Wait. Did she tweet that?
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Spoiler: PyeongChang 2018 Olympics
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Wait. Did she tweet that?
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My xc racing friends beg to disagree, and give this award to the Diggins/Randall relay gold medal.
US Women had not won a gold in an xc event, in, well, forever!
Yes.
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I will disappoint you. Ester is not very often on FB and I guess the same applies to TW. The majority of what appears on her FB profile comes from her Sport Invest agency, the guy responsible is Viktor Valta. There was a minor conflict in December when Ester personally criticized some FB status they posted under her name.
I can´t imagine that she tweeted something like that. In her interviews she has always acted in a very modest way emphasizing that the best girls she´s racing against are the stars and that she´s still learning and trying to be like them. Since most of it was coming though her agency I even had the suspicion they were skillfull agency formulations. Now in Korea she was – in person and partially live - speaking the same way.
Celebrating the first gold with the silver of speed skater Martina Sablikova, a long-time long distance legend and multiple gold medallist, Ester repeated again that it´s not her but Martina that´s the real star.
Asked if her raised arm in the SB finals two gates before the finish was a gesture of triumph she got almost horrified: No, no way! I just fought for balance. I´d never do such a thing!
Because she, as it seems from those many occasions, really can respect her rivals even if she´s beating them permanently.
Not a chance she would have posted something like that.
Last but not least: she repeatedly praises her team and thanks them for their excellent job. Still at the SB finish area in the first interview for the Czech TV: All people around me absolutely fantastic. It´s mostly their credit. I´m only riding down the hill.
Ain´t it sweet? And she´ll only be 23 next month...
I can´t imagine that she tweeted something like that. In her interviews she has always acted in a very modest way emphasizing that the best girls she´s racing against are the stars and that she´s still learning and trying to be like them. Since most of it was coming though her agency I even had the suspicion they were skillfull agency formulations. Now in Korea she was – in person and partially live - speaking the same way.
Celebrating the first gold with the silver of speed skater Martina Sablikova, a long-time long distance legend and multiple gold medallist, Ester repeated again that it´s not her but Martina that´s the real star.
Asked if her raised arm in the SB finals two gates before the finish was a gesture of triumph she got almost horrified: No, no way! I just fought for balance. I´d never do such a thing!
Because she, as it seems from those many occasions, really can respect her rivals even if she´s beating them permanently.
Not a chance she would have posted something like that.
Last but not least: she repeatedly praises her team and thanks them for their excellent job. Still at the SB finish area in the first interview for the Czech TV: All people around me absolutely fantastic. It´s mostly their credit. I´m only riding down the hill.
Ain´t it sweet? And she´ll only be 23 next month...
I'm not surprised. I can imagine that most people at this level have someone "managing" social media.
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Still discussing Ester.
I know she´ll forever be „the snowboarder who beat all skiers“. Yet it´s misleading.
Fact: since 2010 till 17th February she had been racing 187 times on skis and 89 times on SB. There were 47 SL, 56 GS, 41 SG, 29 DH and 14 ACs.
The olympic race was in her 8th adult season, her 188th and her 42nd SG. It´s not very much compared to the racing history of specialists but it´s decidedly not that a snowboarder was just occasionally taking skis.
She was pursuing both since her early years. Not so many gates but she probably spent more time on snow than most other kids. Also because she was basically home-schooled and didn´t lose lots of time sitting at school if she could learn effectively and very fast.
As early as March 2013 there was a FIS SL in France: Noens, Gisin, Gauthier, 4th Ester, Aubert,...
January 2014, 2 SG: Huetter, Fenninger, Venier... both times 6th Ester, further Siebenhofer, Tippler, Brignone, Ferk...
It´s not exactly a racing history of some snowboarder who had to borrow a pair of skis.
The problem is we somehow can´t accept her unique ski/sb combination. Mostly because no one tried such a thing before. It doesn´t fit into our holy patterns, into what we (seem to) know, write, teach, do.
