Ester Ledecka, the remarkable Czech athlete who clinched gold in two different sports at a single Winter Olympics, has faced a difficult decision ahead of the Milan-Cortina Games. She has opted to forgo the alpine downhill competition to pursue a third consecutive Olympic gold in snowboarding’s giant slalom due to an unavoidable scheduling clash. Despite her efforts, which included an unsuccessful appeal to the International Olympic Committee with backing from Johan Eliasch, the head of skiing’s governing body FIS, she won’t be able to compete in both events on the same day.
Expressing her disappointment, Ledecka mentioned that she shed a few tears over the situation but acknowledged the challenges of coordinating the schedule. She highlighted her unique position as the sole athlete to qualify for an event in two sports for the third time, hoping this would be taken into consideration. However, the final of the snowboarding parallel giant slalom is set for 1 p.m. in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 8, while the women’s downhill is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in Cortina on the same day, making it logistically impossible for her to participate in both, given the four-hour distance between the venues.
Jiří Kejval, the head of the Czech Olympic Committee, confirmed that the schedule is unlikely to change and expressed regret over the situation, emphasizing that they had done their best under the circumstances.
In the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, Ledecka achieved a historic feat by winning gold in the super-G and the parallel giant slalom, being the only female athlete to qualify for both alpine skiing and snowboarding events. She successfully defended her snowboarding gold and secured top-five finishes in various alpine skiing disciplines at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Additionally, she claimed a bronze medal in the downhill at this year’s alpine skiing world championships.
Looking ahead, Ledecka is expected to participate in the women’s super-G at the upcoming Olympics on Feb. 12. Despite the scheduling challenges, her remarkable achievements and versatility continue to captivate audiences globally.
