Klug Will Attempt a Giant Comeback

The Chris Klug story will be closely followed, as the 31-year-old snowboarder from Aspen, Colo., attempts to win a medal in men’s parallel giant slalom at Park City.

Needing a liver transplant to save his life, Klug received a new liver on July 28, 2000, and returned to competition a year later. He was sixth in the world giant slalom in 2001, the best U.S. finish.

At Nagano in ‘98, he was second after his first run, but he fell to sixth after catching his arm in a gate.

In Thursday’s qualifying, Klug led American competitors in 11th place, 1.48 seconds out of first place. His teammates, Jeff Greenwood and Peter Thorndike, were 20th and 27th, out of the qualifying for the final.

The leader was Gilles Jaquet of Switzerland, with a time of 35.69, the only competitor to go under 36 seconds.