Doing both, say fifty-fifty, doesn´t mean she´s only a 50% skier with 50% training and experience. A part of the SB 50 % counts as well: it´s both down the hill, as she said at the press conference. How much of those other 50 % is synergy and how much interference? She´s racing gates, only using different gear. Who knows? I´d say no one except her.
As to her line: Bank brothers as coaches (officially, Tomas is the coach, Ondrej the consultant) worked hard on it. One reason may be her „snowboarding bad habits“. The board requires a very conservative, „high“ line and the ski coach has to fight the habit each time she steps from SB on skis. Tomas said they recorded the SG track the day before the race, measured the distances, made a drawing of the course and insisted on the line they chose. On the race day they had relatively time enough to watch the favorites, Ondrej did the analyses with Ester.
Yes, she´s still learning, that´s what I wrote above...
Btw, Ester was world´s Nr. 2 in PAR SB as early as in Sochi 2014 but her sore back almost didn´t let her enter the finals. She raced against the doctor´s recommendation and finished 6th and 7th – a disappointment. (She was then given a 15 % chance to continue racing – but an enourmous rehab and specialized program worked.) She wanted to race both there but she didn´t fit into the Czech ski criteria notoriously favoring technical skiers and neglecting speed, so that she placed 9th and there were 8 spots for Sochi. Dad Ledecky was very sour and I guess the family never quite forgot.
I know she´ll forever be „the snowboarder who beat all skiers“. Yet it´s misleading.
Fact: since 2010 till 17th February she had been racing 187 times on skis and 89 times on SB. There were 47 SL, 56 GS, 41 SG, 29 DH and 14 ACs.
The olympic race was in her 8th adult season, her 188th and her 42nd SG. It´s not very much compared to the racing history of specialists but it´s decidedly not that a snowboarder was just occasionally taking skis.
She was pursuing both since her early years. Not so many gates but she probably spent more time on snow than most other kids. Also because she was basically home-schooled and didn´t lose lots of time sitting at school if she could learn effectively and very fast.
As early as March 2013 there was a FIS SL in France: Noens, Gisin, Gauthier, 4th Ester, Aubert,...
January 2014, 2 SG: Huetter, Fenninger, Venier... both times 6th Ester, further Siebenhofer, Tippler, Brignone, Ferk...
It´s not exactly a racing history of some snowboarder who had to borrow a pair of skis.
The problem is we somehow can´t accept her unique ski/sb combination. Mostly because no one tried such a thing before. It doesn´t fit into our holy patterns, into what we (seem to) know, write, teach, do.
Doing both, say fifty-fifty, doesn´t mean she´s only a 50% skier with 50% training and experience. A part of the SB 50 % counts as well: it´s both down the hill, as she said at the press conference. How much of those other 50 % is synergy and how much interference? She´s racing gates, only using different gear. Who knows? I´d say no one except her.
As to her line: Bank brothers as coaches (officially, Tomas is the coach, Ondrej the consultant) worked hard on it. One reason may be her „snowboarding bad habits“. The board requires a very conservative, „high“ line and the ski coach has to fight the habit each time she steps from SB on skis. Tomas said they recorded the SG track the day before the race, measured the distances, made a drawing of the course and insisted on the line they chose. On the race day they had relatively time enough to watch the favorites, Ondrej did the analyses with Ester.
Yes, she´s still learning, that´s what I wrote above...
Btw, Ester was world´s Nr. 2 in PAR SB as early as in Sochi 2014 but her sore back almost didn´t let her enter the finals. She raced against the doctor´s recommendation and finished 6th and 7th – a disappointment. (She was then given a 15 % chance to continue racing – but an enourmous rehab and specialized program worked.) She wanted to race both there but she didn´t fit into the Czech ski criteria notoriously favoring technical skiers and neglecting speed, so that she placed 9th and there were 8 spots for Sochi. Dad Ledecky was very sour and I guess the family never quite forgot.
