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Daniela Maier
Photo:
GEPA pictures/ Matic Klansek / imago images/GEPA pictures
The German ski crosser Daniela Maier surprisingly won bronze at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
The 25-year-old finished fourth in the final at Genting Snow Park, but was upgraded to third place after minutes of video review of the run.
Gold went to the Swedish World Cup dominator and two-time world champion Sandra Näslund, silver to Marielle Thompson, the 2014 Olympic champion. It was only the second medal ever for the German ski freestylers and the first in ski cross.
In 1998 Tatjana Mittermayer won silver on the mogul slope.
The jury, which included German participants, justified this by saying that Maier was disabled by former Swiss world champion Fanny Smith.
When Smith and Maier collided, the Swiss took a big step to the side, which handicapped Maier.
Apparently, the rulers saw intention here, which must be a prerequisite for punishment.
"That's all wrong," Smith said of the decision.
»It was an exciting thriller, Dani drove really well.
It's the medal.
No one will ask tomorrow how it came about," said sporting director Heli Herdt on ARD.
»Fanny received a yellow card for her maneuver on the home stretch.
There is a relatively clear set of rules.
If one driver can be assumed to be intentional and another driver is significantly slowed down, then that is a yellow card.”
Maier himself did not seem happy with the decision.
"It was just normal ski cross," said the bronze winner.
jan/dpa/sid