Lee-Gartner first Canadian skier to win downhill gold
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1992: Kerrin Lee-Gartner, alpine skiing
Canadian athletes hadn’t won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics since Gaetan Boucher topped the podium in 1984. No one expected Lee-Gartner — who had never won an international race — to be the one to break the drought. The early part of her career was hindered by knee injuries, but things started to come together for Lee-Gartner in 1992. The skier from Rossland, B.C., headed to Albertville with eight top-10 finishes during the season, before topping the podium when it mattered most, becoming the first Canadian skier to win an Olympic title since Kathy Kreiner in 1976 and the first Canadian woman to win a downhill title.
“About two years ago I had a dream in French. Someone told me I had a medaille d’or (gold medal). I had no idea what it meant so maybe this explains it,” Lee-Gartner said after the race.
While there was some negative publicity — French media mocked her victory as a fluke — Lee-Gartner became a media darling, as much for her fresh, girl-nextdoor looks and genuine personality as for her upset win, earning a two-page spread in Sports Illustrated.
She also charmed everyone with her personal life, crediting her husband Max Gartner for giving her the peace she needed (and perhaps a pre-race “warm-up under the covers” if reports are to be believed) to win.