After Almost Quitting, She Became a Champion

Athletes talk a lot about doing the best they can and enjoying the Olympic experience while they can, no matter the outcome of their events, but Olympic failure can profoundly affect some, to the point that it alters their lives.

Freestyle skier Nikki Stone knows about that firsthand.

Four years ago, Stone, one of the best in her business, missed qualifying for the aerials finals in Lillehammer, botching the landing on her second jump and finishing 13th. The top 12 qualify.

“It was really hard for me after that,” she said Monday. “The next year I had a few rough starts and I was really ready to quit.

“My coach told me, ‘Give it 110% next week. If you do and you still want to quit, OK.’ So I gave 110% and I won that contest. And then I won the next one and was on the podium the rest of the year. I won the World Championships and the [World Cup] overall [championship]. So I kind of changed my mind.”

She is leading this season’s World Cup standings but that ’94 failure was still on her mind here in Nagano, especially after a shaky landing on her first jump.

She rescued her spot in the finals with a solid second jump and said, “It’s relaxing, just knowing that I made it this far. It’s a step farther than where I made it in Lillehammer.”