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U.S. women are left to ponder their shutout in giant slalom
By Ray Grass
Deseret News Olympic specialist
PARK CITY — The door slammed shut on the U.S. women without so much as a warm greeting in these Olympic Games. The 11 women, who came with high expectations, left without a medal.
It was the first time since 1988 that the American women have been shut out.
The final race, the women's giant slalom, was Friday.
The best finish by a U.S. skier was 17th by Kristina Koznick of Burnsville, Minn., who is actually skiing as an independent.
Next best was Sarah Schleper of Vail, Colo., in 21st, followed by Kirsten Clark of Raymond, Maine, 26th, and Alex Shaffer of Park City in 28th.
The race was won by Janica Kostelic of Croatia, who won her fourth medal — three gold and one silver.
The best finish by an American in these Olympics was a sixth in the combined by 17-year-old Lindsey Kildow, also from Vail.
The one bright spot from Friday's finale was that all four racers finished. In the four previous races, one or more of the skiers fell. The most disappointing fall came in the women's slalom at Deer Valley on Wednesday, when Koznick, favored to medal in the event, fell six gates from the finish on her first run.
Time and again the U.S. skiers have said they were "disappointed" by their finishes, and several admitted they were "tentative" or skied too "cautiously."
Koznick said she tried to go too fast on her second run in the GS, lost balance in one section and "almost went out of the course. It's a bummer. I know I'm good enough to be in the top 15."
She also admitted that she knew coming into the Games that the U.S. women were struggling and that the "atmosphere was not the best. . . . But for me, I was skiing awesome until I went down (in the slalom)."
She said she will now return to World Cup racing. "I had two goals at the start of the season. One was to win a gold, which I didn't do, and the second was to win the (World Cup) slalom title."
She is currently in second place in the standings.
As for the rest of the team, they will move back onto the race circuits — World Cup, NorAm and Europa Cup — and look for answers to why they missed their Olympic target.
E-MAIL: grass@desnews.com
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February 23, 2002
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