Janica Kostelić biography
Janica Kostelić, (born January 5, 1982, Zagreb, Yugoslavia [now in Croatia]), Croatian skier who, on the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, turned the primary feminine skier to win 4 Olympic medals.
Kostelić was inspired by her father, who later turned her coach, to placed on her first pair of skis at age three. Though there have been few coaching amenities and ski programs in Croatia, Kostelić displayed promise, and at age 9 she started competing in races all through Europe. The household—together with her older brother, Ivica, who was additionally a skier—drove to the occasions, typically sleeping within the automotive or a tent to save cash. In the 1996–97 season, Kostelić received all 22 occasions she entered and claimed the highest junior titles within the slalom and large slalom. In 1998 she competed on the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, the place her eighth-place end within the mixed occasion was then the best end by a Croatian Winter Olympian.
During the 1998–99 World Cup season, her first yr on the tour, Kostelić started to obtain worldwide consideration, and she or he claimed her first World Cup victory within the mixed occasion held in St. Anton, Austria. The following season she received two World Cup slaloms however then crashed throughout coaching, tearing ligaments in her proper knee. Some questioned whether or not she would ever compete once more, however, after surgical procedure and a fast rehabilitation, the resilient Kostelić returned for the 2000–01 season. She did poorly on the 2001 world championships however received eight consecutive slalom races en path to claiming her first World Cup general title. In March 2001 she injured her left knee and needed to endure three extra operations. A prolonged restoration adopted, however she was prepared for the beginning of the 2001–02 season.
Overcoming harm and adversity once more, Kostelić made historical past on the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, by turning into the primary Croatian to win a Winter Games medal and the primary feminine skier to win 4 Alpine snowboarding medals at a single Olympics. In addition, she was the primary girl to seize three Alpine snowboarding gold medals at one Games. The “Croatian Sensation” earned a medal in each occasion during which she competed—gold within the slalom, the large slalom, and the mixed occasion and silver within the supergiant slalom. Her record-setting performances had been cheered in Croatia, the place Kostelić was a nationwide hero, and a few 200,000 followers welcomed her triumphant return house.
Several weeks after her victory in Salt Lake City, Kostelić received the slalom in Flachau, Austria, the ultimate occasion of the World Cup season. Joining her on the rostrum was Ivica, who had received the lads’s large slalom. The following yr she once more received the World Cup general title. In 2004 she was stricken by one more knee harm, however she bounced again to win a gold medal on the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and took the 2006 World Cup general title. However, Kostelić sat out the next season due to accidents, and in 2007 she introduced her retirement.