2018 Winter Olympics: Ester Ledecka adds gold in snowboard to gold on skis

Josh Peter | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Lindsey Vonn on new perspective she had at these Olympics Life experiences shaped Lindsey Vonn's outlook during the 2018 Winter Games.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Becoming the first Olympian to win gold medals in Alpine skiing and snowboarding, Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic on Saturday defied skeptics at the 2018 Winter Olympics by trusting someone else.

Herself.

“I was dreaming about this moment since I was a little child, and really since I was 5 years old I was thinking about to get an Olympics and win golds,’’ Ledecka, 22, said after winning the women’s Parallel Giant Slalom in snowboarding a week after her stunning victory in the women’s Alpine skiing Super-G.

“There are so many who told me this is not possible,’’ she added.

In defense of those who doubted Ledecka, no one had even attempted to compete in both sports at the Olympics, much less set out to win gold medals. Unlike the Super-G, when Ledecka shocked everybody — herself included — she won comfortably in the Parallel Giant Slalom at Phoenix Snow Park, outracing Germany’s Selina Joerg in what put an exclamation mark on her story of self-trust.

After Ledecka won the Big Final, her snowboard coach, Justin Reiter, made a confession about her dream of competing in both sports.

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“I always doubted the ability to do both,’’ he said. “I always didn’t know if it was possible until this October. And we had a very candid conversation in which as the snowboard coach I was thinking, ‘Hey, maybe we have a real shot at a snowboard medal here. We should probably focus a little bit on snowboarding.’ "

A discussion ensued.

“We had a good conversation about it and at the end of the conversation I went home feeling a little bit like I had thrown some water on a fire,’’ Reiter said. “And I came to training the next day and I said, ‘Hey, Ester, forget everything I said. if you want to to ski and snowboard, i don’t give a (expletive). Let’s go for it. …’

“And from that moment forward, I think once she felt support from both sides, it lifted her up and gave her the ability to do more. Because a lot of coaches in the past have always been like, ‘Nah, nah, nah, you got to pick one.’ ”

Spectators following Ledecka at the Olympics have learned what those nah-nah-nah-pick-one coaches learned — she is distinctly her own person. Surely the only Super-G gold medalist who celebrated with dinner at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

And probably the only gold medalist who once again wore her racing goggles during post-victory interviews because, Ledecka explained, she she hadn’t put on makeup.

The first woman to earn two gold medals in two different sports in a single #WinterOlympics!



Ester Ledecka just won the parallel giant slalom one week after earning gold in the super-G. https://t.co/1tUemeuyVb pic.twitter.com/rn3nX8YXOx — NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 24, 2018

At the Super-G, a medal seemed too unlikely to worry about makeup. But before the Parallel Giant Slalom she was favored to win?

“I woke up very early, and to wake up even earlier just because of makeup,’’ she said with a grin, “no.’’

Her coach cites Ledecka’s internal makeup — not the missing eye shadow, rouge and lipstick — as the reason she has proved so many people wrong and showed what’s possible for a dual winter sports star.

“I think it should redefine how people look at athletes currently in the state of sports,’’ Reiter said. “Currently I think people look at them as investments and as opportunities to capitalize on just becoming famous or whatever it is. I think, if you know Ester, the joy that she has for riding, the joy that she has for skiing, the joy that she has for training and working hard is unmatched. And that’s something that I think more coaches need to look at, more parents need to look at.

“Multi sports and just participating in other things can actually enrich your ability overall and actually enrich your life. So rather than raise prima donnas that are nine years old and destined to be the next LeBron James, let’s get them out there and try to be LeBron James and David Beckham. Let’s get them out there and just having fun and enjoying the hard work.’’

Yet it sounds like Ledecka has more to teach. When asked of she has opened the door for kids to play multiple sports, she offered some advice: "The only thing is I think they should do (is) to follow their hearts.''