A Slovenian cross-country skier was able...

Petra Majdic, one of the pre-race favorites, injured her ribs after she flew off the track at a bend, into a snow bank, before finally slamming into a tree during a warm-up run earlier on Wednesday but managed to struggle through the qualifying rounds and grab Slovenia"s first ever medal in cross-country.

After the accident, she was taken to a nearby clinic, where an X-ray showed that she was heavily bruised but no bones were broken. She then rushed back to Whistler Olympic Park just in time for the race.

"I was screaming my way around the course," The Washington Post quoted Majdic as saying. "It was the first time all the coaches from all the nations were cheering for me."

"Today, this is not a bronze," she said after she was taken up to the podium for the flower and awards ceremony in a wheel-chair. "This is a gold with little diamonds on it."

Majdic"s brave performance overshadowed those of Norway"s Marit Bjoergen, who won gold, and Justyna Kowalczyk

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