Post date: Mar 2, 2018 1:35:27 PM
Every four years, the Olympic Games bring together the greatest athletes from all over the world to compete. Oh and of course, the now infamous Elizabeth Swaney.
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, but representing Hungary, thanks to her grandparents’ heritage, Swaney competed in the Pyeongchang women’s ski halfpipe. Her performance—to put it kindly—was captivatingly boring. Instead of performing any gravity defying tricks, she opted to leisurely ski up and down the halfpipe.
Her lackluster performance left many spectators scratching their heads, asking how such an average skier made it to the Olympics.
The answer is rather unorthodox.
Setting her sights on the Olympics five years ago, Swaney was competing for one out of 24 spots in the women’s halfpipe. Knowing that her chances of making the American team were slim, Swaney’s first step on her Olympic journey was to make the switch to compete for Hungary in 2015.
The rest of the plan was simple: compete in a bunch of international events without falling.
“The field is not that deep in the women's pipe, and she went to every World Cup, where there were only 24, 25, or 28 women," explained longtime ski halfpipe and slopestyle judge Steele Spence. "She would compete in them consistently over the last couple years and sometimes girls would crash, so she would not end up dead last.
Eventually, the dedication paid off, and Swaney was able to earn enough points through the International Ski Federation to make it to the Olympics.
Although her Olympic debut was nothing short of a disappointment, and she finished dead last in both qualifying runs, Swaney won gold in media fame.
Immediately following her run, fans took to social media to praise Swaney, express their undying love for her antics, and celebrate her run tongue-in-cheek.
Of course, not everyone was happy with Swaney’s run. Many people viewed her performance as an exploitation of the system, a mockery of the Olympic spirit, and a scheme that prevented legitimate athletes from competing in the games.
In response, the Hungarian Ski Federation says that they will reconsider their qualification process for the Olympics.
"We, the Hungarian Olympic Committee, have to learn the lessons from this case, and we must consider rethinking our nomination procedures," a Hungarian team spokesman told Reuters.
Seemingly oblivious to the both the positive and negative attention she was receiving, Swaney defended her run.
“I want to show others that freestyle skiing is possible, and it is never too late to get into this sport, and to help others to dream and to progress the sport in Hungary,” said Swaney. "I hope this can be a platform to inspire others."
-Michael Bachmann '20