Janica will not ski this season

[Jane]

Olympic women's alpine ski champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia will miss the rest of the World Cup season because of thyroid gland and knee problems.
The Associated Press quotes Kostelic's spokesman as saying the skier will not be back on the slopes this season. Ozren Mueller told AP that Kostelic would concentrate on regaining her health.

The defending World Cup overall champion revealed in November that she had a thyroid problem. She was on the slopes December 16 as a forerunner at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. However, her run aggravated a knee injury and she did not serve as a forerunner the next day.

The 21-year-old Kostelic has undergone four knee operations in the past 10 months. Her last competition on the World Cup circuit was in March of 2003. She was also the first Alpine skier to win four medals at a single Olympics when she won three gold's and a silver at the Salt Lake City games two years ago.

[Mira1]

What about Ivica, he is still not skiing?

[Jane1]

Kostelic's thyroid surgery successful


ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - Surgeons removed the thyroid gland of Olympic ski champion Janica Kostelic on Wednesday and said she was expected to recover completely in five weeks.

Kostelic, the defending overall World Cup champion and three-time Olympic gold medallist, was expected to remain in bed for two days, but leave the clinic within a week, said Dr. Tomislav Anic, whose team performed a two-hour operation in a Zagreb clinic.

"Janica feels fine," Anic told reporters.

Kostelic was sidelined at the start of this season due to a knee injury, but her expected return to the slopes last month was further stalled after doctors discovered she had developed a thyroid gland disorder.

Anic said Kostelic suffered from hyperthyroidism and Basedov disease, which affected her internal organs and joints. Kostelic's thyroid gland secreted a hormone at levels three to four times above normal.

"The removal of the thyroid gland won't have any consequences on her health and her sports career," Anic said, but added Kostelic would have to take medication all her life.

The head of the Croatian Ski Federation, Vedran Pavelk, said Kostelic would deal with her other health problem - her knee - after she completely recovers from the surgery.

She earlier said she planned to be fit and ready for the next skiing season.

Last year started on a high for Kostelic as she claimed two golds at the world championships at St. Moritz and her second overall World Cup title. However, the rest of the year was fraught with disappointments as she had to undergo four knee operations.

Kostelic became the first alpine skier to win four medals at a single Olympics, taking three gold medals and a silver at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

[BL]

Kostelic undergoes thyroid operation

Richard Stevens
Thursday January 22, 2004
The Guardian

The persistent knee injury that has disrupted the recent career of the Olympic gold medallist and World Cup champion Janica Kostelic was compounded yesterday when she had her thyroid gland surgically removed during a two-hour operation in a Zagreb clinic.
Although her surgeon Miljenko Radetic believes "she will recover and be able to resume full training in four to six weeks, two months at most", Kostelic's problems may still not be over.

Croatia's national team manager Vedran Pavlek admitted after the operation that Kostelic was still experiencing problems with her troublesome right knee, which has kept her away from competition this season, and she may require further surgery this year. "We are monitoring the situation," he said, "and, if the need arises, it could be operated on."

Kostelic had said in November that she was having problems with her thyroid gland, which is located in the neck and helps to regulate the body's metabolism. She is expected to remain bed-ridden for two days but should leave the clinic within a week.

Kostelic missed the start of this season because of a knee injury but her expected return to the slopes last month was further stalled after doctors discovered that she was suffering from hyperthyroidism and Basedov disease, which affected her internal organs and joints. Kostelic's thyroid was secreting a certain hormone at more than three to four times the normal level.

Last year Kostelic won two gold medals at the world championships in St Moritz and secured a second overall World Cup title. She had become the first alpine skier to win four medals at a single Olympics, taking three golds and a silver in Salt Lake City in 2002.