The reason I was just loving her 10 minutes after the Super G had nothing to do with her being a snowboarder--I can't remember if I had even heard that part yet. What inspired me was that she started outside of the top 20, the dang announcers had already called the race, and she had her dream race winning the Gold at the Olympics. I immediately hopped on FIS-ski.com to check out her previous FIS World Cup results. In her 20 FIS World Cup starts across all disciplines, she had one top-7 result (in the downhill). To be able to pull of the run of your life at the Olympics rocks. Then, finding out that she was a dual sport athlete with the potential to make this incredible record, I couldn't stop cheering for her.
Feel good story of the games for me.
Feel good story of the games for me.
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No matter how proud and happy one (Czech) may be it´s important that a skier stays realistic and doesn´t share emotional ejaculations laymen and general media are enjoying now.
Which means:
(i) alpine SB is a very, very marginal discipline. While freeriding and freestyle (and their gear) are fairly important and widespread, the original 1990´s idea of combining ski alpine racing and SB was/is not very successfull. FIS was eager to steal SB from the founder community (ISF) and rushed to make SB racing olympic. Ski ballet, as mentioned in another thread, found no place, ski jumping women went to the court, SX ended up among freestylers, carving race never succeeded but SBs were embraced.
They are a small group of about 50 racers, a very limited competition. Can you imagine an alpine skier *1973 still in TOP 10 (Ms Claudia Riegler)? A Michi Dorfmeister who quit after the 2006 Olympics as the oldest alpine champion?
Sorry for being rude but I have to think of in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Not really appropriate here but not quite out either.
(ii) the girls. Can you imagine a SB or AL guy racing both WCs? No chance, at least till now. The women´s and men´s competition in these disciplines is hardly comparable. Anyone watching WC regularly or at least occasionally will know.
As Mikaela in an interview in Austria said: the 50th guy skis like he wants to win. A lot of girls seem to be happy to finish 15th-ish.
In December, I analyzed the Madonna SL. A traditional difficult slope and fantastic performances by some guys with bibs 40+. A shocking contrast to some ladies´races.
(iii) Strong competitors YB early 80s no more racing, some in post-injury situations, some injured. The only one elite DH/SG skier relatively fit seems to be Goggia. What a competition! Do you think a former Lindsey or Anna would have lost such a race?
The Olympic SG race was a dream for Ester but a shame for the rest of the pack.
Let´s stay on the ground. A win is not winning. There´s the difference between “to win” and “be winning”. Ceccarelli is SG Olympic champion 2002 but she never won a WC race.
Otoh, who would have thought Ester might ski a top result at the Olympics considering her rather poor SG results 2017/18? The coach´s mention of the 15th place was generally considered (me, too) a difficult task.
She´ll be racing SB now to win both the PGS and overall globes. And the Alpine ski finals: she´s lucky enough to be 25th in DH and she will, for the first time ever, apply WC rule 11.1.3.: the Olympic Champion is qualified even if he/she is not amont the first 25.
Which means:
(i) alpine SB is a very, very marginal discipline. While freeriding and freestyle (and their gear) are fairly important and widespread, the original 1990´s idea of combining ski alpine racing and SB was/is not very successfull. FIS was eager to steal SB from the founder community (ISF) and rushed to make SB racing olympic. Ski ballet, as mentioned in another thread, found no place, ski jumping women went to the court, SX ended up among freestylers, carving race never succeeded but SBs were embraced.
They are a small group of about 50 racers, a very limited competition. Can you imagine an alpine skier *1973 still in TOP 10 (Ms Claudia Riegler)? A Michi Dorfmeister who quit after the 2006 Olympics as the oldest alpine champion?
Sorry for being rude but I have to think of in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Not really appropriate here but not quite out either.
(ii) the girls. Can you imagine a SB or AL guy racing both WCs? No chance, at least till now. The women´s and men´s competition in these disciplines is hardly comparable. Anyone watching WC regularly or at least occasionally will know.
As Mikaela in an interview in Austria said: the 50th guy skis like he wants to win. A lot of girls seem to be happy to finish 15th-ish.
In December, I analyzed the Madonna SL. A traditional difficult slope and fantastic performances by some guys with bibs 40+. A shocking contrast to some ladies´races.
(iii) Strong competitors YB early 80s no more racing, some in post-injury situations, some injured. The only one elite DH/SG skier relatively fit seems to be Goggia. What a competition! Do you think a former Lindsey or Anna would have lost such a race?
