Karker looks to make the most of second Olympics
Global News
Having won a bronze medal four years ago in Beijing, Canadian halfpipe skier Rachael Karker is feeling freer at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Having won a bronze medal four years ago in Beijing, Canadian halfpipe skier Rachael Karker is feeling freer at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Gone are the COVID restrictions and the fear of getting sick. And against that stifling backdrop, Karker felt the pressure of earning the Olympic medal that was missing from her resume.
“I was so desperate to get that medal at those Games,” she said. “And then I did. And so now I don’t really feel the same desperation to go in and make sure that I medal. I just want to go and enjoy them and ski my best. And my whole family’s going, so that’s going to be way more fun than no one being there in China.”
“Obviously, I would still love to medal. But I sort of feel like I’ve been able to do, so there’s less pressure for me this time,” she added.
After just missing out on the Pyeongchang Games in 2018, Karker landed on the Beijing podium with teammate Cassie Sharpe, earning silver while China’s Eileen Gu took gold.
The road to Italy has not been all smooth sailing for the 28-year-old from Erin, Ont., who now makes her home in Calgary with fiancé and fellow Milan halfpipe skier Brendan Mackay (a former world champion who was ninth at the Beijing games).
A chronic knee injury has limited her competition.
“It’s not really a dangerous injury, but it’s an injury that causes me a lot of pain,” Karker explained.
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Having won a bronze medal four years ago in Beijing, Canadian halfpipe skier Rachael Karker is feeling freer at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
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