A dramatic crash in a downhill training run at St Moritz in December 1999 has prevented Janica Kostelic to defend her strong chances of becoming one of the youngest ski racers to clinch a World Cup title. A dominating leader in the slalom standings after two consecutive wins at Serre Chevalier and Sestriere, the 18-year-old Croatian was also a top contender for the Overall Trophy after having scored good results in all four events. She severely damaged most of the ligaments in her right knee in that accident and underwent a delicate surgery in Basle, Switzerland, where she was transported. For a while, it even seemed that her career was over.

Fortunately, the "wondergirl" from Zagreb is both a talented athlete and a fighter. Working hard with excellent re-education specialists in Switzerland, Croatia and France, she was able to find back her form and her momentum at the beginning of the summer. Her first goal is to recover her level from December 1999 and remain in good health for while. At 19, she still has a lot to fight for - even if she has already reached a lot so far.

In January 1999, two weeks after her 17th birthday, Janica Kostelic won her first World Cup event, the Kandahar combined at St Anton, in Austria, where the FIS World Championships will take place in February 2001. Earlier in that season, she stunned the ski world with an amazing performance, taking third in her first ever World Cup slalom at Park City, Utah. She started in 53rd position in the first run.

Her achievement is even more remarkable considering that she grew up in a country with no tradition in alpine ski racing . She had to overcame some very difficult moments when she was younger, in a region plagued by civil war and economical difficulties. Her father Ante, a former international handball trainer, brought Kostelic to the ski slopes when she was a child. She had fun competing with her older brother, Ivica, and soon decided to become a ski racer. Her athletic skills and great coordination could have led her to pro tennis or basketball, but she was more attracted by the snow fields. Janica trained all the time with her family, mostly on the Austrian glacier. Ante worked hard to find the money to cover the training and lodging expenses, including scuba diving in Dalmatia to catch fish sold to local restaurants.

After a strong start in the kids races, Kostelic grew into one of the best junior racers in Europe. In 1998, she entered the FIS World Cup tour and competed at Cortina d'Ampezzo. At the Nagano Olympics, she finished a promising eighth place in combined - she was only 16 at the time. The following spring she had surgery on her leg, which she had broken when she was younger, and the improvement was immediately evident.

In October 1998, the strong-minded and smart Kostelic finally scored her first World Cup points in the opening GS at Soelden, coming in 12th. Three weeks later, she placed third and fourth at Park City and moved into the first seed in the technical events during the rest of the season.

With her smooth and precise technique, Janica was able to make the best out the shorter Salomon skis used in slalom since February 1999. An excellent skier on demanding courses, she still needs to improve her gliding in GS and in the speed events. She may well switch downhill racing this season to focus on the gates-events and eventually find back her spot among the world elite.