Janica Kostelic at home World Cup - but not as a racer

By Marc Zeilhofer Jan 4, 2007, 12:14 GMT

Zagreb - Janica Kostelic is still very much in the public eye in her home country of Croatia, but the ski star refuses to say whether she will be competing again after sitting out the current season.

Tens of thousands of fans were on hand to give her a big cheer on Wednesday night when she attended the bib draw for a World Cup slalom race just outside the Croatian capital.

The fans at the slope were also due to see her at Thursday night's race, as a forerunner.

Whether she will be racing again next year she doesn't reveal, the standard answer over the past weeks being 'maybe or maybe not.'

Kostelic, 25, has won almost everything in the sport, highlighted by four Olympic golds, five world titles and three overall World Cup trophies.

But her career has been plagued by an injury list as big as her trophy collection. Kostelic has gone through several knee operations, has back trouble and can effectively not ski pain-free.

'I had to suffer for too long. I can no longer take the constant pain while skiing, even though skiing is my life,' she said when she announced last autumn that she won't ski this season.

In addition, Kostelic also wants to have a life away from sport even though she is a regular World Cup visitor to cheer the other Croatian women or her brother Ivica on the men's side.

Kostelic said she has more time for her boyfriend, has opened a beauty centre in the coastal resort of Rijeka and simply enjoys going to parties and other events.

'I want a normal life and to experience the things I couldn't enjoy as a top athlete,' she said.

Kostelic names this lifestyle 'a big holiday' and won't decide until the spring whether she will ski competitively again. A longer break is not out of the question as the next season features neither Olympics nor world championships. The next worlds are 2009 and the Olympics 2010.

However, there are few doubts within the circuit that Kostelic could be back on top if she decides to return.

'You never know with her, not even her father knows what she will do in the future. But a Janica Kostelic can make a comeback even after a longer break - unless she enjoys the sweet life too much,' said German coach Mathias Berthold.

But a half-hearted comeback is highly unlikely for Kostelic, who the last time around at the Zagreb race thrilled the fans with a dramatic comeback from seventh to third place even though she lost a glove and ski pole at the start of the second run.

'I was so ashamed after placing seventh in the first run, I simply had to continue,' she said.