Ester Ledecka, the unique Winter Olympics athlete who clinched gold in two different sports simultaneously, has faced a challenging decision regarding the upcoming Milan-Cortina Games. The Czech star has opted to forgo the alpine downhill competition to focus on pursuing a third consecutive Olympic gold in snowboarding’s giant slalom due to an unavoidable scheduling clash. Despite efforts to resolve the conflict, both events are scheduled for the same day, making it impossible for her to compete in both disciplines.
The 30-year-old athlete made an unsuccessful appeal to the International Olympic Committee, supported by Johan Eliasch, the head of the FIS skiing governing body. Expressing her disappointment, Ledecka mentioned that she shed tears over the situation but acknowledged the complexity of scheduling coordination. She highlighted her unique position as the only athlete to qualify for two sports events for the third time and hoped this would be considered in the decision-making process.
The snowboarding parallel giant slalom final is set to take place in Livigno, Italy, at 1 p.m. on Feb. 8, while the women’s downhill event is scheduled in Cortina at 11:30 a.m. on the same day, with a four-hour drive separating the two venues. The head of the Czech Olympic Committee, Jiřà Kejval, expressed regret over the circumstances but indicated that the current schedule is unlikely to change despite their efforts.
In the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Ledecka was the sole female athlete to qualify for both alpine skiing and snowboarding events, where she achieved an extraordinary feat by winning gold in the super-G and the parallel giant slalom. During the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, she successfully defended her snowboarding gold and secured fifth place in the super-G, 27th in the downhill, and fourth in the alpine combined. Additionally, at this year’s alpine skiing world championships, she earned a bronze medal in the downhill event.
Looking ahead to next year’s Olympics, the women’s super-G competition is scheduled for Feb. 12, allowing Ledecka the opportunity to participate. Her consistent success across multiple disciplines continues to captivate audiences and solidify her status as a remarkable multi-sport athlete.