With tears in her eyes and a painful grimace, Ester Ledecká left the ski slope after her last race at the Beijing Olympics. An hour before the combination slalom, she caused an unspecified injury in the lower part of her body while starting, according to physiotherapist Michal Lešák.
“It’s a very painful injury, which I don’t want to say at all. We have to go for further examinations,” Lešák said as Ledecká slowly left for the cable car after a doping control.
Slalom Ledecká left with painkillers. In the combination, she finished fourth just below the podium and, after a doping control, headed for the examination.
The three-time Olympic winner finished second in the combination downhill and hurried to the side hill to go down two training slaloms, which she doesn’t have time to train too much. And the first problem occurred.
“She left in the fourth gate due to pain,” Lešák revealed. “The worst part was that it happened about thirty minutes before the inspection. So I guess an hour before the ride,” he added.
According to Lešák, this is not a back injury that the 26-year-old skier and snowboarder has been dealing with during her career. “She hasn’t had it yet. It’s in the lower part of the body. I can’t and won’t specify it yet,” the physiotherapist repeated.
According to him, injury is a combination of circumstances. “The difficult program he has here, plus the unfortunate coincidence that happened in the slalom. The frost certainly won’t add to that,” Lešák complained.
Ledecká decided on the start in the combination slalom only just before the start. “We left it to her,” Lešák assured him.
The Czech star managed the ride very well, but stopped just behind the finish line. Stand forward for a moment. “There is a certain amount of adrenaline in the ride. Ester, as a fighter, wanted to fight for it at all costs. And it turned out to be an amazing ride,” Lešák smirked.
Now he is waiting for Ledecká’s calm and further examinations by the doctors of the Czech team. “Then I will start working on it so that the flight home is at least pleasant,” Lešák added.
Ledecka should leave Beijing on Saturday. Next week, the Crans Montana World Cup continues. “Downhill training is exactly a week away. The next two or three days will be the most important. Then we can say what it’s like,” Lešák shrugged. He believes the injury will not require surgery. “It will work 99 percent without surgery.”
Ledecká practically did not stop at the Beijing Games – she defended a gold medal in the parallel giant slalom on snowboard, then immediately switched to skiing and three days later finished fifth in the super-giant slalom.
This was followed by two training sessions – one was not due to the weather – and a race in which she took 27th place after a mistake. He was followed by downhill training in combination, two training slaloms and a day later the race.
Shortly after the Olympic triumph in Beijing, Ester Ledecka was “attacked” by a local reporter:
