Eva Vukadinova of Team Bulgaria skis her run while a course worker is still repairing a broken gate. Photo / Getty
Eva Vukadinova of Team Bulgaria skis her run while a course worker is still repairing a broken gate. Photo / Getty
A Bulgarian skier has taken aim at a course worker she said robbed her of the chance to fulfil her Winter Olympics potential and put her at risk of being seriously injured.
Eva Vukadinova was in the running for a medal on Wednesday when, during her slalom run, she was forced to stop because of a course worker being in her path.
The man had reportedly walked across part of the track at Beijing's Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre to pick up a tool left behind after one of the poles were fixed.
Vukadinova was given a re-run which she executed in one minute and 0.71, placing her in 49th position after the first round, but she was unable to complete her second and was disqualified.
The 20-year-old argued in an angry post to Instagram the "unfair" incident put her at a massive disadvantaged to her opponents, with the re-run adding to the toll on her body.
"I don't know what the right answer to those questions is. All I know is that even with a fractured hand, I skied very good (before that guy decided just to leave the metal on the gate)."
Eva Vukadinova was unable to finish her run. Photo / Getty
She expressed that while she was granted the re-run, it was "not the same".
"Not when you have to ski down to the chair lift, go up, go down the start (with my race ski) and start almost immediately.
"Sure, I may be not a top level skier or fighting for the podium, but I also worked a lot to get here!!! Don't I at least deserve the same CHANCE like everyone else?"
Vukadinova said she was "beyond disappointed" and could not believe such incident would unfold at a "top level sports event like the Olympics".
"I am just glad that I didn't break my legs on that gate. One thing is to be on course to fix something, other thing is to leave a heavy metal like that on the gate. And on top of that to pretend that it's completely normal," she wrote.
Despite battling through the momentous weight of disappointment, the athlete still maintained somewhat of a positive outlook.
"I am sad, really sad, but also happy and proud of myself that I was fighting till the end. I will also never get rid of the smile on my face, cause nothing can bring me down," she wrote.
Petra Vlhova from Slovakia went on to claim gold in the event. It was the country's first Olympic medal in alpine skiing.
