Saturday, February 16, 2002
Snowboarder's medal 'a miracle'
By CHRIS STEVENSON -- SLAM! Sports
PARK CITY, Utah -- Somewhere, Billy Flood must have a smile on his face.
Flood was the 13-year-old boy, killed by a gunshot to the head by another kid, whose liver was donated by his family.
Chris Klug wound up with that liver. Yesterday, Klug also wound up with a bronze medal.
"It's a miracle," said the 29-year-old snowboarder, who was diagnosed with the same liver disorder which claimed the life of former football great Walter Payton. He would have died less than two years ago, but Billy Flood, sitting in his living room playing video games, had his life taken in a senseless act. The kid who did it copped a manslaughter plea and got two years in a juvenile facility.
Out of that tragedy came Klug's glory in the parallel giant slalom.
Klug kept coming from behind yesterday -- including a win over Bromont, Que.'s Jerome Sylvestre by .05 of a second in the first round -- to claim the bronze.
"You know, it's kind of like my liver transplant," said Klug, who's from Denver. "I was facing that third month and I thought I wasn't going to make it. I always felt like, 'hey, it's not over yet. That window is still open.'
"It's just like when I was struggling earlier this season and I just kept saying, 'Hey, the window is still open.' You botched three qualifiers, but there are still two left. The window is still open. Same thing as today. I was down .7 and 1.4 and I just kept fighting, I didn't give up. That's kind of who I am."
Sylvestre, meanwhile, turned in a gutsy performance for a rider with little experience at this level of competition.
"I proved to myself I can run with the best guys in the world," said Sylvestre, a late addition to the Olympic team. "I'm really glad because this is a big event and I proved I can handle the pressure well. This is a great experience for 2006. I'll be there stronger than ever."
2002 Games Snowboarding Coverage
