JEONGSEON, South Korea (AP) — Matthias Mayer came to the Pyeongchang Games as an Olympic champion, and he'll leave as an Olympic champion.
Just not in the event he expected.
A sliding crash into a TV cameraman was the inelegant end of the Austrian's charge for a medal in the opening combined event. It caused a hip injury that left him little hope of retaining the Olympic downhill title he won at the 2014 Sochi Games.
But on Friday, Mayer broke Norway's 16-year grip on the men's Olympic super-G title, winning an unexpected gold medal four years after unexpectedly winning the downhill.