Vlhova: Thank Goodness for My Team, They Boosted My Confidence for Second Run
Beijing, February 9 (TASR) – The moments between the first and second runs were difficult, but at the same time crucial for the final success, Slovak skier Petra Vlhova, who won the gold medal in the women’s slalom event at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on Wednesday, stated in reaction to her triumph, admitting that luck was among the factors that helped her in the race.
Vlhova trailed 0.72 seconds behind then-leader Lena Duerr from Germany when the first run was completed, recording only the eighth best time. “Thank goodness my team is here with me. They constantly reminded me that I’m the best and that I’m really strong. I believed in myself, but given that I was placed eighth after the first run, I was, naturally, losing my self-confidence. But as there are amazing people in my team, they kept reminding me [of what I’m capable] and they boosted my strength and confidence. Going into the second run I was determined to give it my all, and it paid off in the end,” said Vlhova.
The skier admitted that she wasn’t content with her technical performance on the slope during the first run. This made her change her style in the second run after she had analysed her mistakes on camera.
Nevertheless, Vlhova conceded that luck played a part in her success, as Sweden’s Sara Hector, who was probably going to beat Vlhova according to her split times on the second run, ultimately failed to cross the finish line. “If you achieve great success in sport, you also need a bit of luck,” remarked Vlhova.