Super G, Women

The 2001 super-G World Cup winner was France’s Régine Cavagnoud, but in October 2001, while training, she collided with German ski coach Markus Anwander, and sustained a serious closed head injury, from which she succumbed two days later. With Cavagnoud out, the event was wide open, though it was contested under a pall. The early leader was Italy’s Karen Putzer, who posted 1:13.86. But the ninth starter was another Italian, unheralded Daniela Ceccarelli, and she bested her teammate with 1:13.59. After the 15 seeds finished, the next starter was Croatian Janica Kostelić, who had already won the combined in Salt Lake. Kostelić passed Putzer to move into second place, but the gold medal went to Ceccarelli in a major upset. She had only once before been on the podium in a World Cup race.