All Glory Is Fleeting

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The New York Sun

One thing about Glory is that she does not like to be taken for granted. Which she has rarely made so clear as she did Friday at Pyeongchang during the Women’s Super G. That’s the race where NBC declared the agile Austrian Anna Veith winner of the gold, with 25 racers yet to run.

Glory didn’t like that. No doubt she had been on high alert, because the No. 1 bib was being worn by America’s high-spirited heroine Lindsey Vonn, for whom we don’t mind saying that we were rooting. Vonn stumbled low on the course. She knew instantly she’d lost (our hopes for her abide the Downhill).

Within minutes, Vonn was edged down and then off the Super G podium, first by Joanna Schnarf of Italy, then Laura Gut of Switzerland, then Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein. Finally, Anna Veith, emerged in first place. Then another Austrian, Cornelia Heuter, wearing bib No. 19, made her plunge.

As Heuter rocketed down the Dragon’s Back, NBC’s veteran sportscaster Dan Hicks called her the “last skier down with any kind of chance of getting on the podium.” When she finished out of the running, NBC declared Veith the gold medalist, with 25 skiers yet to race. The cameras caught Veith taking congratulations.

Glory twitched. By the time Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic, the 26th woman on the list, stepped into the starting gate, few were paying attention. What interest there was arose from the fact that Ledecka was in the novel position of competing in both snowboarding and Alpine skiing.

No sooner was Ledecka out of the gate, though, than the two host live-feed announcers, Charlie Brougham and Britt Janyk, grasped how well the Czech firecracker was skiing — even though the first clock check had flashed red, putting Ledecka three hundredths of a second behind Veith. Ms. Janyk declared Ludecka’s performance as “just spectacular.”

Within moments, as Ludecka plunged down the Dragon’s Back, Brougham sensed something historic. Ludecka was “not here to make up the numbers,” he exclaimed. Then, suddenly, he shouted: “Where is she on the clock now?” That seemed to get the attention of Veith, even if NBC had already declared her winner of the gold.

We know this because for the entire race, NBC — or someone — had inserted into the live feed a little side-window showing Veith at the bottom of the course. The Austrian seems to have no concerns about Ludecka. Instead, she ignores the hill and focuses on packing her gear and exchanging greetings.

Only when Ludecka’s speed prompts Brougham to shout “Where is she on the clock now?” does Veith straighten up from stowing her gear and turn to look at what must have been a screen. One can see her start to move her hand to her forehead in recognition that her gold medal is in danger.

Then the screen flashes the second and third clock-stops green. Brougham, a newsman down to the ice, bellows “This will be a story.” Suddenly Veith is rapt. She turns only briefly to say something to someone, as Ludecka hurtles down the hill. Then, as the Czech careers toward the finish, Veith claps her hand to her forehead.

As Ludecka lunges across the finish line, Veith bends her head as if she can’t bear to look at what the screen is showing. She clasps her hand over her mouth and pinches her nose — stunned. She has lost olympic gold by a hundredth of a second in one of the most astounding upsets in Winter Olympic history.

No one, it seems, is more astounded than Ester Ludecka. None of the standard triumphalist fist pumps for her. She stares at the clock no doubt wondering if it was a mistake. Brougham shouts that she has taken the gold but “she cannot believe it.” She clasps her hands to her helmet in disbelief.

It will be one of the indelible moments in all of skiing. Ludecka stands there for half a minute, alone, uncomprehending why everyone is cheering and shouting. It’s a photographer who comes over to try to convince her she’s won. She seems to grasp her victory only when Veith gamely gives her a hug — with Glory, presumably, already off to find her next mark.


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