Czech Snowboarder Ester Ledecka Just Took Gold in an Olympics Skiing Event—on Borrowed Skis

When it comes to the Olympics, there's usually one or two athletes that are favored to win a given event. But no one saw Czech snowboarder Ester Ledecka coming at Saturday's alpine skiing Super-G competition—until she crossed the finish line on borrowed skis and took gold in one of the Winter Games' best Olympic moments (and biggest upsets) to date.

And yes, you read that right: Ledecka, who is a world champion snowboarder but not as well-known for her skiing (until, well, now), borrowed American skier Mikaela Shiffrin's skis as Shiffrin opted to sit today's Super-G out due to the weather conditions.

But it was Anna Veith of Austria who was slated to take the gold, according to those that predict such things. A few skiers stumbled, including Lindsey Vonn, an American skier whose Super-G run was going to be her first event at the Olympics in eight years.

Instead, in an upset victory, Ledecka sailed by Veith's time by one one-hundredth of a second, taking gold for an event she's only been competing in for two years (it's basically her side hustle to snowboarding). At first, she says, she thought it was a mistake: "I really don't know what happened. You tell me ... I was riding. I really don't know what happened. It was great." This GIF shows the moment she realized exactly what had happened:

For context, she was ranked 43rd in the event and defending champ Veith 17th, according to NPR.

According to Deadspin, the reason for her victory was due in part to the fact that she was relatively inexperienced in the event: Her course down the slopes was "unorthodox" but ultimately faster.

At the press conference, she was still wearing her goggles because, as she said, she hadn't "prepared" for the possibility of a shock victory and thus hadn't put on makeup.

Shiffrin, ski lendee, took to Twitter to congratulate her fellow skier.

Vonn, who faltered near the end (and whom Ledecka had beat during a training in November), also displayed some great sportswomanship on Twitter: "Frustrating to be so close to the podium and to have made such a big mistake...but that’s ski racing. I’m proud of the way I skied and how I attacked the course. I gave it my all and came up short. That’s life. Now it’s on to the Downhill! 💪🏻"

Ledecka is also the first Olympian to compete in both Alpine skiing and snowboarding—and we can't wait to watch her hit the slopes again for both sports as the Winter Games continue.

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