After winning the overall World Cup title last season, Janica was mostly going through injuries.

In a slalom race for FIS Championship of Croatia on 2nd March 2001 in Innerkrems (Austria) Janica fell and injured her left knee. Though injured, she skied in final races of the World Cup in Are (Sweden) and underwent an operation at Bruderholz clinic in Basle, Switzerland (the same clinic where her right knee was successfully operated after the serious injury in December 1999). A small part of Janica's torn left knee meniscus was operated. Following a surgeon's advice, Janica began skiing in late April, but in May pain re-appeared in the same knee. Even after two weeks of rehabilitation in Terme Selce, in Selce (the usual site of Janica's rehabilitation), the pain would not stop.

In late May, Janica went to Basle for examination, where laceration of yet another part of meniscus and knee instability were diagnosed. On 31st May, she underwent another surgery, and a part of the lacerated meniscus was removed. Through reducing the medial colateral ligament, her left knee was stabilized. After short rehabilitation in Basle, Janica goes to Terme Selce again. She was recommended to go back to snow in eight weeks, and train in full intensity after three months.

After Selce, in early July, Janica went to the Croatian island of Mljet for a holiday and to continue rehabilitation, and she began training to get in shape. On 22nd July Janica goes to 10-day free skiing in Zermatt (Switzerland). By the end of August, Janica continues training fitness on Mljet and the isle of Badija (near Korčula), where she did gymnastics, swimming, diving, cycling etc.

On 31st August Janica began her first autumn ski training on Hinterlux (Austria). This marked her come-back to skis after the rehabilitation. On Hinterlux she trained slalom, giant slalom and super G in very bad weather conditions, due to constant fog and new snow. In spite of all, she managed to collect 24 winter training days. During the training she felt pain in her left knee, and she went to Basle once again. Only to discover that everything was all right with the knee. Since she could not stand the pain in her left knee (and on a foggy day in September hit a hole during a training and sprained her knee), we decided to ask another doctor for an opinion - Dr. Schenk from Schruns clinic (Austria). There she was examined on 28th September and operated the very same day (meniscus and left knee cartilage). The operation went all right, and proved necessary, since another part of the meniscus and a part of cartilage were injured.

Janica stayed in Schruns for rehabilitation for a week, and spent another ten days rehabilitating in Terme Selce. On 15th October she was examined by Dr. Schrenk. A good condition of the knee was diagnosed, but since there was slight pain in the knee, coming from cartilage, another 2-3 weeks of rehabilitation were recommended.

We decided to send Janica to Moravske Toplice, Slovenia, because of good thermal water (Mark Girrardelli stayed there three times - last time before winning a gold medal at the World Championship in Sierra Nevada (Spain), in 1996), and she stayed there until 4th November. Obviously, she couldn't take part at the World Cup opening in Solden (Austria), and in the races in the U.S.

She trained on Hinterlux from 5th to 25th November, with a break for a couple of days due to bad weather. The injury was completely healed, which was very encouraging for her World Cup start. From 25th November to 2nd December Janica was in Zagreb, training on Sljeme. On 26th November, she was awarded the prestigious 'Franjo Bučar' award for sport achievements in the previous year.

After Zagreb, on 2nd December, Janica went to train in Italy's Alleghe, where she would be preparing for her first World Cup races - Val d'Isere (France) and Sestrieres (Italy).

With all these circumstances in mind, and with the fact that this is an Olympic season, we will try to do everything to help Janica get ready for the main goal - Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in February, where we expect her to run in all disciplines except the special downhill. We hope Janica will win at least one medal. Of course, we won't ignore World Cup races, but because of Janica's injury, we are expecting better results in late December and in January.

In late May Janica went to Monte Carlo, to meet many famous sportspeople at prestigious 'Laureaus World Sports Awards', where she was nominated in the 'Comeback of the Year' category.

In the 2001/2002 season (in accordance with the Croatian Ski Association rules, which don't allow for private sponsorship on helmet and cap, but guarantee major Croatian alpine ski pool sponsors, under special conditions regulated among sponsors, skiers and Croatian alpine ski pool, to put their names on skiers' helmets and caps) Janica will have a new sponsor on her helmet and cap - Croatian Telecom - and the colour of her helmet will be orange, like Croatian Telecom's.

Janica's web-pages are being textually and visually reconstucted, and soon you will be able (thanks to the sponsor Croatian Telecom and a numerous team of designers, journalists, photographers, translators and webmasters) to find all information and news on Janica on the address http://www.janica.hr, as well as see her results, photos and race videos.