The Olympic SG race was a dream for Ester but a shame for the rest of the pack.
Let´s stay on the ground. A win is not winning. There´s the difference between “to win” and “be winning”. Ceccarelli is SG Olympic champion 2002 but she never won a WC race.
Otoh, who would have thought Ester might ski a top result at the Olympics considering her rather poor SG results 2017/18? The coach´s mention of the 15th place was generally considered (me, too) a difficult task.
She´ll be racing SB now to win both the PGS and overall globes. And the Alpine ski finals: she´s lucky enough to be 25th in DH and she will, for the first time ever, apply WC rule 11.1.3.: the Olympic Champion is qualified even if he/she is not amont the first 25.
This post is spot on in so many ways. I love that Ester won both of her events, in two different sports, and walked away with two golds. Really fun, and exciting.
But, the fact is that the women's alpine speed field is down this year, some would say very weak. Some older skiers, some banged up skiers, and a bunch of young up and comers. I know nothing about PGS field, but I do know that it's smaller and less deep that it once was.
I think the key point is to not get over out tips here, particularly in terms of expectations. "There's the difference between "to win" and "be winning."
In this country we have some history with this. A prime example is Deb Armstrong, who won the GS at the Sarajevo games. She was on a WC podium once in her entire career. She actually retired form the sport very, very young. BUT, on that day, and in those games, it all came together. Nobody will ever suggest that she had this long, winning, WC career. However she will always be an "Olympic Gold Medalist," which very few people are.
Whether Ester goes on to alpine ski greatness or not {and I think she can}, this was a special event, and a special time in sports history.
I loved it, but she's not a sudden threat for every WC speed podium.
Will she slow down the snowboarding, and pretty much go all in on the Alpine side?
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With all the (much deserved) talk about Ledecka, I just wanted to underline Anna Veith getting silver. She’s long been one of my favorites and it’s been heartbreaking to watch her so slow on the comeback trail after her injury. It’s just a more fun, more competitive WC with her at full speed. If Veith’s form holds, Goggia and Weirather stay healthy and Stuhec comes back fine next season, the speed events are going to be awesome!
I agree, and just posted something similar on another thread. The only downside for me to Ester's incredible gold medal SG run was her edging on Veith by .01. Anna's injury was a brutal one, and only in the past few months has the press even mentioned the full details. Many thought that she would never race again. That she's been able to come so far back is remarkable...and great to see.
Yes, a field with a reasonably "back" Veith, fully rehabbed Stuhec and Gut, heathy Vonn, TW and Goggia in addition to the others crashing the party just became A LOT more interesting and fun! Perhaps Ester can work into that group. Depending on where she focuses.
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Ester´s near future and plans?
As expected, they announced racing SB now to win both the PGS and PAR globes. She could have won them as early as in late January but she lost the only one PGS race she entered. With the SB globes secured she can enter both WC alpine finals. She´ll finish within WCSL 30 in both events, therefore no rush to best FIS points in the NC DH and SG races.
Time enough to test the material and to work with her sponsors. Maybe to change her present agency and find some 1st rank pros in the business. Just my opinion, the Czech Sport Invest gyus can somehow manage the footballers (soccer) but they are wintersports idiots.
Anna? She didn´t qualify for the Olympic DH and that´s what she said:
"Ich muss also überlegen, in welche Richtung es geht und wo künftig die Schwerpunkte sind", sagte Veith. "So wie es jetzt ist, sind drei Disziplinen zu viel. Wenn ich wieder hundertprozentig in den Riesentorlauf einsteige, muss ich Abfahrten auslassen." Der Riesentorlauf sei aber irgendwie greifbarer. "Da kann man in kurzer Zeit das Dreifache rausholen als in der Abfahrt." (derstandard.at/2000074544511/Abfahrts-Quali-verpasst-fuer-Veith-ist-Olympia-zu-Ende).
Basically, focus on SG and GS, DH aside.
