A Slovenian cross-country skier was able to not only compete, but won a bronze medal in the women's classic sprint at the Vancouver Olympics on Wednesday despite injuring her ribs in a crash during training, the Slovenian newspaper Dnevnik reported.
Petra Majdic, one of the pre-race favorites, injured her ribs after she flew off the track at a bend, into a snow bank, before finally slamming into a tree during a warm-up run earlier on Wednesday but managed to struggle through the qualifying rounds and grab Slovenia's first ever medal in cross-country.
After the accident, she was taken to a nearby clinic, where an X-ray showed that she was heavily bruised but no bones were broken. She then rushed back to Whistler Olympic Park just in time for the race.
"I was screaming my way around the course," The Washington Post quoted Majdic as saying. "It was the first time all the coaches from all the nations were cheering for me."
"Today, this is not a bronze," she said after she was taken up to the podium for the flower and awards ceremony in a wheel-chair. "This is a gold with little diamonds on it."
Majdic's brave performance overshadowed those of Norway's Marit Bjoergen, who won gold, and Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland, who took the silver.
While Majdic is unlikely to compete in Friday's 15K pursuit and team sprint, she said she might have a go at the 30K classical scheduled for February 27.
"I think it will be impossible for me to race - in a few days the injury will be much worse," she said. "The best thing I can do is to prepare for the 30km mass start (on February 27th)."
MOSCOW, Fenruary 18 (RIA Novosti)
