Yulia Livinskaya of Russia just barely qualified for the first-ever women's ski cross Olympic finals. Her qualifying time of 1:22.83 landed in 32nd place -- in other words, she was the last skier to make the cut.
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End of Olympic experience comes quickly for some
- February 23, 2010 5:26 PM |
- By Erin Valois
Story provided by
By Mary Vallis, National Post
Yulia Livinskaya of Russia just barely qualified for the first-ever women's ski cross Olympic finals. Her qualifying time of 1:22.83 landed in 32nd place -- in other words, she was the last skier to make the cut.
Her Olympic run did not last long. Unfortunately for her, the course was as rough on female competitors as it was on the men.
As Livinskaya touched down in the very first heat, she promptly lost both of her poles and bravely bombed half of the course without them, before she crashed and burned to a stop, requiring medical attention. Minutes later, she was dragged off the course amidst rumours of a sore back, neck and knee.
She is just 19 years old. And just like that, it was all over. Blam.
Mary Vallis, National Post
Photo: Yulia Livinskaya of Russia competes during the freestyle skiing ladies' ski cross on day 12 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain Resort on February 23, 2010 in Vancouver. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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