As expected, they announced racing SB now to win both the PGS and PAR globes. She could have won them as early as in late January but she lost the only one PGS race she entered. With the SB globes secured she can enter both WC alpine finals. She´ll finish within WCSL 30 in both events, therefore no rush to best FIS points in the NC DH and SG races.
Time enough to test the material and to work with her sponsors. Maybe to change her present agency and find some 1st rank pros in the business. Just my opinion, the Czech Sport Invest gyus can somehow manage the footballers (soccer) but they are wintersports idiots.
Anna? She didn´t qualify for the Olympic DH and that´s what she said:
"Ich muss also überlegen, in welche Richtung es geht und wo künftig die Schwerpunkte sind", sagte Veith. "So wie es jetzt ist, sind drei Disziplinen zu viel. Wenn ich wieder hundertprozentig in den Riesentorlauf einsteige, muss ich Abfahrten auslassen." Der Riesentorlauf sei aber irgendwie greifbarer. "Da kann man in kurzer Zeit das Dreifache rausholen als in der Abfahrt." (derstandard.at/2000074544511/Abfahrts-Quali-verpasst-fuer-Veith-ist-Olympia-zu-Ende).
Basically, focus on SG and GS, DH aside.
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Ester´s near future and plans?
As expected, they announced racing SB now to win both the PGS and PAR globes. She could have won them as early as in late January but she lost the only one PGS race she entered. With the SB globes secured she can enter both WC alpine finals. She´ll finish within WCSL 30 in both events, therefore no rush to best FIS points in the NC DH and SG races.
Time enough to test the material and to work with her sponsors. Maybe to change her present agency and find some top pros in the business. Just my opinion, the Czech Sport Invest gyus can somehow manage the footballers (soccer) but they are wintersports idiots.
Anna? She didn´t qualify for the Olympic DH and that´s what she said:
"Ich muss also überlegen, in welche Richtung es geht und wo künftig die Schwerpunkte sind", sagte Veith. "So wie es jetzt ist, sind drei Disziplinen zu viel. Wenn ich wieder hundertprozentig in den Riesentorlauf einsteige, muss ich Abfahrten auslassen." Der Riesentorlauf sei aber irgendwie greifbarer. "Da kann man in kurzer Zeit das Dreifache rausholen als in der Abfahrt." (derstandard.at/2000074544511/Abfahrts-Quali-verpasst-fuer-Veith-ist-Olympia-zu-Ende).
While Ester is still interesting there´s one more point.
As I posted earlier, her back almost stopped her racing career. The Czech guru dealing with almost all top Czech sportspersons, Professor Kolar, gave her about 15% chance to pursue her sports carreer. The only chance she got was an enormous and unprecedented program streghtening her core. A challenge she accepted. On later inspection, Kolar was shocked: I´ve never seen results like that! (Said the guy who had treated world and Olympic champs...)
Her core program – lower back and abs – was/is probably more than any woman skier ever experienced. There´s a swimsuit foto of her: I bet no one has seen such abs in women´s alpine skiing. Add her lower back at a similar or even better level. Maybe the strongest core ever.
There´s another foto of her showing the best 2017 Czech sportswomen. She´s standing beside double Olympic javelin champion and world record holder Spotakova, a big woman in her late 30s. Esters shoulders can match those of Spotakova.
A superb athlete. One that can master a radical line. Just watch the angles in SB SL and GS racing.
Btw, remember Janica Kostelic´ 2002 Olympics? 3 golds and a .05 silver. Unprecedented. A girl from a non-ski country produced and coached by a non-skiing dad.
As expected, they announced racing SB now to win both the PGS and PAR globes. She could have won them as early as in late January but she lost the only one PGS race she entered. With the SB globes secured she can enter both WC alpine finals. She´ll finish within WCSL 30 in both events, therefore no rush to best FIS points in the NC DH and SG races.
Time enough to test the material and to work with her sponsors. Maybe to change her present agency and find some top pros in the business. Just my opinion, the Czech Sport Invest gyus can somehow manage the footballers (soccer) but they are wintersports idiots.
