Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic made history at the Winter Olympics, just days before the closing ceremonies. Ledecka is the first female Olympian to win two gold medals in two separate events in the same Winter Olympics.
According to NPR, Ester Ledecka secured the gold medal in ladies' snowboard parallel giant slalom on Saturday (Feb. 24). She defeated Germany's Selina Joerg by 0.46 seconds.
A week before, Ledecka shocked the world by claiming gold in skiing. Ledecka claimed victory in the ladies' super-G in Alpine skiing, finishing ahead of American Lindsey Vonn. Ester has become the first athlete to have competed in both events at the Olympic level.
Reaching the point of greatness
Ester Ledecka has become recognized as one of the most successful snowboarders, winning several world titles and previously competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics. Ledecka becomes the third athlete to win gold in two events in the same Winter Olympics. The last time an athlete achieved this was in 1928 by Johan Grottumsbraten, who took gold in Nordic combined and cross-country skiing.
At the conclusion of her events, Ledecka thanked her team and family for the support which helped her reach the highest levels in both events. She hopes her family is feeling great and said that she was proud of her team and coach.
Ledecka stunned the crowd and family after racing from 26th place in the super-G and winning by 0.01 seconds. This will definitely be one of the greatest moments in all Olympic history and probably the best performance in this year's Olympics. Ledecka has a rich Olympic bloodline. Her grandfather, Jan Klapac, won bronze and silver in ice hockey with Czechoslovakia. During her super-G run, Ledecka was shocked at her end time and expected it to change but it did not.
Ester realized she won and celebrated with a doll at the winner's podium. It was a win that lit up the internet and shocked the world.
A great Winter Olympics
According to Yahoo Sports, Ledecka was originally advised to focus on one sport but decided to do both. Ester says she will continue to do both because she loves both sports and loves to do both. Ester Ledecka's snowboard coach Justin Reiter says that her success has come from her ability to restrain herself. This year she focused on her health and now has two gold medals to show for it. As the Olympics wrap up, Ledecka must get prepared for the snowboarding World Cup race in Turkey and then the Alpine World Cup finals in Sweden next month.