Cross Country Heartbreak and Triumph of Petra Majdic--Winning Bronze Against All Odds
Opinion on Cross-country Race of Petra Majdic After Her Devastating Fall During Training and Her Bronze Medal
Despite the debilitating pain Majdic endured after the fall, she decided to compete and finished the qualifying round 19th and was then immediately taken to the hospital for X-rays. Luckily, she suffered no internal injuries and none of her ribs were broken. After the hospital visit, Majdic returned to the cross-country course to finish the sprint.
Cheered on by spectators, athletes and coaches from all countries, Majdic gave her all. Given the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final of the cross-country competition, her courageous victory reminds us once again of the incredible, unconquerable Olympic spirit the champions are made of. To win against all odds is not a miracle. It is a conscious decision of an athlete to finish the job in spite of all the incapacitating agony and pain.
And yet, the question remains. Are we demanding of our athletes impossible? In the spirit of official Olympic motto, "Swifter, Higher, Stronger", we want them to run faster and faster, to jump higher and higher and to dare stronger and stronger challenges. Oblivious of the dangers they are confronting, we are demanding more and more. And they are giving us more and more, without hesitation and without regrets.
We are building faster and faster tracks, steeper and steeper slopes, we are pushing the envelope further and further without considering the consequences of our demands and expectations on our athletes.
Petra Majdic defied her injuries and pain and went ahead with competition winning bronze. Majdic won Slovenia's first medal in cross country. And yet, her medal was so much more. Athletes and coaches recognized that and their cheering helped Majdic drown her devastating pain and fight. She won the medal and Slovenes got their hero.
However, there are others who raced and crashed never being able to continue. Anja Paerson of Sweden and Edith Miklos of Romania never finished the downhill race. Miklos, badly injured, had to be airlifted to the hospital. They too gave it all. Did we acknowledge their courage?
Much has been said in the last days about the safety issues at these Olympic Games. Challenging and defying reason and pain, the athletes work hard and give everything to their sport. Don't we at least owe them safety on the slopes and tracks on which they compete? How many injuries are inevitable and how many can we prevent?
Published by Nives P. Covnik
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10 Comments
Post a CommentCongratulations to Petra from Maribor, that said, having had two cracked ribs (cracked not broken mind you) after falling from a ladder, I was barely able to move let alone stretch my arms and I needed to be hospitalized.
So I indeed doubt the authenticity of her injuries. No doubt that she was in pain from the fall, but as said, having had a similar, yet 10 times less severe injury as Petra supposedly has, I don't really belive that it's true. Sorry.
WHAT?!?!?! no internal injuries or broken ribs??? please...who the hell is publishing this?? read our local newspaper or even better - have an interview with her personaly...4 broken ribs and phnevmotorax..you can not be serious by saying that she was fine...she risked so much that she could die..
please, stop publishing complete bullshit..check if your data is correct..
She is our local hero...and she should earn the title of a World athlete of the year..she won the bronze medal on Olympics with such pain that most of you(us) wouldn't even be able to breathe..so plesae show more respect to her by publishing true data
Cristian Calzon we know your comps IP and home adress! Petra Majdic may visit you soon and we don't know if you would like this to happen!
As far as i know you can't bluff broken ribs and pneumotorax, or am I wrong, Cristian? The fact that you can't give such a great sportswoman some credit shows a huge leck of sport spirit which is what olympic games are all about. For Slovenians she is a hero and a living example of what some faith and a strong will can do.
She has four broken ribs!!! And pnevmotoraks!!! Her rib hurted her loungs... I live a few km away from her home. I know the facts,but i am crazy-mad on americans because in america its all about the show. I simle safe net would be in a way for pohotographers. would it? "Safe" is not an option when a show is on the programe...america...
Petra turned down a pain-killing injection and ran with that little help of painkillers but if anyone had such an injury you know that it doesn't helps much. It was a last chance for her to win an olympic medal. First medical exams after qualification run showed nothing is broken. It was the thorough ultrasound examination in a hospital after the race that showed four broken ribs and pnevmotoraks. With that injuries she also put her life in danger (although she didn't know the state of her injuries beside the pain) because pnevmotoraks can cause heart failure. She wrote a breathtaking olympic story and she truly is a heroine.
Cristian Calzon you are bluffing, looool!
Petra Majdic is bluffing. Not even a so called hero can do the physical effort it takes to take bronze in a Olympic sprint. Is a big scandal to let a whole world believe that she is competing with such big injuries.
Getting bronze for Slovenia with 4 broken ribs is an extraordinary achievement, but somehow she managed to achieve that.
As to safety of these games, I have to say that the Canadians did not do their job done, it looks like they test the tracks to see where to put the safety nets on sportsmen and sportswomen. First the luge, then this "hole" for Petra on the slippery curve, and those moguls at the women's downhill ... I certainly did not expect that from Vancouver. Yes, they have a bad weather for the olympics, and it is not their fault, but they cannot blame the weather for the unsafe courses. They robbed Pärson of silver, and they robbed Petra of gold in this and maybe in some other disciplines too, (30km and group sprint) because the season is over for her ...
majdic petra ran with 4 broken ribs and 'phnevmotorax' (I don't know if spelled right) anyway... yes hero for Slovenia !