Anna? She didn´t qualify for the Olympic DH and that´s what she said:
"Ich muss also überlegen, in welche Richtung es geht und wo künftig die Schwerpunkte sind", sagte Veith. "So wie es jetzt ist, sind drei Disziplinen zu viel. Wenn ich wieder hundertprozentig in den Riesentorlauf einsteige, muss ich Abfahrten auslassen." Der Riesentorlauf sei aber irgendwie greifbarer. "Da kann man in kurzer Zeit das Dreifache rausholen als in der Abfahrt." (derstandard.at/2000074544511/Abfahrts-Quali-verpasst-fuer-Veith-ist-Olympia-zu-Ende).
While Ester is still interesting there´s one more point.
As I posted earlier, her back almost stopped her racing career. The Czech guru dealing with almost all top Czech sportspersons, Professor Kolar, gave her about 15% chance to pursue her sports carreer. The only chance she got was an enormous and unprecedented program streghtening her core. A challenge she accepted. On later inspection, Kolar was shocked: I´ve never seen results like that! (Said the guy who had treated world and Olympic champs...)
Her core program – lower back and abs – was/is probably more than any woman skier ever experienced. There´s a swimsuit foto of her: I bet no one has seen such abs in women´s alpine skiing. Add her lower back at a similar or even better level. Maybe the strongest core ever.
There´s another foto of her showing the best 2017 Czech sportswomen. She´s standing beside double Olympic javelin champion and world record holder Spotakova, a big woman in her late 30s. Esters shoulders can match those of Spotakova.
A superb athlete. One that can master a radical line. Just watch the angles in SB SL and GS racing.
Btw, remember Janica Kostelic´ 2002 Olympics? 3 golds and a .05 silver. Unprecedented. A girl from a non-ski country produced and coached by a non-skiing dad.
Sorry to go a bit off topic, but the Olympic Channel is doing 3 hour segments on each sport with one for all Alpine events.
Excerpt from Roger Angell's piece Winter Olympics Last Look. New Yorker, 2/27/18
Best Announcers
"Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, NBC’s figure-skating pair, and Bode Miller, at the Alpine skiing.
Bode Miller? Yes, Bode Miller, of all people, who won six medals for the U.S. over five Olympics, while establishing a reputation as a barely controlled loner wild man on the slopes."
Good call; while not a huge skating fan, those two were excellent and I appreciated their insight; as for Bode!, great summation.
Best Announcers
"Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, NBC’s figure-skating pair, and Bode Miller, at the Alpine skiing.
Bode Miller? Yes, Bode Miller, of all people, who won six medals for the U.S. over five Olympics, while establishing a reputation as a barely controlled loner wild man on the slopes."
Good call; while not a huge skating fan, those two were excellent and I appreciated their insight; as for Bode!, great summation.
Rudi Riet
AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Lipinski and Weir have not only good insight, but they have a wonderful ability to remain quiet except when they see something that's good or amiss in the skating. Unlike some legacy commentators (Scott Hamilton, Dick Button, Peggy Fleming), they are happy to not fill every. single. second of a skater's performance with commentary. They let the skating speak for itself, seldom veering from the performance at hand. They don't often wander off on tangents about the skater's personal life or other drama - it's refreshing.
And that's where Bode is also quite good: he only says things that are inherently relevant to the analysis of the run. He is a bit monotone and deadpan (friends who aren't as into alpine racing were calling him "BodeBot 3000"), but he's clear-spoken and cuts to the chase with his analysis. Porino is cut from similar cloth.
Sure, Bode isn't as full of excitement as Bob Beattie was back in the day (e.g. Calgary 1988 when he yelled "HE TOUCHED HIS HAND TO THE SNOW! HE TOUCHED HIS HAND TO THE SNOW! THAT PROBABLY COST HIM THE RACE!" about the winning run of Pirmin Zurbriggen), but what he says is almost always on the mark.
And that's where Bode is also quite good: he only says things that are inherently relevant to the analysis of the run. He is a bit monotone and deadpan (friends who aren't as into alpine racing were calling him "BodeBot 3000"), but he's clear-spoken and cuts to the chase with his analysis. Porino is cut from similar cloth.
