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Street Crashes at 75mph Just a week before the Olympics, and in a near re-enactment of her catastrophic '96 fall, US darling and Olympic gold hopeful Picabo Street crashed hard during a World Cup competition this weekend. Street, only recently back from serious knee damage suffered in the '96 crash in Vail, CO., lost a ski at 75mph in a competition Saturday in Are, Sweden. "It was a bigtime crash," US Ski team Coach Herwig Demschar said. "She lost her left ski on the steepest part. She was going straight and nothing happened — the ski just left," he said. The former World Cup downhill champion and Olympic medalist crashed into safety netting after sliding down the upper portion of the downhill course. Street was immediately taken to the hospital for X-rays. The US Ski Team's Dr. Lincoln Avery said Street suffered a mild concussion and minor injuries. Demschar said Street will compete as planned in the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan next week. Street is currently 17th in the downhill standings during this, her comeback season. She finished in the top-10 in her first race, in Val d, Isere, France, since the '96 accident. She also tied for 10th in Altenmarkt, Austria and finished 4th in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy a week ago. This race was the last women's World Cup event before the 1998 winter Olympics in Nagano. Opening ceremonies will take place on Friday, February 6 (PST). Listen to The Mountain Zone's exclusive pre-Olympic interview with Street. For more on last weekend's race, see the World Cup results from Are. — Michelle Quigley, Mountain Zone Staff |
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