Janica Kostelic (CRO)

DOB:  05/01/1982  Hometown:  Zagreb

Only a couple of weeks after her 17th birthday, Janica Kostelic won her first World Cup event at the famous Kandahar combined at St. Anton, as well as third place in slalom. Her achievement is even more remarkable considering that she grew up in a country with no tradition in alpine ski racing and that Kostelic went through a very difficult period when she was younger. Earlier in the 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 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.

Kostelic trained with her family when she was young, 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. What sweet revenge in St. Anton when they received US$50,000 in prize money.

After a strong start in the kids races, Kostelic grew into one of the best junior racers in Europe. During the '96-'97 season, she won most of her junior races. In '98, she entered the FIS senior tour and competed at Cortina d'Ampezzo. At the Nagano Olympics, Kostelic finished a promising eighth place in combined — she was only 16 at the time. The following spring she underwent surgery on her leg, which she had broken when she was younger, and the improvement was immediately evident.

In the opening GS at Sölden, the strong-minded Kostelic finally scored her first World Cup points, 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. Ironically, Janica was not supposed to compete so early on the World Cup tour, but she was right in changing her plans. There will be many more successes for Janica Kostelic, pride of sports-crazy Croatia.

— Patrick Lange, MountainZone.com World Cup Correspondent