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Isolde
Kostner ended long wait
Haus im Ennstal, Austria, Jan.
30th .Isolde Kostner ended a long
period of self-doubt and disappointment
on Friday after reaching her first
World Cup podium since her disastrous
crash in Canada’s Lake Louise
over a year ago.
The Italian, once the racer-to-beat
in downhill, lost all her confidence
and her momentum after she suffered
a strong concussion in November 2002
when she fell during a training run
on one of her preferred courses.
Poignantly, Kostner is embarking on
what many consider her second career
10 years and a day after winning her
very first race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
in January 1994. But she doesn’t
like to be reminded of that first
triumph – it’s the race
in which Austria’s Ulrike Maier
died after crashing on the course.
The career of the sensitive 29-year-old
has travelled through many highs and
lows and she celebrated her 2nd place
here in Haus like a victory.
“I suffered more to reach it
than to win most of my races and my
medals,” a delighted Kostner
said after she climbed on the podium
next to Germany’s Maria Riesch
and Austria’s Renate Goetschl.
“I faced terrible moments of
doubt in recent months and I wondered
what I should do to get back at the
top,” she added. “I had
some good races two months after my
accident and I was optimistic after
being several times among the top-10
but this season start was a disaster.
I finished in the 20th on courses
which I used to dominate as Lake Louise.
Last month, I reached the bottom in
St Moritz when I was a far 29th despite
great weather and course conditions.
I was afraid I would not make it!
I had lost all my feeling for speed
and I could not take any risks.”
Isi was nervous
“I was also nervous today at
the start but I found back my calm
during the long course hold which
too place after the crash of a racer.
We heard the helicopter and understood
that something bad had happened. Suddenly
I felt quiet again and I relaxed with
my serviceman. He told me some jokes
and I felt better. Normally, the tension
is tough on my nerves but this time
things went fine. I had an aggressive
run and I attacked hard in the last
turns. Yet I didn’t expect to
be at the top of the rankings after
my race. It’s a great feeling.”
During her Christmas Break, Kostner
preferred powder skiing and relaxing
instead of gate-training. It helped
her to recover her pleasure for the
sport and get back on track. “Cortina
d’Ampezzo was a turning point
for me because I ended twice among
the top-10 despite bad weather,”
she said. “Normally, I can’t
attack when the visibility is not
good, but this time I charged with
much determination. This good result
boosted my moral and I was looking
for more here. This course is superb
because you can search for speed from
the top to the bottom. That’s
the way downhill was in the past yet
in the meantime the courses became
slower and more technically more demanding.
I can understand it because of the
security, but it’s also good
that we keep one of two high-speed
courses like this”.
A two-time World Champion in Super-G
in 1996 and 1997, Kostner also won
twice the downhill World Cup title.
Yet she failed to achieve her main
goal so far – a gold medal in
downhill. “I often had bad luck
in this quest so far but I remain
confident, mostly because the next
medal events take place in Italy,”
she adds.
Patrick Lang
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