(Reuters) – Polish snowboarder Aleksandra Krol is hoping her third time on the Winter Olympics will show fortunate as she targets a podium end in Beijing buoyed up by her first World Cup win.
The 31-year-old might emerge as a darkish horse on the Video games, set to begin on Feb. 4, after coming first within the parallel large slalom in Simonhoehe, Austria, on Jan. 14.
“I’m not within the place I had on the earlier Olympics. I’m going there to battle for my dream, which is the Olympic medal,” she advised native Polish newspaper Gazeta Krakowska on Monday.
Krol mentioned there was little room for error in Beijing given how tight competitors was at World Cup occasions.
“It’s by no means straightforward to win, it’s a must to battle to the tip in every run and do your greatest. The rides have to be virtually excellent,” she mentioned.
“The highest 16 ladies to race within the ultimate (of the World Cup) are virtually on the identical stage, so the competitors may be very fierce.”
Born in Zakopane, a well-liked winter sports activities vacation spot in Poland, Krol began snowboarding on the age of seven. She turned skilled in her first 12 months of highschool.
“Throughout a visit to Austria with my dad and mom, I rebelled and mentioned that I might not put on skis. My dad and mom had no selection however to lend me a board, considering I might be rapidly discouraged,” she mentioned.
“To their shock, I used to be doing very effectively, higher than snowboarding.”
(Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdansk; modifying by Clare Fallon)
Supply: KFGO
