Winter Olympics: 22-year-old Czech, Ester Ledecka wins Winter Olympics double gold

Winter Olympics: 22-year-old Czech, Ester Ledecka wins Winter Olympics double gold
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By Katy Dartford
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The win makes her the fifth person to win gold in two different sports.

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Ester Ledecka has became the first person in Winter Olympics history to win gold medals in both Alpine skiing and snowboarding.

The 22-year-old Czech won the snowboard parallel giant slalom on Saturday to go with her Alpine super-G gold last week.

Ledecka was superb throughout and defeated Germany's Selina Joerg in the final by 0.46 seconds to become the fifth person to win gold in two different sports.

Three of the four athletes to have won in different sports in the past did so in the closely related fields of Nordic combined and cross-country skiing while Russian Anfissa Reszova did so in biathlon and cross country.

Never before has the seemingly unbreachable divide between the old classic of the Games, Alpine skiing, and the popular modern sport of snowboarding been breached by an athlete winning gold in both.

"The best satisfaction is really that I could be here on both and win both," said Ledecka.

"It was a great feeling, every run was a great feeling, it was something very special. I will think about this moment until the end of my life."

While her super-G gold was a complete shock, Ledecka looked in command from the outset in her favoured discipline, setting the fastest time in qualifying and handling the pressure to make her historic achievement look almost routine.

Ledecka's momentous accomplishment of winning unrelated events has seen her lauded by many as the "Queen of the Games", a moniker she admits was growing on her.

"I don't feel like that but it sounds good, for sure," laughed Ledecka.

The Czech admitted it had been difficult to adjust to her primary sport after the whirlwind that followed last week's triumph on skis.

"It was quite tough to change myself into a snowboarder," she said. "I had one week for it and until yesterday I didn't feel good but today I found the snowboarder in me, luckily.

"I love racing. This is the best thing about my job, the racing. I just feel good in my bubble and focus on myself, my riding and I think it helps me."

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