Combined, Women1

The women’s combined downhill was delayed a few hours due to high winds and held after the slalom. The 2001 World Cup champion was Croatian Janica Kostelić, who had overcome significant knee problems to get to that level. During a training run in December 1999, she had sustained a multi-ligament knee injury and the resultant surgery kept her out until the 2000 season. After winning the World Cup, she had undergone a series of knee surgeries in the summer of 2001, and was still recovering as she came into Salt Lake City. Better in the slalom than the downhill, the weather delay helped her as she was able to take the lead by placing first in the slalom, ahead of Martina Ertl, the 2001 World Champion. The downhill was won by Austrian Renate Götschl, who had been fourth in the slalom. It moved her up to second place, but Kostelić placed third in the downhill, to hold onto her lead and take the gold medal. It was her first ever Olympic gold medal, but during the 2002 Winter Olympics, she would win three golds and four medals. Her four Alpine gold medals at one Olympics was a record for any alpine skier of either gender.