Zagreb (CRO), 08.11.2002
Janica pronounced the female athlete of the year!
Janica Kostelic has already gotten used to being the star wherever she shows up, but this time she, herself, did not know the reason. It was in strict secret that our athlete had been pronounced the best female athlete of the world, selected by the British production house Trans World Sport!
The Croatian Ski Association organized a usual press conference at the Zagreb Opera Hotel, which has been postponed from October to November this year, due to Janica Kostelic's post-operative recovery (appendix) and training continuity on the Austrian glacier of Hinterlux. With a multitude of reporters, the press conference was attended by sponsor representatives, as well as friends of Croatian skiing and the Kostelic family. After the introduction to the Croatian team, under the name HT Cronet Team, and a word by the team and ski pool director Vedran Pavlek, who introduced everybody to all the details pertaining to the ongoing season, came the big surprise.
Only Vedran Pavlek and the Association spokesperson Ozren Muller knew that the English had pronounced the brasilian footballer Ronaldo and Janica Kostelic world's best athletes. Ante Kostelic had found out a day before the ceremony, and everybody else, including Janica, mere moments before Luca Ceccolini handed her the crystal vase.