Carole Montillet carried the French flag in the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and she knew being chosen had less to do with her than with Regine Cavagnoud. By then Montillet had acknowledged fears of losing her identity because everything she did was linked to Cavagnoud.
If Montillet won, it was to honor Cavagnoud. If she lost, it was because of the lingering trauma of being the first French skier to see the motionless form of Cavagnoud after she crashed during a training run Oct. 29 in Austria, leading to her death two days later.
“Today I did this for me,” Montillet said. “I dedicate my victory to the coaches and everyone who supported our team this season.”
What Montillet did Tuesday was become the first Frenchwoman to win the Olympic downhill and the first Frenchwoman to win an alpine skiing Olympic gold medal since 1968.
She also became one of the most surprising downhill winners in the 54 years women have contested the event at the Olympics. Never before had Montillet, 28, won a World Cup or championship downhill.
“I think this came from heaven,” she said.
She was referring to the good fortune that had given her an optimal starting position in a race twice delayed by high winds, first from Monday to Tuesday and then for two hours Tuesday. She was also referring to Cavagnoud, who died six months after winning the world title in super-giant slalom.
“I can’t stop myself from thinking that Regine helped me today. From on high she is very proud of us,” Montillet said.
Picabo Street started in softer snow conditions 40 minutes after Montillet and finished 16th overall, 1.61 seconds behind the winner and third among the U.S. entries. Street, the 1998 Olympic gold medalist in super-G, said it was the final race of an injury-fraught career in which she became the greatest downhiller in U.S. history.
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“I’m really relieved to be down here,” Street said. “I’m really relieved to be safe. I’m done, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Montillet, 14th in the 1998 Olympic downhill, won Tuesday in 1 minute 39.56 seconds by skiing the middle of the course faster than any of the other 34 finishers. Isolde Kostner of Italy and Renate Goetschl of Austria, two of the prerace favorites, were second and third in 1:40.01 and 1:40.39, respectively.
“This is Carole’s day, and I hope that’s what it’s made to be,” said Jonna Mendes, whose 11th place led the U.S. team. “She had to have skied unbelievably.
“Regine’s teammates kept her legacy going a little bit, but her life was taken away too soon. [The French women] were going to do everything they could to avenge it.”
Montillet’s win delighted her rivals. They have struggled to comprehend how destiny conspired to have Cavagnoud run into German coach Markus Anwander who somehow was in the middle of the course as the Frenchwoman took her fatal run.
“This was the best thing that could happen,” said Sylviane Berthod of Switzerland, who finished seventh. “For the team, for Regine, for everybody, it is perfect.”
Montillet was not close to Cavagnoud, who had been something of a loner on the French team until the last couple of seasons. The two had one notable clash about four years ago. Montillet recalled it when speaking of Cavagnoud in December.
“It is important to remember the good times and the arguments,” Montillet said.
For Montillet and her teammates, that was part of the painful process of moving on in a sport where the risks are tremendous. Even though Cavagnoud’s crash had nothing to do with the competitive dangers of ski racing, it was a reminder of what can happen while hurtling down an icy hill at 60 m.p.h.
“It is difficult when you are apprehensive, when you are afraid to go fast,” Montillet said. “Personally I had some terrible moments, some moments of doubt. Now I have the impression that this will erase all those things. I can start again fresh.”
Montillet cleared her mind by skipping the final pre-Olympic races in Sweden and flying to San Diego with her boyfriend on Jan. 28. They ran on the beach, did movement exercises and simply got away from the snowy landscapes that contained such haunting memories.
“Every day, I think about Regine,” Montillet said. “Today I wanted to go fast, and I did it.”