Sure, Bode isn't as full of excitement as Bob Beattie was back in the day (e.g. Calgary 1988 when he yelled "HE TOUCHED HIS HAND TO THE SNOW! HE TOUCHED HIS HAND TO THE SNOW! THAT PROBABLY COST HIM THE RACE!" about the winning run of Pirmin Zurbriggen), but what he says is almost always on the mark.
Surprised Jonny Moseley and Trace Worthington didn't make the cut. There was a lot of positive response to them on Twitter.
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Ester´s gold – her servisman´s?
(Some more comments on Ester´s SG gold based on a talk with her coach Tomas Bank.)
The cold dry aggressive snow in Korea was not easy to handle. Just ask Hirscher´s people concerning SL – which took place later when temperature extremes were over.
Due to cancellations there were no training runs before the SG race on the hill. Any race-like turn during the inspection resulted in DSQ, the officials suggestively warned.
After the SG inspection Ester almost panicked. She didn´t feel well, got even some back pain and she was scared that her skis had no grip. “There was a phone call from the Mum to drastically sharpen the edges,” Tomas told me. (Mother Ledecka seems to be the family team boss the way Eileen is with the Shiffrins but she used to be no skier.) Ester´s servisman “Olsen” Kouril didn´t obey – I don´t know why, maybe the guys decided reasonably that skiing slow can´t produce the grip that results in race speeds – and Ester didn´t catch the edge the way Goggia and Lindsey did. On her golden run she used the skis which brought her the deplorable 44th at St. Moritz with somilar grippy snow.
As to her line: Tomas confirmed they were intentionally working on a “Lindsey line”, as he called it (“not anymore,” I objected, “yes, the Lins in her best years,” he specified) knowing Ester with her body (remember what I wrote about her abs and core earlier?) can master it. He also told me his brother Ondrej who joined the team later as an ex- WC DHer took some time to start to believe the girl really can hold a “manlike” line.
Ester had, Tomas says, excellent time trials. In the Lake Louise DH where she was 7th, he said, she kicked the start gate prematurely. The same in SG there where she crashed after the 19th time. She really lost .58 in the first 16-17 sec. – otherwise she wouldn´t have been 19th but 7th. As it seems she still doesn´t master a fast start including the first skating steps. (You bet she gets it with her fitness and determination.)
(Some more comments on Ester´s SG gold based on a talk with her coach Tomas Bank.)
The cold dry aggressive snow in Korea was not easy to handle. Just ask Hirscher´s people concerning SL – which took place later when temperature extremes were over.
Due to cancellations there were no training runs before the SG race on the hill. Any race-like turn during the inspection resulted in DSQ, the officials suggestively warned.
After the SG inspection Ester almost panicked. She didn´t feel well, got even some back pain and she was scared that her skis had no grip. “There was a phone call from the Mum to drastically sharpen the edges,” Tomas told me. (Mother Ledecka seems to be the family team boss the way Eileen is with the Shiffrins but she used to be no skier.) Ester´s servisman “Olsen” Kouril didn´t obey – I don´t know why, maybe the guys decided reasonably that skiing slow can´t produce the grip that results in race speeds – and Ester didn´t catch the edge the way Goggia and Lindsey did. On her golden run she used the skis which brought her the deplorable 44th at St. Moritz with somilar grippy snow.
As to her line: Tomas confirmed they were intentionally working on a “Lindsey line”, as he called it (“not anymore,” I objected, “yes, the Lins in her best years,” he specified) knowing Ester with her body (remember what I wrote about her abs and core earlier?) can master it. He also told me his brother Ondrej who joined the team later as an ex- WC DHer took some time to start to believe the girl really can hold a “manlike” line.
Ester had, Tomas says, excellent time trials. In the Lake Louise DH where she was 7th, he said, she kicked the start gate prematurely. The same in SG there where she crashed after the 19th time. She really lost .58 in the first 16-17 sec. – otherwise she wouldn´t have been 19th but 7th. As it seems she still doesn´t master a fast start including the first skating steps. (You bet she gets it with her fitness and determination.)
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