MOSCOW, December 23 (R-Sport) - One of Russia’s most talented Alpine skiers has broken a leg and will miss the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February, a source with knowledge of the situation has told R-Sport.
Valentina Golenkova’s Olympic dream was shattered just over 10 days after the biggest success of her career, when she won the downhill gold medal at the University Games in Italy followed by bronze in the Super G two days later.
While Golenkova was not considered a medal contender for the Olympics, she was likely to have featured in Russia’s Alpine ski team, which has a small but developing presence on the world stage.
Golenkova, who lives near Moscow, is the reigning Russian national champion in downhill and super G events. She debuted at the top-tier World Cup last month, finishing 50th in the downhill in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
