostelic has already paid a heavy toll for her aggressive, take-no-prisoners approach to ski racing. The teenager opened the 1999 season by winning two of the first three slalom races and leading the overall World Cup. But she suffered a spectacular crash during downhill training on the Corviglia piste at the Swiss resort of St Moritz, blowing apart her right knee and shredding every ligament. So severe was the damage that doctors, who operated on the teenager for seven hours, came out of the surgery concerned she might never walk correctly again, leaving her promising career in jeopardy. However, she has proved the sceptics wrong this season with her slalom performances guiding her to the top of the overall World Cup standings, and inviting the glare of the spotlight in St Anton.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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