After a ten-month stalemate, ski crosser Daniela Maier’s anxious wait finally brought a happy ending.
The 26-year-old athlete from the German Ski Association (DSV) can now keep her bronze medal from the Olympic Games in Beijing after a Solomonic ruling by the International Sports Court CAS.
The verdict is also in the spirit of Maier. Even before the start of the season last week, she had emphasized that it would be “the best decision” to award two bronze medals. The second medal goes to Fanny Smith from Switzerland.
In fact, Maier had finished fourth in the Olympic final. After lengthy discussions, however, the racing jury decided: Smith had hindered Maier. There were protests and counter-protests. The appointments committee of the World Ski Federation FIS initially put Smith in third place. After that, the spectacular case ended up before the CAS.
There was an amicable agreement there on Tuesday due to “the special and stressful circumstances and the uniqueness of the case” under sole arbitrator Ulrich Haas.